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Diverse High School Choir VocalEssence Singers Of This Age Celebrate Community in “Choosing Love” Concert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 jennifer@owl-marketing.com DIVERSE HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR VOCALESSENCE SINGERS OF THIS AGE CELEBRATE COMMUNITY IN “CHOOSING LOVE” CONCERT Young singers with uplifting message of acceptance perform at the Ordway in St Paul, April 24 MINNEAPOLIS—March 31, 2022—Reimagining our community as a beloved source of acceptance, affirmation, and love for every…  Read More →

VocalEssence Fast Facts

About VocalEssence Founded in 1969, as a music outreach program of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis Incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1979 Annual Budget: $2 million Endowment/Artistic Advancement Fund: $6 million (established 1987) STAFF 10 full-time, 2 part-time, 3 contractors Executive Director: Mary Ann Aufderheide Artistic Director and Founder: Philip Brunelle Associate…

Robert L. Morris | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

January 1, 2022

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Robert L. Morris Robert L. Morris b. 1941 Robert L. Morris, a well-published American composer and arranger, was Director of Choral Activities at Macalester. He holds degrees from DePaul University, Indiana University, and The University…  Read More →

Jussi Chydenius | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 29, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Jussi Chydenius. Jussi Chydenius b. 1972 Finnish composer and vocalist, Jussi Chydenius is a pioneering choral composer whose music combines pop and jazz harmonies to create vital original works. Born in Helsinki, he was very…  Read More →

Tomás Luis de Victoria | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Tomás Luis de Victoria 1548-1611 Tomás Luis de Victoria was the most famous composer in 16th-century Spain and was one of the most influential composers of the Catholic Reformation. He was…  Read More →

Mansel Thomas | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Mansel Thomas. Mansel Thomas 1909-1986 Mansel Thomas was one of the most important and influential musicians of his generation in Wales. A native of South Wales, he was awarded the Rhondda Scholarship to the Royal…  Read More →

Charles Wood | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Charles Wood. Charles Wood 1866-1926 Charles Wood was an Irish composer and teacher primarily remembered and performed as an Anglican church music composer. Wood received his early education at the Cathedral Choir School in Dublin…  Read More →

Moses Pergament | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Moses Pergament. Moses Pergament 1893-1977 Finnish/Swedish Composer and music critic Moses Pergament’s musical influences range from German Expressionism and French Impressionism to Jewish themes and Biblical cantillation. He started compositional studies in 1909 in the…  Read More →

Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse.  Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse 1873-1954 The French composer and teacher, Jean-Jules Roger-Ducasse, received a basic musical education in Bordeaux. In 1892 he moved to Paris and entered the Paris Conservatory to study music under Emile…  Read More →

Anthony Piccolo | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Anthony Piccolo. Anthony Piccolo b. 1946  A stroke of fate in the form of conductor Laszlo Halasz saved composer Anthony Piccolo from a life in a science laboratory when he was awarded a personal scholarship…  Read More →

Alessandro Scarlatti | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Alessandro Scarlatti. Alessandro Scarlatti 1660-1725 Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is generally said to have been a pupil of Giacomo Carissimi in Rome, and…  Read More →

Mark Kilstofte | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Mark Kilstofte.    Mark Kilstofte b. 1958 Mark Kilstofte is admired as a composer of lyrical line, engaging harmony, strong, dramatic gesture and keen sensitivity to sound, shape and event. His music has garnered a…  Read More →

Alexandre Gretchaninov | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Alexandre Gretchaninov. Alexandre Gretchaninov 1864-1956 Alexandre Gretchaninov was a prolific composer from Russia’s Romantic age who explored the art of musical writing within an extensive number of genres and forms. Gretchaninov began his studies with…  Read More →

Richard Dirksen | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Richard Dirksen. Richard Dirksen 1921-2003 American composer, Richard Dirksen, was well known for his liturgical pieces and his service as organist and choirmaster at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Awarded a scholarship, he studied…  Read More →

Harold Friedell | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

December 27, 2021

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Harold Friedell. Harold Friedell 1905-1958 Harold Friedell was an American organist, educator, and composer of a large number of choral anthems and solo organ pieces. Born in Jamaica, New York he became the organist of…  Read More →