By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune DECEMBER 27, 2018 — 6:00PM: http://www.startribune.com/13-minnesota-arts-and-entertainment-events-we-can-t-wait-to-see-in-2019/503577762/?fbclid=IwAR0szEUvKgQVVyMrF_HyLRvc-oBbQibYD1BDX28m0YE9MuYumoyks-4ZWt0 Star Tribune critics and editors anticipate most promising art and entertainment. ‘Candide,’ Cowles Center, March 21-24 A world gone crazy, full of unpredictable perils and reverses of fortune. Sound familiar? It’s the back story to Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candide,” a rambunctious treatment of Voltaire’s…  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 →

Christy DeSmith | Star Tribune JANUARY 25, 2019 — 11:36PM http://www.startribune.com/best-of-the-week-city-of-lakes-loppet-dorothy-kurosawa-frozen-singalong/504825212/ Looking for a fun outing with your Elsa-crazed preschooler? VocalEssence hosts a trio of “Frozen Movie Sing-Along” events on Saturday, led by the group’s sparkling choristers. Screenings take place at the American Swedish Institute, which — let’s be honest — parents could easily pass off…  Read More →

Jessica Armbruster City Pages  Friday, January 18, 2019  http://www.citypages.com/arts/rock-shows-vinyl-sales-artcarsartbikes-35-free-things-to-do-this-weekend/504445441 Check out all this free stuff happening this weekend. SATURDAY: Together We Sing Festival A celebration of MLK weekend featuring VocalEssence, Mila Vocal Ensemble, G. Phillip Shoultz III, and Cameroon Choir, with community building, breakout sessions with teaching artists, and a service project benefitting Ujamaa Place. Registration…  Read More →

By Deb Mazzacco  Pioneer Press January 18, 2019—5:24 pm https://www.twincities.com/2019/01/18/martin-luther-king-jr-day-events-2019/ Here’s a roundup of Minneapolis and St. Paul events Saturday, Sunday and Monday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. SATURDAY, JAN. 19-MONDAY, JAN. 21 St. Paul: MLK Weekend at the Minnesota History Center. Family art activities, service projects, performances, closing of “The 1968 Exhibit,” noon to 3 p.m.…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune January 13, 2019 — 2:00PM: http://www.startribune.com/the-week-s-five-best-twin-cities-classical-concerts/504230712/ Taking the podium Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto hurt his arm, so he can’t deliver the solo he planned for this week. But the injury won’t stop him from conducting a stimulating program for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Music includes Missy Mazzoli’s…  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 →

By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune November 30, 2018 — 2:52PM: http://www.startribune.com/10-best-concerts-to-mark-the-holidays-in-choir-crazed-minnesota/501646651/ With so many Minnesota choirs, it can be difficult selecting the perfect concert. Here are 10 great options for the holidays. Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but music lovers have floated a new state motto: Land of 10,000…  Read More →

By Rob Hubbard November 24, 2018—9:00AM | UPDATED: November 28, 2018—12:28PM: https://www.twincities.com/2018/11/24/holidays-have-plenty-of-sweets-sweet-vocal-harmonies-that-is/ If Yuletide carols being sung by a choir sounds like your ideal holiday elixir, then this is the December for you in the Twin Cities. Vocal harmonies abound, as all of our best groups have their own concerts … and a couple of them hook up…  Read More →