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 →

A musical visionary and tireless self-promoter, VocalEssence founder Philip Brunelle is a world-renowned force. 

by Kathy Berdan October 4, 2018: https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/04/vocalessence-50th-anniversary-concert-ordway-st-paul-philip-brunelle-aaron-copland-cantare/ Harmony through harmony. That’s a good description of what Twin Cities choral stalwart VocalEssence has been doing for half a century. Founder and director Philip Brunelle and the group’s 30-member professional Ensemble Singers recently returned from a trip to Mexico City, where they performed with 30 Mexican singers and a…  Read More →

By Pamela Espeland | 08:32 am https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2018/05/vocalessence-plans-imaginative-50th-anniversary-season-23rd-annual-art-whirl-northe If you saw yesterday’s Artscape and Theater Latté Da’s season announcement, you already know part of VocalEssence’s big 50th-anniversary reveal: a collaboration with Latté Da. But that’s the tip of the iceberg (this is the North, after all) of a truly astonishing, wildly imaginative season. Before we get into that, a brief history: In 2015,…  Read More →

By Terry Blain Special to the Star Tribune APRIL 19, 2018 — 11:49AM http://www.startribune.com/choral-legend-lands-in-minnesota-with-music-composed-especially-for-vocalessence/480270893/ Englishman John Rutter is a phenomenon in the world of choral music, celebrated worldwide for the easy melodiousness of his music — and the joy it brings to those who sing it. His Minnesota connections date back more than three decades, to…  Read More →