In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Hugo Distler. Hugo Distler 1908-1942 Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Hugo Distler is known mostly for his sacred choral music. He began his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory in the conducting class, with piano as his… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Philip Sousa. This episode features Tenor Bradley Greenwald. John Philip Sousa 1854-1932 Composer of the official national march of the United States, The Stars and Stripes Forever!, John Philip Sousa, known as the “March… 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 Thomas Tallis. Thomas Tallis 1505-1585 The career of the English composer Thomas Tallis spans the troubled period of the reign of Henry VIII to the reign of the last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. These… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Einojuhani Rautavaara 1928-2016 Einojuhani Rautavaara is one of the best known and most frequently performed Finnish composers. He studied musicology at the University of Helsinki and composition at the Sibelius Academy with Aarre… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer William Dawson. William Dawson 1899-1990 William Dawson was a leading African-American arranger of spirituals as well as a distinguished choral conductor. At age 13, Dawson ran away from home to enter Tuskegee (Institute) University. He… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Randall Thompson. Randall Thompson 1899-1984 The skilled composer and music educator Randall Thompson, well-known for his Alleluia, transformed American music and his choral music has been more widely performed than that of any other American… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Rodion Shchedrin. Rodion Shchedrin b. 1932 Rodion Shchedrin, Russian composer and virtuosic pianist, was born in Moscow into a musical family: his father was a composer and a teacher of music theory. After completing his… Read More →
“The two of us watched your musical moments together each day and they truly were the highlight of his day.” —Tracy Rode, Jack Cole’s daughter Jack and Ann Cole were treasured by so many, including VocalEssence. We are humbled to know that Philip Brunelle’s Musical Moments were such a comfort to Jack in his last… Read More →
As we close out the most challenging year in our 52 year history, we are hearing some shining stories of resilience and moments of joy. Liza and Jim Ervin are singers in the VocalEssence Vintage Voices choir at Trillium Woods. It was December 2015 when they moved to the Twin Cities from Connecticut. Fortunately, friends… Read More →
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Artistic Director Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III have been busy preparing for a safe and innovative 52nd season of VocalEssence. Online and physically distanced rehearsals have begun with VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers and will begin soon for our youth choir VocalEssence Singers Of This Age. Philip Brunelle has begun releasing… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Bob Chilcott. Bob Chilcott b. 1955 Bob Chilcott is a British conductor, singer, and composer of music that choirs at all levels love to sing. Chilcott sang in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, first… Read More →
