A wonderful month ahead with lots of music-making! The first rehearsals have begun for the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. Osmo Vänskä comes to rehearsal next week as the Ensemble Singers prepare for the Finland concerts with Osmo on clarinet and Sara Pajunen on fiddle. Don’t miss one of these September 24 concerts at the… Read More →
VocalEssence is pleased to announce the following winners of the 20th annual VocalEssence Welcome Christmas Carol Contest, and the second year of VocalEssence ReMix. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who applied. Welcome Christmas Carol Contest Winners Sponsored by the American Composers Forum and VocalEssence, the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest is now… Read More →
Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director & Founder July and August have definitely been ‘music months’ for me. July began with many planning meetings for the coming season and the first week concluded with an amazing patriotic event at the Anoka airport with 24 VocalEssence singers and 5000 motorcyclists and their motorcycles! Then off to Barcelona for the… Read More →
Creative Minnesota highlights the positive impact being made by artists and creative workers. The 2017 study found that every region of the state has a robust arts economy, from the prairies of southwest Minnesota to the busy Twin Cities area to the tourist magnet that is the North Shore. The combined annual economic impact of… Read More →
CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com VOCALESSENCE ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR EXTRAORDINARY 49TH YEAR Stellar artistic performances, unique educational programming, and enriching community engagement on track for Twin Cities choral organization’s 2017-2018 season MINNEAPOLIS—APRIL 24, 2017—Nationally renowned choral organization VocalEssence today announces its 49th season. The 2017-2018 season will give VocalEssence opportunities to further extend its reach… Read More →
Free event in celebration of ACDA conference will feature work from major Minnesota choral artists, composers, and a Garrison Keillor sing-along—March 7 MINNEAPOLIS—FEBRUARY 28, 2017—The best way to say welcome is to sing it! It’s especially true when you’re welcoming members of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) to town. That’s why VocalEssence, Minnesota’s internationally… Read More →
For the next three months, VocalEssence will feature its education programs to promote Music Makes Us Whole, an initiative that brings together non-profit and for-profit organizations in Minnesota to raise awareness about the ways a rich music education enhances a child’s development. This month, we’re highlighting VocalEssence WITNESS School Program and Lullaby Project. VocalEssence WITNESS… Read More →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jltoYgaufO0&feature=youtu.be This holiday, welcome Christmas to Minnesota through a journey to pueblos, ponderosas, and piñon, traveling under the power of the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. “We are privileged so many families make an annual tradition of joining VocalEssence for our exploration of Christmas music, each year viewed through a different lens,” said Philip Brunelle.… Read More →
VocalEssence WITNESS guest artist Melanie DeMore visited Minnesota the week of September 19-24, 2016 where she breathed life into the Underground Railroad theme for hundreds of students, teachers, and community members. Below is a list of all of Melanie’s activities that week: School Visits at Parkway Middle, North High School, Parkway Middle, Johnson Senior High School), where… Read More →
CONTACT: Katrina Wallmeyer 612-547-1472 katrina@vocalessence.org VOCALESSENCE WELCOMES FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS MINNEAPOLIS — August 25, 2016 — Minneapolis-based arts organization VocalEssence announced today that four new members have joined its Board of Directors—Steve Aggergaard, Julie Bader, Julie Craven, and Nancy Nelson. All four new board members have a wealth of experience and have been… Read More →
November 11, 2015 VOCALESSENCE GOES BIG (BAND) THIS CHRISTMAS! Choral ensemble in Minnesota puts a swinging twist on traditional Christmas carols—and delivers “A Christmas Cantata.” Nationally acclaimed choral ensemble VocalEssence swings into the holiday season with its annual concert series—Welcome Christmas. This year the series features Swedish composer Nils Lindberg’s A Christmas Cantata, an “iridescent… Read More →
VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum are pleased to announce the two winning composers of their 18th annual Welcome Christmas Carol Contest. This year, the contest sought new carols for SATB Chorus and trumpet in B-flat or C. Carols composed by Josh Bauder and Laura Caviani, both of Minnesota, were selected from a total of… Read More →
Young Minneapolis composer Jake Runestad connects with the struggles of war veterans in “Dreams of the Fallen.” By Kristin Tillotson, Star Tribune OCTOBER 4, 2015 — 2:00PM Photos by RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • rtsong.taatarii@startribune.com Minneapolis composer Jake Runestad, a rising figure on the national classical scene, ties topical issues to his music. On Sunday VocalEssence performs… Read More →
VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers Sara Pajunen, fiddle Philip Brunelle, conductor Released in October 2015, Nordic Nativity is a wonderful exploration of beautiful music from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark—some of it familiar and some of it new. The Nordic composers have a marvelous way of spinning a melody that gets inside you and stays there!… Read More →
By Graydon Royce September 11, 2015 — 1:48pm ‘Dreams of the Fallen’ Jake Runestad, one of the choral world’s hot young composers, set music to the words of Iraq war veteran and poet Brian Turner for this concert by VocalEssence and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra that tries to comprehend the incomprehensible experience of the warrior.… Read More →
