It’s Friday morning, so take a few minutes and Take 5 with GPS. This morning GPS shares an inspirational figure to so many in the U.S. and beyond, American politician, educator, and author, Shirley Chisholm. Our musical pairing is “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” by Smokey Robinson and Robert Rogers as made… Read More →
Join us for another Thursday-edition of Take 5, as GPS highlights education activist Marva Collins and shares a song passed down by oral tradition in the Black community, “Somebody’s Hurting My Brother.” Learn More https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/marva-collins-40 http://nytimes.com/2015/06/29/us/marva-collins-78-no-nonsense-educator-and-activist-dies.html https://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/7199de5c-446e-4db6-b949-d3a0d22dadcc/george-franklin-husband-of-marva-n-collins/ Sponsor Black Excellence Each episode and blog post take $250 to create and produce. Consider sponsoring a day… Read More →
It’s a Wednesday kids day on Take 5; join GPS as he sings a little Angel Medley and shares a little about the 1st African American woman to participate in the NASA space program, Mae Jemison. Learn More “Mae Among the Stars” by Roda Ahmed, Stasia Burrington (Illustrator) http://teacher.scholastic.com/space/mae_jemison/index.htm https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison https://www.biography.com/astronaut/mae-c-jemison https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/jemison_mae.pdf Sponsor Black Excellence Each… Read More →
Today, we highlight Janet Emerson Bashen, founder and CEO of the Bashen Corporation, a private consulting group that investigates Equal Employment Opportunity complaints under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the first African American woman in the United States to hold a software patent. Our musical inspiration is “Reach Out and Touch” by Nickolas Ashford and… Read More →
Today, we highlight physicist, researcher, and University president, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Our musical inspiration is a call to supporting each other, “I’ll Be There” as made popular by the Jackson 5, Mariah Carey, and other artists. Learn More https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/meet-our-guests/shirley-jackson https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/shirley-ann-jackson/ https://www.aps.org/careers/physicists/profiles/sjackson.cfm Sponsor Black Excellence Each episode and blog post take $250 to create and… Read More →
On this final day of February, GPS continues to highlight Black excellence by introducing us to the work of Elijah McCoy, an inventor and engineer who has over 57 patents to his name that touch on many facets of our everyday lives. Our musical inspiration is in the form of Duke Ellington’s legendary ballad, “Come… Read More →
On this Saturday edition of Take 5, we highlight the extraordinary contributions George Edward Alcorn, Jr. has made to science and technology through his work with NASA and beyond. A physicist, engineer, inventor and distinguished professor, Alcorn Jr. has revolutionized the semiconductor industry. We go back to Motown and the music of The Four Tops… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Thea Musgrave. Thea Musgrave b. 1928 Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of drama make Scottish-American composer Thea Musgrave one of the most respected contemporary composers in the Western world. Born in… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Harold Darke. This episode features Tenor Bradley Greenwald. Harold Darke 1888-1976 Harold Darke bears a distinguished and honorable place in the annals of 20th-century choral music. As organist of St Michael’s Church, Cornhill, in the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Claude Debussy. Claude Debussy 1862-1918 French composer and pianist, Claude Debussy, known for his operas, symphonic music and his works for the piano, remains one of the most commonly-performed composers of the late nineteenth century.… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Cecilia McDowall. Cecilia McDowall b.1951 Born in London in 1951, Cecilia McDowall’s writing combines rhythmic vitality with expressive lyricism. She has won many awards, been short-listed eight times for the British Composer Awards, and in… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Einojuhani Rautavaara 1928-2016 Einojuhani Rautavaara is one of the best known and most frequently performed Finnish composers. He studied musicology at the University of Helsinki and composition at the Sibelius Academy with Aarre… Read More →
VocalEssence is blessed to have so many committed supporters. Thank you for all that you do to keep our community singing! Although we make every effort to ensure that our Honor Roll list is accurate and complete, we are capable of error. Please let us know if your name does not appear the way you…
Stunning original performances Join Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, members of the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers, and special guests as they premiere four stunning performances that celebrate women composers, the wonder of the Christmas season, the rich diversity of art created in Minnesota, and the music of social change. Each 60-minute performance has…
