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COVID-19 Updates

We want to update you on our plans as they evolve during this global pandemic. First of all, we hope you are safe and find ways to make the best of this pause that we are experiencing. VocalEssence plans to release ways for you to continue to sing with us during this sobering time. Stay…  Read More

Postcards from Mexico-Day 7

SATURDAY 8/31/2019 JOY AND WORK   Our day free, some of us went to the Zocalo, the city center, to see the Indigenous Festival; others went to a nearby shopping center to eat at the churro stand recommended by the president of the Orquesta de Mineria. Some of us went to Six Flags to ride…  Read More

Postcards from Mexico-Day 4

WEDNESDAY 8/28/2019 WHAT LASTS   “¿Listos?” Maestro Prieto said. He spoke in both English and Spanish, often switching mid-sentence. “¡Coro! No anxiety, sin ansiedad, about an early ‘s’, por un ‘s’ temprano, on the word ‘agnus.’” His speech was quick, and his gestures animated.  Giving direction to the basses, he said, “You sing like…” He…  Read More

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers Summer Mexico Tour Press Photos

The Oxford Times (UK) has declared that the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers “have a blend that could—and should—be the envy of every choir in the business.” Founded in 1991, the Ensemble Singers are acclaimed for their “superbly blended sound” (Birmingham Post, UK) and “exemplary technique” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). Lauded by the Times of London as “polished, bright and brilliantly balanced,” this…  Read More

VocalEssence 50th Season Annual Meeting

What a year! After a successful 50th season, we took a moment to pause and reflect on our accomplishments with those near and dear to us. On May 9, 2019, 80 people representing a broad slice of the VocalEssence community—members of our board, staff, choirs, donors, patrons, volunteers, and advisory councils—came together to share in the…  Read More

Sing with Us

Each year dozens of experienced singers from the Twin Cities and beyond audience or interview to be a part of the VocalEssence performing ensembles. If you’d like to sing with us, please click on the page below. VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers Come and sing with one of our adult choirs, the VocalEssence Chorus or…  Read More

Where in the World are the Conductors – May 2019

For Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, the end of the concert season with our Bob Dylan tribute was a festive conclusion to season 50! Now we are in the midst of finalizing plans for season 51 and beyond. The month of May is also filled with auditions – about 50 hours’ worth. Each year those in…  Read More

Local Vocal Group Gives Elders ‘the Sheer Joy of Making Music Together’

by Margie Newman | CitySouth Magazine May/June 2019 Issue: https://citysouthmagazine.com/local-vocal-group-gives-elders-sheer-joy-making-music-together Elders connect through song. Minneapolis-based VocalEssence recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. VocalEssence engages people of all ages and cultures through choral music programming. They perform in ensembles, provide school curricula and about four years ago they began Vintage Voices, an initiative to engage elders in choral music.…  Read More

Where in the World are the Conductors – April 2019

Following the amazing success of Candide, Artistic Director Philip Brunelle was in Mexico City for meetings about the Ensemble Singers next visit there in August 2019. He and his wife Carolyn also spent four days vacationing in Oaxaca (a rarity!). On Sunday, April 7 he will accompany the five Plymouth Church soloists in a concert as…  Read More

INTERVIEW: Soprano Liv Redpath On Singing In The Best Of All Possible Worlds

by Basil Considine | Twin Cities Arts Reader March 18, 2019: https://twincitiesarts.com/2019/03/18/interview-soprano-liv-redpath-on-singing-in-the-best-of-all-possible-worlds/ Opera is seemingly everywhere in the Twin Cities in March, with productions and concerts by the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Opera, Skylark Opera Theatre, and more. Into this tangled period leaps the choral music ensemble VocalEssence, which has chosen “The Best of All Possible…  Read More

VocalEssence Mexico Tour is “Transformational”

VocalEssence has just returned from conducting some “choral diplomacy” in Mexico. The trip to Mexico City—from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3— was a historic one. For ten years, Philip Brunelle has been visiting Mexico to meet and audition composers willing to fly up to Minnesota multiple times during the school year for VocalEssence ¡Cantaré!, staying a…  Read More

How Philip Brunelle Became the Twin Cities’ Song Leader

Philip Brunelle has been the song leader of the Twin Cities for 50 years. But how he got there? It wasn’t all a joyful song. by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl June 18, 2018: http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/how-philip-brunelle-became-the-twin-cities-song-leader/ Philip Brunelle is 75 years old and an international icon in choir circles, and if you follow him around on a typical Tuesday night…  Read More

Where in the World are the Conductors—May 2018

Artistic Director Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III have wrapped up the 49th concert subscription series, but have one concert left – celebrating the 10th Anniversary of our VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Program. Join us for the celebration at The Ordway on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. The two are also beginning auditions—every year the members…  Read More

Where in the World are the Conductors—April 2018

Spring holds so many incredible musical moments for the VocalEssence team, with new and old voices joining in! Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III and his family are delighted to announce they welcomed a new member—Lydia Grace. Born on Wednesday, March 21 at 7:13 am, Lydia joins brother Malachi (4). Check out the VocalEssence Facebook…  Read More

VocalEssence Youth Choir Dreams Big for Its Debut Concert at Orchestra Hall

14 schools, 56 students, one groundbreaking choir. by Les Poling Posted February 13, 2018 “Together we sing.” That phrase, according to VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, is more than VocalEssence’s official tagline. It’s a hands-on philosophy the entire group takes to heart, especially the new VocalEssence Youth Choir. Creating community has been VocalEssence’s mission since the…  Read More