In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse. Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse 1873-1954 The French composer and teacher, Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse, received a basic musical education in Bordeaux. In 1892 he moved to Paris and entered the Paris Conservatory to study music under Emile… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Gwyneth Walker. Gwyneth Walker b. 1947 Widely performed throughout the country, the music of American composer Gwyneth Walker is beloved by performers and audiences alike for its energy, beauty, reverence, drama, and humor. She holds… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Giles Swayne. Giles Swayne b. 1946 Giles Swayne is an eminent British composer whose choral output features a wide range of sacred and secular texts. He began composing when he was ten and studied the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Igor Stravinsky. Igor Stravinsky 1882-1971 Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer whose work had a revolutionary impact on music before and after World War I and whose compositions are examples of modernism within the music… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Joseph Canteloube. This episode features Soprano Maria Jette. Joseph Canteloube 1879-1957 The French composer, pianist, and folk-song collector, Joseph Canteloube, is best known for his compositions that evoke the landscape of his native region, the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Edward Bairstow. Edward Bairstow 1874-1946 Edward Bairstow, English organist, composer and conductor, is best known for his sacred choral works. Little is known about Bairstow’s rearing, however, after a period of teaching at Windsor, he… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Mabel Daniels. Mabel Daniels 1877-1971 The American composer Mabel Wheeler Daniels was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts to a musical family; both her grandfathers were church musicians, and her parents sang in Boston’s Handel and Haydn… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Zoltán Kodály. Zoltán Kodály 1882-1962 Composer, pioneering ethnomusicologist, groundbreaking educator and critic, Kodály enjoyed a status in Hungary that is perhaps unrivaled by any other figure. Kodály was born in Kecskemét, Hungary, soon moving to… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Darius Milhaud. Darius Milhaud 1892-1974 The French composer Darius Milhaud was a pioneer of 1920s avant-garde music. Born in Marseille, Milhaud was the son of an excellent amateur pianist and a fine contralto. From the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Maurice Duruflé. Maurice Duruflé 1902-1986 The French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé is known for the extraordinary sensitivity in his music. At age ten, he entered the choir school at Rouen Cathedral, where he was… Read More →
Today, Philip explores the music of English composer Charles Villiers Stanford from the piano in Guild Hall and the organ in the Sanctuary of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. Charles Villiers Stanford 1852-1924 The gifted British composer and influential teacher Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was born and raised in Dublin. He showed early promise as… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer William Walton. William Walton 1902-1983 William Walton is considered one of the most important twentieth century British composers. As a boy, he sang in his father’s church choir. He began formal study of music at… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Marcel Dupré. Marcel Dupré 1886-1971 The virtuosic organist, teacher, and composer Marcel Dupré was born into a musical family and started as organist of St. Vivien at age twelve. He studied organ with Alexandre Guilmant… Read More →
Sponsoring the VocalEssence Gala 2020 has many advantages: Visibility to audience of more than 600 prominent business and community leaders Opportunity to support and partner with VocalEssence, an organization with decades of experience presenting concerts and education programs that engage, inspire, and entertain more than 30,000 people of all ages annually Brand equity in THE… Read More →
By TERRY BLAIN | Special to the Star Tribune APRIL 29, 2019 — 10:12AM: http://www.startribune.com/classical-meets-contemporary-in-vocalessence-s-take-on-bob-dylan/509191902/ Review: Show celebrates songs by giving them new life. APRIL 29, 2019 — 10:12AM What would Bob Dylan’s songs sound like if sung by a classically trained choir of 150? Would that be sacrilege? The answer came at Saturday evening’s… Read More →
