by: Bill Ward YourClassical | May 6, 2021 https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2021/05/06/minnesota-choirs Minnesota choirs await return of live performances The Minnesota Chorale rehearses.Courtesy of the artist With the COVID-19 pandemic abating, vocal ensembles in “the Land of 10,000 Choirs” have come a long way. They still, alas, have a long way to go. Few vocations and avocations face… Read More →
By: Pamela Espeland MinnPost | April 15, 2021 https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2021/04/intermedia-arts-will-give-1-million-to-public-functionary-childrens-theatre-offers-help-to-families-and-teachers/ Covered with art and graffiti, the Intermedia Arts Building was a Minneapolis landmark. Colliers Intermedia Arts may have written its final chapter, with a graceful flourish. In 2017, the 44-year-old nonprofit arts organization experienced a financial crisis it couldn’t survive. It suspended operations, laid off its… Read More →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com VOCALESSENCE SOTA PRESENTS “CREATE” Celebrated Minneapolis-based choral ensemble’s youth choir will present part three of a four-part performance series. MINNEAPOLIS—April 8, 2021—VocalEssence Singers Of This Age SOTA—a diverse high-school ensemble—will present a 40-minute family-friendly performance titled, “Create.” The concert is the third installment in a four-part series designed to inspire audiences “to imagine, believe, create, and celebrate a world where all… Read More →
Rob Hubbard Special to the Star Tribune | March 18, 2021—10:49AM https://www.startribune.com/once-viewed-as-potential-super-spreaders-minnesota-choirs-are-emerging-again/600035749/?om_rid=1590517193&om_mid=2499842505 One more welcome sign of spring: Minnesota choirs are emerging from hibernation. Dwight Jilek conducted members of Magnum Chorum for their livestream this month. Photo by Flight Creative Media For a state dubbed “The Land of 10,000 Choirs,” the pandemic has been particularly… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Sir Arthur Bliss. Sir Arthur Bliss 1891-1975 Sir Arthur Bliss was one of the leading English composers of the first half of the 20th century, noted both for his early, experimental works and for his… Read More →
As we near the end of our 52nd season, we are hearing many beautiful stories of hope and transformation through music. Meet Isaiah Bates
Roxane Wallace is active in the arts as a performer, dance instructor, and choreographer. Originally from California, she holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. Constantly engaged in her field, she has worked with numerous choreographers and directors of both regional and international acclaim and earned the “Best Dancer” title in the…
On this episode we celebrate Miriam E. Benjamin, an American school teacher and inventor who invented the “Gong and Signal Chair” for hotels, adopted by the United States House of Representatives and a pre-cursor to the flight attendant signaling system on modern airplanes. Our musical pairing is “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by… Read More →
On this Monday episode we explore the contributions of Dr. Patricia Bath, Ophthalmologist, Inventor, Humanitarian, and educator, who invented the laser cataract surgery called the Lazerphaco Probe. Our musical pairing is “I’ll Be Seeing You,” by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal. Dr. Patricia Bath (1942-2019) Notable Achievements: Dr. Patricia Bath discovered and invented a new… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Jester Hairston. Jester Hairston 1901-2000 Jester Hairston was an American actor, composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, Goodwill Ambassador, and expert on Spirituals. He was born in Belews Creek, North Carolina, the grandson of a slave,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Carl Heinrich Graun. Carl Heinrich Graun 1704-1759 Carl Heinrich Graun was a German composer of operas and sacred music, known especially for his Passion oratorio Der Tod Jesu. Graun was a chorister in Dresden, and… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Coreen Duffy. Coreen Duffy b. 1976 Dr. Coreen Duffy is the Interim Director of Choral Activities at the University of Montana School of Music, where she conducts the Chamber Chorale, Cantemus Women’s Choir, and University… Read More →
Welcome from the LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM Thank you for registering for VocalEssence WITNESS! Enjoy these free resources funded by institutions and individual donors. Scroll down to view a variety of resources created by curriculum writer Joanna Cortright and the VocalEssence Learning and Engagement team staff. We hope you and your students will use and…
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Arvo Pärt. Arvo Pärt b. 1935 Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer known for his unique musical language, tintinnabuli. Born in Paide, his family soon moved to Rakvere, where he began to study piano at… Read More →
