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VocalEssence sounds festive at 50th anniversary concert

by Terry Blain October 8, 2018: http://www.startribune.com/vocalessence-sounds-festive-at-50th-anniversary-concert/495932081/ Review: A high-energy anniversary concert revisited the ensemble’s greatest hits. In the beginning, there was Aaron Copland. Fifty years ago, Philip Brunelle invited the iconic American composer to conduct his newly formed choir at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. The great composer accepted. And the rest, as they say, is…  Read More →

50th Anniversary Concert a BIG Success

October 17, 2018

The 50th Anniversary Concert and Dinner on October 7, 2018 was an evening filled with special moments. Governor Dayton proclaimed it VocalEssence Together We Sing Day. Senator Tina Smith began the festivities with a beautiful tribute to the organization. Acclaimed composer Alice Parker wrote an arrangement to surprise Artistic Director Philip Brunelle. Read the lyrics…  Read More →

VocalEssence celebrates 50 years of making musical bridges — and that first boost from Aaron Copland

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 →

In Honor of the VocalEssence 50th Anniversary by Catherine Dehoney, President of Chorus America

October 7, 2018

I’m Catherine Dehoney, President of Chorus America, the research, professional development, and advocacy organization for choruses in North America. Philip asked me to keep my remarks “short and profound, like the Gettysburg Address”.  I’m not sure I can achieve ‘profound’, so I’ll try for ‘short’! Two score and 10 years ago, Philip Brunelle brought forth…  Read More →