FAMILY EVENT: Together We Sing Festival
2019-01-19 13:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Minnesota History Center, 345 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Cameroon Choir
Mila Vocal Ensemble
Every social movement in modern history has been inspired by music that rouses the masses, speaks truth to power, and cements public consciousness. On MLK weekend 2019, join VocalEssence and guest artists to raise your voice and give back. In partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, sing songs of protest and progress, move your feet to the rhythm of justice, try your hand at spoken word performance, and volunteer for a cause.
Together We Sing Festival
Registration: 1:00-1:30 pm
Event: 1:30-5:00 pm
See a sample schedule here.
Admission to the 1968 and Somali American Exhibits may be purchased separately through the Minnesota Historical Society.
Tickets are also available as part of a 50th Season Subscription or Family Series Subscription.
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: Frozen Movie Sing-Along, 10 AM
2019-02-02 10:00 - 12:00 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States
THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT!
Whether it’s Elsa, Anna, Olaf, or even Sven, dress up as your favorite character and join us at a Frozen movie sing-along. Walk over to the “castle” (Turnblad Mansion) to take a photo with your prince or princess, and create a snowflake in honor of your favorite snowman. ASI Museum admission included.
All ages welcome. Children and youth ages 0-17 are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket. $10 tickets are also available as part of a Family Series Subscription. Choose 3 or more Family Concert events to subscribe.
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: Frozen Movie Sing-Along, 12:30 PM
2019-02-02 12:30 - 14:30 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States

FAMILY SERIES: Frozen Movie Sing-Along, 3 PM
2019-02-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States

CONCERT: VocalEssence WITNESS: Yet They Persist
2019-02-24 16:00 - 18:00 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States
IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE UPDATE!
LAST UPDATED SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 AT 1:34 PM
The VocalEssence WITNESS: Yet They Persist performance on Sunday, February 24, 2019 will be performed as scheduled.
Stand up and cheer as VocalEssence honors past, present, and future trailblazing African and African American women who persist against all odds to change their communities and the world. Atlanta’s Spelman College Glee Club will join the VocalEssence Chorus and VocalEssence Singers Of This Age in this electrifying program, which celebrates entrepreneurship, highlights the importance of education, and advocates for the equality of all. This performance will celebrate the contributions of four local women: Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, Council Member Andrea Jenkins, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and activist Hallie Q. Brown.
Performers
VocalEssence Chorus
Spelman College Glee Club
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Video

Concert Program

Thank You to our Concert Sponsors

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

SUBSCRIBE: Concert Series 2019-2020
2019-02-25 08:00 - 2019-12-13 08:00 | MN
Subscribe and join us at our 2019-20 Concert Series where we celebrate the 30th year of our VocalEssence WITNESS program all season long. Concert Series Subscribers save 30% over single tickets, and you can select any three, four, or all five season concerts to subscribe.
Enjoy These Great Benefits

$28 tickets: A savings of 30% off the $40 single ticket price!
Flexible and free ticket exchanges.
Subscriber priced tickets to share with friends and family.
Priority seating at concerts.
Add discounted tickets for our Family Series.

what is in store this season?

Thank you to our 2019-2020 Season Sponsors

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

SUBSCRIBE: Family Series 2019-2020
2019-02-25 08:00 - 2020-02-01 08:00 | MN
Family Series Subscribers save $5 per adult ticket, and you can select any three, four, or all five Family Series events to subscribe.
Enjoy these great benefits

Get $5 off each adult ticket! Family Series events are $15 each for single ticket buyers, but subscriber tickets are only $10 each.
Children ages 0-17 are completely free! Reserve up to 4 free child tickets for each paid adult ticket (children 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult).
Get flexible and free ticket exchanges.
Add subscriber priced tickets to any Family Series concert to share with friends and family.

What is in store this season?

Thank you to our 2019-20 Season Sponsors

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

PREVIEW PERFORMANCE: Candide, March 20
2019-03-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. TIckets are still available and can be purchased at The Cowles Center beginning at 6 PM.
This is a preview performance. Seating is general admission.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Concert Program

CONCERT: Candide, March 21
2019-03-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
This event is sold out.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Tickets are also available as part of a 50th Concert Series Subscription. Choose 3 or more Concert Series events to subscribe.
Concert Program

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

CONCERT: Candide, March 22
2019-03-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
This event is sold out.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Tickets are also available as part of a 50th Concert Series Subscription. Choose 3 or more Concert Series events to subscribe.
Friday, March 22, 2019 at 7:30pm is an ASL/AD Performance. Please mention if you need these services when you purchase your tickets.

Concert Program

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

CONCERT: Candide, March 23, 2 PM
2019-03-23 14:00 - 16:30 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Candide, March 23, 7:30 PM
2019-03-23 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Candide, March 24
2019-03-24 14:00 - 16:30 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

FAMILY SERIES: Tales & Tunes, 9:30 AM
2019-03-30 09:30 - 10:30 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Tickets are off sale online, but walk up sales will be available on Saturday, March 30 starting at 9 am.
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and Singers Of This Age
Nancy Carlson, author
Let’s create together! In this musical story time, your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with our singers, and hear acclaimed local author Nancy Carlson read some of her most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project, and create a song with us that you can take home.
All ages welcome. Children and youth ages 0-17 are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Event Program

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: Tales & Tunes, 11:30 AM
2019-03-30 11:30 - 12:30 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Tickets are off sale online, but walk up sales will be available on Saturday, March 30 starting at 11 am.
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and Singers Of This Age
Nancy Carlson, author
Let’s create together! In this musical story time, your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with our singers, and hear acclaimed local author Nancy Carlson read some of her most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project, and create a song with us that you can take home.
All ages welcome. Children and youth ages 0-17 are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Event Program

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

MPR: 50th Anniversary Concert Broadcast
2019-04-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Minnesota Public Radio Headquarters, 480 Cedar Street, St. Paul, 55101, United States
As part of Classical Minnesota Public Radio’s “Voices of Spring” celebration, they will encore their November broadcast of the two-hour special of the VocalEssence 50th Anniversary Concert. Tune in to your Classical Minnesota Public Radio Station on Tuesday, April 23 at 7 PM CST.
Live Stream
Click here to go to the Live Stream of the concert.
Find your station
Click here to find your Classical Minnesota Public Radio station.

CONCERT: The Times They Are A-Changin'
2019-04-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Palace Theatre, 17 West 7th Place, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Ashley DuBose, guest appearance
Jeremy Messersmith, guest appearance
Nation, guest appearance
Bob Dylan’s timeless music has been covered by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the Kronos Quartet. As the finale to our 50th season, it’s time to add our name to the list. Join us as we reimagine Dylan in the Midwest premiere of The Times They Are A-Changin’: The Words and Music of Bob Dylan, commissioned in honor of his 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature and arranged by Steve Hackman. Kick back, grab a drink, and hear Dylan’s music like it’s the first time all over again.
Please note: Bob Dylan will not be performing at this concert.
Concert Program

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

EVENT: Soul Sing at Icehouse
2019-05-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Icehouse MPLS, 2528 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Advance ticket sales are closed. $15 Standing room tickets will be available for purchase at the door beginning at 5PM.
VocalEssence is partnering with The Avant Garde to bring out the soul in all of us. Led by VocalEssence Teaching Artist Niles (Chadwick Phillips), The Avant Garde specializes in fusing multiple forms of art into one event (music concerts, visual art showings, dance performances, poetic readings, theater, and more). This event will feature performances by hip-hop artist Niles, jazz performer Ginger Commodore, neo-soul singer Ashley DuBose, pianist Ryan Bynum and will be led by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Come and add your voice and a little soul to the evening in a sing-along of your favorites.
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Community Concert 2019
2019-05-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Field Community School, Minneapolis
Harding High School, St. Paul
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School, New Hope
Hear our community come together as hundreds of students join VocalEssence to celebrate Mexico in song at the VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Community Concert. The culmination of a year-long composer-in-residence program, this bilingual concert includes premieres and an audience sing-along that will leave you with a renewed hope that music can change the world. Learn more about the VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Program by clicking here, or watching the video below.
All ages welcome.

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

EVENT: Tienda at TPT
2019-05-23 19:30 - 21:30 | Studio A at Twin Cities Public Television, 172 4th st e, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This unique performance at TPT Studio A in Lowertown, St. Paul will feature a partially staged opera by Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Reinaldo Moya with words by Caitlin Vincent. Among the singers and instrumentalists featured in this chamber opera is mezzo soprano Clara Osowski and members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age.
The opera tells the story of Luis Garzón, a Mexican musician who immigrated to Minneapolis in 1886 and opened a small Mexican grocery store, or tienda, in St. Paul in the 1920s. While Luis had married an American woman and was fully integrated into Minneapolitan society, his store served as a community hub for the newest arrivals from Mexico, many of whom had fled the Mexican Revolution and now toiled in the sugar beet farms of rural Minnesota. Tienda explores the immigrant experience: what must be left behind—and what cannot be forgotten—on the journey to a new home. This world premiere performance of Tienda is one of the highlights of Moya’s two-year residency with the Schubert Club.
This event is ticketed through the Schubert Club. The VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.
Cast & Creative Team

Reinaldo Moya, composer
Caitlin Vincent, librettist
Adrian Rosas, Old Luis
Bergen Baker, Clara
Juan Carlos Mendoza, Aarón and Javier
Matthew Valverde, Young Luis
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Adam Rappel, percussion
Maja Radovanlija, guitar
Sarah Grimes, violin
Susan Janda, viola
Teresa Richardson, cello
Rafael Rodriguez, conductor
Ahmed Anzaldúa, pianist & vocal coach
Jon Cranney, director

Biographies
Reinaldo Moya (Composer)
Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. Through El Sistema, he had access to musical training from an early age and was a founding member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra touring throughout Europe, North and South America. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a participant in the prestigious John Duffy Composers Institute and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Composers Institute. Moya now lives in Northfield, and is Associate Professor of Composition at Augsburg College. His young adult opera, Memory Boy was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera and received its premiere in February of 2016. Reinaldo Moya is the recipient of the 2019 Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2015 McKnight Composers Fellowship, the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and the Aaron Copland Award from the Copland House.
Caitlin Vincent (Librettist)
Caitlin Vincent is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous” (The Huffington Post). Her opera Better Gods, with composer Luna Pearl Woolf, premiered in January 2016 at the Kennedy Center as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the prestigious Sackler Music Composition Prize to fund a new opera about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator, and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas, for a premiere in 2019. Other recent commissions include Nullipara with composer D. J. Sparr for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Little Black Book with composer Susan LaBarr for Carnegie Hall. A classically-trained soprano, Vincent graduated cum laude from Harvard University and holds a MM degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a PhD from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
Adrian Rosas (Old Luis)
Hailed by the New York Times as “a stalwart bass-baritone with a burnished voice” and in Opera News as a “mellifluous bass-baritone [with] theatrical flair”, Adrian Rosas is an artist with “impressive experience and talent” (The Boston Globe). He has performed with the Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Saratoga, and the Detroit Opera House. As a champion of new and modern music, he has had the opportunity to work on newly written works, including Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket, Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Petr Kotik’s Master-Pieces, Matt Aucoin’s Whitman, and newly written works with American Lyric Theater, American Opera Projects, and the Ostrava Center for New Music. Equally versed in concert repertoire, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Library of Congress.
In addition to his career as a singer, Adrian has a dedication to education and entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder of Arts On Site NYC, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting the development of artists and encouraging community collaboration; a co-founder of the Vocal Apprentice Program and voice mentor at the The National Music Festival, which provides collegiate-level singers with an opportunity to study, learn, and perform with career professionals; and is on voice faculty with the California State Summer School for the Arts. Adrian holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.
Bergen Baker (Clara)
Praised by the Star Tribune as having a “fetching blend of grace, warmth and humor on stage,” soprano Bergen Baker has been a featured performer with local companies such as Minnesota Opera, The Minnesota Orchestra, Skylark Opera Theatre, Lakes Area Music Festival as well as many operatic and symphonic companies across the country. Currently, she is the Managing Director and a frequent performer for LOFTrecital, a Minneapolis arts organization bringing unique musical experiences to unconventional spaces.
In addition to performance on the operatic and concert stage, Ms. Baker holds a passion for arts education and served as Teaching Artist for Minnesota Opera from 2012-2014. During her tenure, Ms. Baker organized community residencies and performances that served nearly 15,000 opera lovers across the state of Minnesota. Today, she manages the opera study abroad program, Musica nelle Marche LLC, in Urbino, Italy, and remains a highly sought after Teaching Artist, offering residencies, workshops and master classes to students and communities across the country.
Ms. Baker holds Bachelor and Master degrees in vocal performance from DePaul University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. More info at bergenbaker.com and loftrecital.org
Clara Osowski (Edith)
Mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, who sings “from inside the music with unaffected purity and sincerity” (UK Telegraph), is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Recognized for her excellence in Minnesota, Clara was a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.
In international competition with pianist Tyler Wottrich, in March of 2017, Clara became the first ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. In September, the duo was also one of four to reach the finals in the prestigious Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition in London, and Clara was awarded the Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. She recently won the Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award and third place in the song division at the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This festival strives to create and perform new art song, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. Clara also teaches on the faculty at Aspen Music Festival’s Professional Choral Institute in partnership with Seraphic Fire. Please see www.claraosowski.com for more information.
Juan Carlos Mendoza (Aarón and Javier)
Tenor Juan Carlos Mendoza is a native of Muscatine, IA. Stage roles include Freddy in My Fair Lady, Tigranes in the North American premiere of Cavalli’s La Doriclea, Gloster Hemming in The Mother of Us All, and Bill in A Hand of Bridge. Concert highlights include Tenor Evangelist in Pärt’s Passio, and Tenor Soloist in Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Magnificat and Mass in g minor (Bach), and Bolts of Melody (Ford). As a choral performer Mr. Mendoza has performed in Tannhäuser with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Harmoniemesse (Haydn), Carmina Burana (Orff) and The Kingdom (Elgar) with the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF). Mr. Mendoza received a Master of Arts degree from The University of Iowa, a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, additional studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Opera at The University of Iowa. In addition to performing, he has served on the voice faculties of Drake University, Knox College, Monmouth College, Kirkwood Community College, and currently teaches voice at Augustana College.
Matthew Valverde (Young Luis)
Matthew Valverde has been praised in the New York Classical Review as having a “huge, handsome tenor voice.” He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a master’s degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and degrees from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). Matthew has just completed his third year as Assistant Professor of Voice at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO, where he also serves as Inclusive Excellence Liaison, supporting initiatives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Valverde made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2014 and has been tenor soloist in performances including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Britten’s Serenade and War Requiem. Orchestral credits include: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Oratorio Society, Finger Lakes Choral Festival, and the SLV Symphony. He has appeared with the Rochester Lyric Opera, Finger Lakes Opera (Geneseo, NY), and Eastman Opera Theatre. Valverde has performed with the Internationale Bachakademie’s Festivalensemble Stuttgart (Helmuth Rilling), Vox Humana (David Childs), Voices Chamber Choir (William Weinert), First Inversion Vocal Ensemble (Lee Wright), and is the tenor section leader of EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble (Eugene Rogers).
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (Chorus)
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age is a dynamic group of 50 young people from Minneapolis and Saint Paul high schools who sing, dance, write their own music, rap, and—most importantly—reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Under the visionary leadership of G. Phillip Shoultz, III, the students sing a wide range of music—from classical to hip-hop and everything in between, perform in world-class venues, awaken their creativity by studying voice, dance, theatre, and spoken word, rehearse at Augsburg University to provide exposure to life in college, and belong to an accepting community of peers from all walks of life.
Rafael Rodriguez (Conductor)
Rafael Antonio Rodriguez is internationally recognized and highly regarded as a conductor and educator. His professional work has taken him throughout the Americas to Peru, Colombia, the Amazon region of Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and to Costa Rica where he lived and worked for many years before returning to the United States.
While serving as Artistic Director and conductor for the national youth orchestra in the Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical (Costa Rica), Rafael led the Orquesta Sinfónica Manuel María Gutiérrez on an international tour to Mexico including performances at such prestigious venues as the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City. He has also performed to sold-out audiences at the National Theatre of Costa Rica, and at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, Peru.
Committed to excellence in teaching and to creating a collaborative musical experience for students and professionals alike, Rafael’s background as a jazz pianist and arranger provide an uncommon foundation for a creative and emotive approach to orchestral performance. Rafael is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting & Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds graduate degrees in Instrumental Conducting (M.M.) and in Education (M.Ed.) from universities in southern California. Currently, he serves on the music faculty at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Ahmed Anzaldúa (Pianist & Vocal Coach)
Ahmed Anzaldúa is a Mexican choral conductor, classical pianist, and music educator of Egyptian descent. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the United States frequently as a soloist and conductor with choirs, orchestras, in recitals, and as a collaborative pianist. He currently lives in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the director and founder of Border CrosSing, an organization dedicated to integrating historically-segregated audiences, repertoire, and musicians through the performance of choral music. He is also a co-editor of the Justice Choir songbook.

Adam Rappel (Percussion)
Dr. Adam Rappel takes great pride in being a versatile percussionist. He has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden. He has also performed with YOA – Orchestra of the Americas – in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In addition, he performed in the first International Percussion Ensemble festival in Costa Rica with the University of Minnesota Percussion Ensemble. As an orchestral percussionist, he performs regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Mankato Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Rappel has held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, MacPhail Center for Music and Inver Hills Community College. He is currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and is affiliate faculty at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he directs the Steel Drum Ensemble. Adam received his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, studying with Peter Kogan, Phil Hey, Steve Yeager and Fernando Meza. He is the first percussionist to ever receive the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He is proudly endorsed by Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and is a Yamaha Concert Percussion artist and clinician.
Maja Radovanlija (Guitar)
Maja Radovanlija was born in Belgrade, Serbia. As a child, she won several awards in music festivals and competitions in former Yugoslavia. While in high school, she won second prize at the Petar Konjevic International Competition in Belgrade and took part in a classical music show for National Television of Serbia.
Maja completed her Bachelor degree at the University of Belgrade. As a graduate student (M.M and DMA) at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, she studied with Ernesto Bitetti, and with lutenist Nigel North. During her studies Maja performed many new works written for her, and started performing her own pieces, arrangements and improvised pieces, inspired by traditional music of Balkan countries.
Maja taught classical guitar for over 10 years in Belgrade Serbia. She was also on the guitar faculty for the Jacobs School of Music’s pre-college guitar program, where she led an ensemble for kids ages 5-10. Beginning the fall of 2011, she was appointed as the only guitar faculty at the School of Music, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Maja is a member of several chamber ensembles and projects based in Minneapolis and Belgrade, such as Radovanlija-Chatterton guitar/flute Duo, Improvised Ecosystems, Szilard Mezei strings and flute Trio, and Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.
Sarah Grimes (Violin)
Violinist Sarah Grimes, a native of the Twin Cities, joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2016, where she is a member of the first violin section. Before her appointment in the Minnesota Orchestra, she performed full time as a Guest Musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and formerly a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Grimes was concertmaster of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, performer and cofounder in student-led ensembles, and a freelance musician in the greater Chicagoland area.
Sarah has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Evanston Chamber Players, and most recently with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Spring 2019. An active chamber musician in the Twin Cities, Grimes performs for the Minnesota Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Liquid Music Series, the SPCO Chamber Music Series, Bakken Trio, Outpost, The Musical Offering, and at festivals including Kneisel Hall Chamber Music, Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills and Astona International. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. Her principal teachers include Sarah Kwak and Almita and Roland Vamos.
Susan Janda (Viola)
Susan Janda is a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Four Voices String Quartet, One World Consort (jazz-world music fusion), and is on faculty at Hamline University. Recent work includes: Minnesota Orchestra and VocalEssence performances, upcoming CDs with Minnesota Opera, singer-songwriter Jonathan Brooke, vibraphonist Steve Yeager, jazz vocalist Lucia Newell. Janda makes her home in St. Paul with her husband and two boys, and has recently taken up the great sport of long blade speed skating…realizing a wish from long ago.

Teresa Richardson (cello)
Teresa Richardson is Assistant Principal cellist with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. Teresa has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Mill City Summer Opera. She has performed with Bakken Trio, The Musical Offering, Zeitgeist, VocalEssence, and onstage as soloist with the St. Paul Ballet. Teresa appeared as soloist with orchestra performing concertos by Elgar, Haydn, Saint-Saens, and Boccherini. Fulfilling a strong passion for teaching, Teresa is on the faculty at North Star Cello Academy and MacPhail Center for Music, and has taught at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Teresa earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she graduated with high distinction under the instruction of Janos Starker, Emilio Colon, and Helga Winold.
Jon Cranney (Director)
Jon Cranney has been a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul professional theatre community for over four decades. He was a member of the Guthrie Theater Company in its early years and served as the Artistic Director in the 80s and 90s of the Tony Award honored The Children’s Theatre Company. He has directed for many Twin Cities theatres as well as others across the nation and in Moscow, Japan and China.
He has also performed as an actor at The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Yellow Tree Theatre, and has assisted on many projects as a director and writer for VocalEssence.

EVENT: Tienda at Neighborhood House
2019-05-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Neighborhood House, 179 Robie St E, Saint Paul, MN, 55107, United States
This unique performance will feature a partially staged opera by Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Reinaldo Moya with words by Caitlin Vincent. Among the singers and instrumentalists featured in this chamber opera is mezzo soprano Clara Osowski and members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age.
The opera tells the story of Luis Garzón, a Mexican musician who immigrated to Minneapolis in 1886 and opened a small Mexican grocery store, or tienda, in St. Paul in the 1920s. While Luis had married an American woman and was fully integrated into Minneapolitan society, his store served as a community hub for the newest arrivals from Mexico, many of whom had fled the Mexican Revolution and now toiled in the sugar beet farms of rural Minnesota. Tienda explores the immigrant experience: what must be left behind—and what cannot be forgotten—on the journey to a new home. This world premiere performance of Tienda is one of the highlights of Moya’s two-year residency with the Schubert Club.
This event is produced by the Schubert Club. The VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.
Cast & Creative Team

Reinaldo Moya, composer
Caitlin Vincent, librettist
Adrian Rosas, Old Luis
Bergen Baker, Clara
Juan Carlos Mendoza, Aarón and Javier
Matthew Valverde, Young Luis
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Adam Rappel, percussion
Maja Radovanlija, guitar
Sarah Grimes, violin
Susan Janda, viola
Teresa Richardson, cello
Rafael Rodriguez, conductor
Ahmed Anzaldúa, pianist & vocal coach
Jon Cranney, director

Biographies
Reinaldo Moya (Composer)
Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. Through El Sistema, he had access to musical training from an early age and was a founding member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra touring throughout Europe, North and South America. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a participant in the prestigious John Duffy Composers Institute and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Composers Institute. Moya now lives in Northfield, and is Associate Professor of Composition at Augsburg College. His young adult opera, Memory Boy was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera and received its premiere in February of 2016. Reinaldo Moya is the recipient of the 2019 Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2015 McKnight Composers Fellowship, the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and the Aaron Copland Award from the Copland House.
Caitlin Vincent (Librettist)
Caitlin Vincent is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous” (The Huffington Post). Her opera Better Gods, with composer Luna Pearl Woolf, premiered in January 2016 at the Kennedy Center as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the prestigious Sackler Music Composition Prize to fund a new opera about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator, and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas, for a premiere in 2019. Other recent commissions include Nullipara with composer D. J. Sparr for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Little Black Book with composer Susan LaBarr for Carnegie Hall. A classically-trained soprano, Vincent graduated cum laude from Harvard University and holds a MM degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a PhD from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
Adrian Rosas (Old Luis)
Hailed by the New York Times as “a stalwart bass-baritone with a burnished voice” and in Opera News as a “mellifluous bass-baritone [with] theatrical flair”, Adrian Rosas is an artist with “impressive experience and talent” (The Boston Globe). He has performed with the Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Saratoga, and the Detroit Opera House. As a champion of new and modern music, he has had the opportunity to work on newly written works, including Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket, Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Petr Kotik’s Master-Pieces, Matt Aucoin’s Whitman, and newly written works with American Lyric Theater, American Opera Projects, and the Ostrava Center for New Music. Equally versed in concert repertoire, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Library of Congress.
In addition to his career as a singer, Adrian has a dedication to education and entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder of Arts On Site NYC, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting the development of artists and encouraging community collaboration; a co-founder of the Vocal Apprentice Program and voice mentor at the The National Music Festival, which provides collegiate-level singers with an opportunity to study, learn, and perform with career professionals; and is on voice faculty with the California State Summer School for the Arts. Adrian holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.
Bergen Baker (Clara)
Praised by the Star Tribune as having a “fetching blend of grace, warmth and humor on stage,” soprano Bergen Baker has been a featured performer with local companies such as Minnesota Opera, The Minnesota Orchestra, Skylark Opera Theatre, Lakes Area Music Festival as well as many operatic and symphonic companies across the country. Currently, she is the Managing Director and a frequent performer for LOFTrecital, a Minneapolis arts organization bringing unique musical experiences to unconventional spaces.
In addition to performance on the operatic and concert stage, Ms. Baker holds a passion for arts education and served as Teaching Artist for Minnesota Opera from 2012-2014. During her tenure, Ms. Baker organized community residencies and performances that served nearly 15,000 opera lovers across the state of Minnesota. Today, she manages the opera study abroad program, Musica nelle Marche LLC, in Urbino, Italy, and remains a highly sought after Teaching Artist, offering residencies, workshops and master classes to students and communities across the country.
Ms. Baker holds Bachelor and Master degrees in vocal performance from DePaul University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. More info at bergenbaker.com and loftrecital.org
Clara Osowski (Edith)
Mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, who sings “from inside the music with unaffected purity and sincerity” (UK Telegraph), is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Recognized for her excellence in Minnesota, Clara was a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.
In international competition with pianist Tyler Wottrich, in March of 2017, Clara became the first ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. In September, the duo was also one of four to reach the finals in the prestigious Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition in London, and Clara was awarded the Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. She recently won the Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award and third place in the song division at the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This festival strives to create and perform new art song, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. Clara also teaches on the faculty at Aspen Music Festival’s Professional Choral Institute in partnership with Seraphic Fire. Please see www.claraosowski.com for more information.
Juan Carlos Mendoza (Aarón and Javier)
Tenor Juan Carlos Mendoza is a native of Muscatine, IA. Stage roles include Freddy in My Fair Lady, Tigranes in the North American premiere of Cavalli’s La Doriclea, Gloster Hemming in The Mother of Us All, and Bill in A Hand of Bridge. Concert highlights include Tenor Evangelist in Pärt’s Passio, and Tenor Soloist in Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Magnificat and Mass in g minor (Bach), and Bolts of Melody (Ford). As a choral performer Mr. Mendoza has performed in Tannhäuser with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Harmoniemesse (Haydn), Carmina Burana (Orff) and The Kingdom (Elgar) with the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF). Mr. Mendoza received a Master of Arts degree from The University of Iowa, a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, additional studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Opera at The University of Iowa. In addition to performing, he has served on the voice faculties of Drake University, Knox College, Monmouth College, Kirkwood Community College, and currently teaches voice at Augustana College.
Matthew Valverde (Young Luis)
Matthew Valverde has been praised in the New York Classical Review as having a “huge, handsome tenor voice.” He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a master’s degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and degrees from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). Matthew has just completed his third year as Assistant Professor of Voice at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO, where he also serves as Inclusive Excellence Liaison, supporting initiatives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Valverde made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2014 and has been tenor soloist in performances including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Britten’s Serenade and War Requiem. Orchestral credits include: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Oratorio Society, Finger Lakes Choral Festival, and the SLV Symphony. He has appeared with the Rochester Lyric Opera, Finger Lakes Opera (Geneseo, NY), and Eastman Opera Theatre. Valverde has performed with the Internationale Bachakademie’s Festivalensemble Stuttgart (Helmuth Rilling), Vox Humana (David Childs), Voices Chamber Choir (William Weinert), First Inversion Vocal Ensemble (Lee Wright), and is the tenor section leader of EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble (Eugene Rogers).
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (Chorus)
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age is a dynamic group of 50 young people from Minneapolis and Saint Paul high schools who sing, dance, write their own music, rap, and—most importantly—reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Under the visionary leadership of G. Phillip Shoultz, III, the students sing a wide range of music—from classical to hip-hop and everything in between, perform in world-class venues, awaken their creativity by studying voice, dance, theatre, and spoken word, rehearse at Augsburg University to provide exposure to life in college, and belong to an accepting community of peers from all walks of life.
Rafael Rodriguez (Conductor)
Rafael Antonio Rodriguez is internationally recognized and highly regarded as a conductor and educator. His professional work has taken him throughout the Americas to Peru, Colombia, the Amazon region of Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and to Costa Rica where he lived and worked for many years before returning to the United States.
While serving as Artistic Director and conductor for the national youth orchestra in the Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical (Costa Rica), Rafael led the Orquesta Sinfónica Manuel María Gutiérrez on an international tour to Mexico including performances at such prestigious venues as the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City. He has also performed to sold-out audiences at the National Theatre of Costa Rica, and at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, Peru.
Committed to excellence in teaching and to creating a collaborative musical experience for students and professionals alike, Rafael’s background as a jazz pianist and arranger provide an uncommon foundation for a creative and emotive approach to orchestral performance. Rafael is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting & Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds graduate degrees in Instrumental Conducting (M.M.) and in Education (M.Ed.) from universities in southern California. Currently, he serves on the music faculty at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Ahmed Anzaldúa (Pianist & Vocal Coach)
Ahmed Anzaldúa is a Mexican choral conductor, classical pianist, and music educator of Egyptian descent. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the United States frequently as a soloist and conductor with choirs, orchestras, in recitals, and as a collaborative pianist. He currently lives in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the director and founder of Border CrosSing, an organization dedicated to integrating historically-segregated audiences, repertoire, and musicians through the performance of choral music. He is also a co-editor of the Justice Choir songbook.

Adam Rappel (Percussion)
Dr. Adam Rappel takes great pride in being a versatile percussionist. He has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden. He has also performed with YOA – Orchestra of the Americas – in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In addition, he performed in the first International Percussion Ensemble festival in Costa Rica with the University of Minnesota Percussion Ensemble. As an orchestral percussionist, he performs regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Mankato Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Rappel has held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, MacPhail Center for Music and Inver Hills Community College. He is currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and is affiliate faculty at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he directs the Steel Drum Ensemble. Adam received his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, studying with Peter Kogan, Phil Hey, Steve Yeager and Fernando Meza. He is the first percussionist to ever receive the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He is proudly endorsed by Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and is a Yamaha Concert Percussion artist and clinician.
Maja Radovanlija (Guitar)
Maja Radovanlija was born in Belgrade, Serbia. As a child, she won several awards in music festivals and competitions in former Yugoslavia. While in high school, she won second prize at the Petar Konjevic International Competition in Belgrade and took part in a classical music show for National Television of Serbia.
Maja completed her Bachelor degree at the University of Belgrade. As a graduate student (M.M and DMA) at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, she studied with Ernesto Bitetti, and with lutenist Nigel North. During her studies Maja performed many new works written for her, and started performing her own pieces, arrangements and improvised pieces, inspired by traditional music of Balkan countries.
Maja taught classical guitar for over 10 years in Belgrade Serbia. She was also on the guitar faculty for the Jacobs School of Music’s pre-college guitar program, where she led an ensemble for kids ages 5-10. Beginning the fall of 2011, she was appointed as the only guitar faculty at the School of Music, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Maja is a member of several chamber ensembles and projects based in Minneapolis and Belgrade, such as Radovanlija-Chatterton guitar/flute Duo, Improvised Ecosystems, Szilard Mezei strings and flute Trio, and Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.
Sarah Grimes (Violin)
Violinist Sarah Grimes, a native of the Twin Cities, joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2016, where she is a member of the first violin section. Before her appointment in the Minnesota Orchestra, she performed full time as a Guest Musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and formerly a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Grimes was concertmaster of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, performer and cofounder in student-led ensembles, and a freelance musician in the greater Chicagoland area.
Sarah has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Evanston Chamber Players, and most recently with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Spring 2019. An active chamber musician in the Twin Cities, Grimes performs for the Minnesota Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Liquid Music Series, the SPCO Chamber Music Series, Bakken Trio, Outpost, The Musical Offering, and at festivals including Kneisel Hall Chamber Music, Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills and Astona International. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. Her principal teachers include Sarah Kwak and Almita and Roland Vamos.
Susan Janda (Viola)
Susan Janda is a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Four Voices String Quartet, One World Consort (jazz-world music fusion), and is on faculty at Hamline University. Recent work includes: Minnesota Orchestra and VocalEssence performances, upcoming CDs with Minnesota Opera, singer-songwriter Jonathan Brooke, vibraphonist Steve Yeager, jazz vocalist Lucia Newell. Janda makes her home in St. Paul with her husband and two boys, and has recently taken up the great sport of long blade speed skating…realizing a wish from long ago.

Teresa Richardson (cello)
Teresa Richardson is Assistant Principal cellist with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. Teresa has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Mill City Summer Opera. She has performed with Bakken Trio, The Musical Offering, Zeitgeist, VocalEssence, and onstage as soloist with the St. Paul Ballet. Teresa appeared as soloist with orchestra performing concertos by Elgar, Haydn, Saint-Saens, and Boccherini. Fulfilling a strong passion for teaching, Teresa is on the faculty at North Star Cello Academy and MacPhail Center for Music, and has taught at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Teresa earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she graduated with high distinction under the instruction of Janos Starker, Emilio Colon, and Helga Winold.
Jon Cranney (Director)
Jon Cranney has been a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul professional theatre community for over four decades. He was a member of the Guthrie Theater Company in its early years and served as the Artistic Director in the 80s and 90s of the Tony Award honored The Children’s Theatre Company. He has directed for many Twin Cities theatres as well as others across the nation and in Moscow, Japan and China.
He has also performed as an actor at The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Yellow Tree Theatre, and has assisted on many projects as a director and writer for VocalEssence.

Minnesota State Fair Performances
2019-09-01 - 2019-09-02 | Minnesota State Fair, 1265 Snelling Avenue North, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States
The members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age will be performing on the International Bazaar Stage at the Minnesota State Fair on September 1 and 2, 2019. Come and join us for music on a stick! See their full schedule below. More information can be found at: https://www.mnstatefair.org/schedule/vocalessence-youth-choir/
Sunday, September 1, 2019: 10:45 AM, 12 PM, and 1:15 PM
Monday, September 2, 2019: 10:45 AM, 12 PM, and 1:15 PM

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers Mexico Tour Homecoming Concert
2019-09-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, 3611 North Berens Road NW, Prior Lake, MN, 55379, United States
The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers under the direction of Philip Brunelle will present a Homecoming Concert featuring music from their Mexico tour. The concert is free of charge, but a free-will offering will be taken at the event.
VocalEssence and Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church (SOLLC) both value experiences that bring people together. “Together We Sing” is the guiding motto for VocalEssence and this event celebrates both organizations’ shared commitment to cultivating positive connections that strengthen cross-cultural relationships. SOLLC puts great focus and value on music and the arts and is thrilled to present this concert and the message of kindness, love, and shared passion for the arts.

FAMILY: Tales & Tunes 2019, 9:30 AM
2019-09-28 09:30 - 10:30 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 8:45 AM.
Let’s create together! In this musical story time your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with VocalEssence singers, and hear acclaimed authors, David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka read some of their most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project and create a song with us that you can share with your loved ones.
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Family Series Subscription.
Performers

Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Members of VocalEssence Ensemble Singers

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and it is best experienced by children up to age six.
There is no dress code for this event. Children and adults should wear what makes them most comfortable, whether that is sweatpants, a princess dress, or a super hero costume.
The VocalEssence Lullaby Project matches pregnant women and new mothers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Learn more about the project in our video below.

OLLI CLASS: Divine Light
2019-10-10 14:15 - 15:45 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
VocalEssence is beginning its 51st season! There is an amazing amount of unique choral music to be explored – this session with Philip Brunelle will include music of Jake Runestad (with the composer present), as well as music from Denmark, Indonesia, France, Hungary and Ireland.
Divine Light Performances
Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 4-5:30 PM
Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 7-8:30 PM

In order to sign up for this session, you must be a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Learn more and sign up at: https://olli.umn.edu/osher-lifelong-learning-institute/membership

CONCERT: Divine Light, 4 PM
2019-10-13 16:00 - 17:30 | Summit Center for Arts & Innovation, 1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 2:30PM. More tickets are available for the 7PM performance.
Soak in the intimate beauty of the human voice in this unique chamber performance exploring the relationship between the human and the divine. Joining the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on this journey will be Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini. Skillfully selected for the space, the wide-ranging blend of music from all over the world includes György Ligeti’s 16-part Lux Aeterna, made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Gaelic Hymns by Ina Boyle / 15 min
Psalm 151 by John Høybye / 15 min
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré / 6 min
Colores Pacis by John August Pamintuan / 6 min
Lux Aeterna by György Ligeti / 9 min
A Silence Haunts Me by Jake Runestad / 13 min

There will be no intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Ruggero Allifranchini, violin
Philip Brunelle, conductor
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Three things to know

When Stanly Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in 1968, György Ligeti was surprised to hear his Lux Aeterna featured prominently in the movie’s score. Kubrick later used Ligeti’s music in two of his other films—with permission!
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré was originally written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s.
Ina Boyle achieved some major successes early in her career—she is the only female composer included in the Carnegie Collection of British Music—and studied with Vaughan Williams, who regarded her highly. But she often had to struggle to get her music performed or published.

CONCERT PROGRAM

Listen
https://soundcloud.com/the-lyric-feature/ina-boyle-from-the-darkness

CONCERT: Divine Light, 7 PM
2019-10-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Summit Center for Arts & Innovation, 1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 5:30 PM.
Soak in the intimate beauty of the human voice in this unique chamber performance exploring the relationship between the human and the divine. Joining the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on this journey will be Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini. Skillfully selected for the space, the wide-ranging blend of music from all over the world includes György Ligeti’s 16-part Lux Aeterna, made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Gaelic Hymns by Ina Boyle
Psalm 151 by John Høybye / 15 min
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré / 6 min
Colores Pacis by John August Pamintuan / 6 min
Lux Aeterna by György Ligeti / 9 min
A Silence Haunts Me by Jake Runestad / 13 min

There will be no intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Ruggero Allifranchini, violin
Philip Brunelle, conductor
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Three things to know

When Stanly Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in 1968, György Ligeti was surprised to hear his Lux Aeterna featured prominently in the movie’s score. Kubrick later used Ligeti’s music in two of his other films—with permission!
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré was originally written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s.
Ina Boyle achieved some major successes early in her career—she is the only female composer included in the Carnegie Collection of British Music—and studied with Vaughan Williams, who regarded her highly. But she often had to struggle to get her music performed or published.

CONCERT PROGRAM

Listen
https://soundcloud.com/the-lyric-feature/ina-boyle-from-the-darkness

VINTAGE VOICES: Parkshore Senior Living Vintage Voices Concert
2019-11-07 18:30 - 19:30 | Parkshore Senior Community, 3663 Park Center Boulevard, Saint Louis Park, MN, 55416, United States
Come and experience the sounds of the Park Singers Vintage Voices in an exciting program featuring selections of folk songs, spirituals, doo wop, Broadway hits, and more! Free and open to the public.
Parkshore Senior Living is a partner of the VocalEssence Vintage Voices program, an exciting choral program that integrates the arts into the everyday lives of older adults by fostering the creation of choirs in residential assisted living communities and senior centers. Click here for more information.
VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.

CONCERT: What a Mighty God
2019-11-17 16:00 - 18:00 | St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, 55115, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 3:00 PM on Sunday.
Feel your spirit soar to new heights at this vibrant and soulful program. Born of a dark past, spirituals have an unmistakable power to connect us through our joys and sorrows. Dr. André Thomas expertly honors this past and moves into the gospel realm by conducting the Midwest premiere of his Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy with orchestra, soloists, and choir. Continue the journey with powerful spirituals for choir and orchestra including “In That Great Gettin’ Up Morning” and “What a Mighty God,” and get ready to shout for joy!
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Dr. André Thomas, conductor
NaGuanda Nobles, soloist
Christian Mark Gibbs, soloist
Orchestra

Three Things to Know

Through spirituals, enslaved Africans were able to express their community solidarity and vision of freedom while they protested the condition of slavery. The songs were a source of inspiration and comfort, and sometimes a means to convey coded messages that included escape routes.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers played a pivotal role in the preservation and popularization of spirituals. They were the first to share the music of their ancestors with the wider world, and their performances helped secure a prominent place for spirituals in American music.
Thomas Dorsey, the “father of Gospel Music,” combined the hymn of praise with the rhythms of jazz and blues. He’s the author of the gospel standard “Precious Lord.”

Learn more
Westminster Town Hall Forum
Dr. Thomas spoke at the Westminster Town Hall Forum on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 about “Understanding the Negro Spiritual.” Hear his presentation here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/11/12/andre-thomas-at-westminster-town-hall-forum
Minnesota Spokesman Recorder Article
https://spokesman-recorder.com/2019/11/14/renowned-composer-andre-thomas-returns-to-minnesota-for-a-celebration-of-love/
KBEM Interview
http://www.jazz88.fm/2019/11/14/dr-andre-thomas-with-vocalessence/

CONCERT PROGRAM

Thank you to our sponsors

VINTAGE VOICES: Sabathani Community Center Vintage Voices Concert
2019-11-23 13:30 - 14:30 | Sabathani Community Center Auditorium, 310 East 38th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55409, United States
Come and experience the sounds of the Sabathani Vintage Voices in an exciting program featuring selections of jazz, American folk songs, classical and more! Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.
Sabathani Community Center, Inc. Senior Center is a partner of the VocalEssence Vintage Voices program, an exciting choral program that integrates the arts into the everyday lives of older adults by fostering the creation of choirs in residential assisted living communities and senior centers. Click here for more information.
VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.
