Thank you to the 69 people who took the Frozen Movie Sing-Along Survey. This is our first family movie event, and we appreciate you taking the time to give us feedback. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results. 43%… Read More →
The custom of singing Christmas carols brings joy to the holiday season unlike any other tradition. Every December VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum celebrate this tradition in their own unique way by championing today’s composers, exploring new works, and rediscovering lesser-known works of the past. Through the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest, VocalEssence and the Forum provide composers with the… Read More →
Click Here to Download the 2019 Welcome Christmas Guidelines and Application 2019 Contest Guidelines World premiere: No prior performance of submitted work. Original carol: No arrangements or new settings of existing tunes. Eligibility: Composers of all ages whose permanent residence is North America. Form: Carol (defined as a strophic song, which may or may not… Read More →
VocalEssence founder and artistic director Philip Brunelle was featured on Steele Talkin’ with Jearlyn Steele March 3, 2019 to talk about Candide, The Times They Are A-Changin’, and the VocalEssence 2019-2020 Season. Check out the interview below.
By Pamela Espeland MinnPost FEBRUARY 28, 2019 — 08:24AM https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2019/02/vocalessence-to-present-witness-times-two-joffrey-ballet-to-perform-anna-karenina/ VocalEssence was born in 1969 as the Plymouth Church Music Series. Just another concert series at a local church, founded by an ambitious, tireless and hypercreative choir director and organist named Philip Brunelle. In 2002, the Plymouth Music Series became VocalEssence. Today, Brunelle and his singers are… Read More →
Both Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III will be attending the national convention of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) in Kansas City the last days of February. It is an important time for them to connect with colleagues and also to attend the premiere of Dr. André Thomas’… Read More →
Don Lee | Chorus America January 10, 2019 https://www.chorusamerica.org/node/9195 North American choruses are anticipating a wave of major anniversaries in the coming years, and their leaders are hard at work preparing to mark the occasions. The most thoughtful celebrations honor a chorus’s past achievements, while laying the groundwork for an even stronger future. Brace yourself. In… Read More →
Thank you to the 275 people who took the Welcome Christmas 2018 Survey. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results. 23% of attendees were attending their very first VocalEssence concert, and 32% of respondents attended VocalEssence concerts… Read More →
For Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, January began with meetings in Washington DC with Senator Tina Smith and Congressman Dean Phillips—both of them very supportive of VocalEssence! He also met with the Norwegian Cultural Consul, with Alberto Fierro (Executive Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute), with Ann Meier Baker of the NEA Music Division and our dear… Read More →
A musical visionary and tireless self-promoter, VocalEssence founder Philip Brunelle is a world-renowned force.
Our VocalEssence WITNESS School Program workshops are in full swing, with all eight VocalEssence Teaching Artists busy conducting workshops with more than 4,300 students from 32 elementary, middle and high schools, through the lens of their artistic medium, around the subject of trailblazing African American and African women in our community. Recently, at Alice Smith… Read More →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com YOU’RE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO SING! ACCLAIMED LOCAL AUTHOR NANCY CARLSON AND VOCALESSENCE HOST TALES & TUNES MUSICAL STORYTIME Nursery rhyme sing-alongs, lullabies, and crafts—March 30 MINNEAPOLIS — January 17, 2019— Local choral and community-building nonprofit VocalEssence has assembled a morning of programming perfect for its… Read More →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com LYRIC AND WIT! VOCALESSENCE AND THEATER LATTÉ DA! CUNEGONDE AND….CANDIDE! Local arts powerhouses combine forces to bring Leonard Bernstein’s famed operetta to life in a theatrical concert performance—March 21-24 at the Cowles Center MINNEAPOLIS — January 3, 2019 — VocalEssence and Theater Latté Da will join voices this March… Read More →
Let’s fill the hall! Orchestra Hall, that is. 4,245 students are slated to attend the VocalEssence WITNESS Young People’s Concerts this February, and celebrate the amazing African and African American women who change our world for the better! But here’s the catch… The cost of the VocalEssence WITNESS program and Young People’s Concerts is $28.50… Read More →
byAlaina Rooke | December 5, 2018: https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_post/community/a-measured-breath-but-no-rest-for-golden-valley-music/article_74816f46-f75e-11e8-9af1-b771ceaf37f4.html Top Minnesota choir director and longtime resident Philip Brunelle looks to 50th year “One of my mottos is you don’t know if you don’t ask,” explained Philip Brunelle of attracting top guest talent to VocalEssence, a premier choral organization he founded in 1969. “You have a 50-percent chance of… Read More →
