Karla Nweje is an arts educator, choreographer, performer, and literary artist known for cultivating partnerships across organizations and programs to make quality arts experiences accessible to all learners. Karla is a regular presenter and speaker at arts and education conferences and serves on the teaching artist roster for many organizations.
Ginger Commodore is a singer, songwriter, and actress who enjoys an illustrious career in the Twin Cities area. An original member of the Grammy Award winning Sounds of Blackness and the Moore by Four vocal jazz ensemble, Ginger has shared the stage with countless stars and has taken her inspirational performances around the globe. Click…
Welcome from the LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM Thank you for registering for VocalEssence WITNESS! Enjoy these free resources funded by institutions and individual donors. Scroll down to view a variety of resources created by curriculum writer Joanna Cortright and the VocalEssence Learning and Engagement team staff. We hope you and your students will use and…
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Arvo Pärt. Arvo Pärt b. 1935 Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer known for his unique musical language, tintinnabuli. Born in Paide, his family soon moved to Rakvere, where he began to study piano at… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer William Boyce. William Boyce 1711-1779 William Boyce is one of the foremost English composers of church music of his era, and also known for his symphonies and stage music. Boyce began his musical education under… Read More →
VocalEssence is celebrating Black Excellence. As part of its daily pandemic show, Take 5 with GPS, VocalEssence will showcase Black achievement in the arts and beyond each day of Black History Month, and will celebrate notable Black Women for each day of Women’s History Month.
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Charles Gounod. Charles Gounod 1818-1893 The French composer Charles Gounod is noted for his operas, of which the most famous is Faust. Born into an artistic household, his mother was a capable pianist and gave… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Imogen Holst. Imogen Holst 1907-1984 Imogen Holst was a significant 20th-century English writer on music, conductor, composer, and administrator. The daughter of Gustav Holst, she studied composition at the Royal College of Music with George… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Gian Carlo Menotti. This episode features Tenor Dan Dressen. Gian Carlo Menotti 1911-2007 Gian Carlo Menotti, the Italian-American composer and librettist, became the most-performed contemporary opera composer of his era. At age 7, under the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Daniel Kallman. Daniel Kallman b.1956 Daniel Kallman, an American composer, is known for his steady stream of commissions that includes music for worship, theater, and the young musician. His musical training included studies at Luther… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Joseph Canteloube. This episode features Soprano Maria Jette. Joseph Canteloube 1879-1957 The French composer, pianist, and folk-song collector, Joseph Canteloube, is best known for his compositions that evoke the landscape of his native region, the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Ned Rorem. Ned Rorem b. 1923 Ned Rorem is one of America’s most honored and accomplished modern composers. He grew up in Chicago, where he studied the piano with Bonds and music theory with Sowerby.… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Franz Liszt. Franz Liszt 1811-1886 Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer, pianist, and teacher, was a leader of the Romantic movement with music known for his imaginative and technical approach to composition. Born in Raiding, his father… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Chris DeBlasio.This episode features Soprano Maria Jette. Chris DeBlasio 1959-1993 The American composer Chris DeBlasio was a pioneer composer in musical theatre, art songs, and sacred music. He studied theatre arts at New York University… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Sir John Stainer. John Stainer 1840-1901 Sir John Stainer was an English organist, church composer, and a pioneering early musicologist. As a boy, Stainer sang in the choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral and was appointed… Read More →
