Inspiration on your schedule Join VocalEssence for our 2021-2022 Season as we explore the ways music moves us. From partnerships with Minnesota Dance Theatre, Bach Society of Minnesota, and The Aeolians of Oakwood University to thrilling premieres of works by Stewart Copeland of British hitmakers The Police and rising star Gabriel Kahane, this season gives…
Coming soon!
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Concert video includes Cantatas I and VI.
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer James MacMillan. James MacMillan b. 1959 James MacMillan is the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation. He first attracted attention with the acclaimed BBC Proms premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990). His percussion… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Bill “Grayston” Ives. Bill “Grayston” Ives b. 1948 Bill “Grayston” Ives has spent his life in choral music – as a singer, conductor, teacher and composer. He was a chorister at Ely Cathedral and then… Read More →
Affirming and amplifying Black Lives Join 12 Twin Cities Choral organizations as we share our voices to promote healing, invite dialogue, and call us into action. The concert, curated and led by G. Phillip Shoultz III, Associate Conductor and Director of Learning and Engagement at VocalEssence, featuring Joe Davis and The New Renaissance, Jayanthi Rajasa,…
GPS highlights the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth for this Sunday edition of Take 5. In addition, we take a look at the traditional Negro spiritual, “Plenty Good Room.” Learn More https://sojournertruthmemorial.org/sojourner-truth/her-history/ https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth https://www.nps.gov/people/sojourner-truth.htm https://www.nps.gov/articles/sojourner-truth.htm?fbclid=IwAR3AMCWZhp8tbIx8mjKWkza0pHyzVthADFVhfwRogfSv5QjGR_U6mrCeq0M Sponsor Black Excellence Each episode and blog post take $250 to create and produce. Consider sponsoring a day or… Read More →
For this Saturday edition of Take 5, GPS highlights the artistic and administrative accomplishments of dancer, Judith Jamison, and also shares a terrific Duke Ellington standard, “I’m Beginning to See the Light.” Learn More https://www.alvinailey.org/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/judith-jamison http://pressroom.alvinailey.org/album?c=25045&t=video&p=24&s=order https://www.ted.com/speakers/judith_jamison Sponsor Black Excellence Each episode and blog post take $250 to create and produce. Consider sponsoring a day… Read More →
It’s Friday, and what better way to celebrate the end of another week than a little bit of singing? Join GPS as he sends us off into the weekend and shares a little about author Zora Neale Hurston. Our musical pairing is “In the Still of the Night,” by Fred Parris as performed by Fred… Read More →
On today’s edition of Take 5, GPS celebrates acclaimed printmaker and sculptor, Elizabeth Catlett, whose work reflects her interest in African art and social issues in the United States and Mexico. Our musical pairing is “I’ll Come Back To You,” as performed by Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers. Learn More https://www.elizabethcatlettart.com/bio https://nmwa.org/art/artists/elizabeth-catlett/ https://philamuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/artist-focus-elizabeth-catlett https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/elizabeth-catlett-41… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Kurt Weill. Kurt Weill 1900-1950 The German composer Kurt Weill was one of the most versatile and influential composers of musical theatre in the twentieth century. Weill began his career in the early 1920s, after… Read More →
It’s Wednesday and GPS is getting ready for another Wednesday edition of Take 5. Today he’ll be sharing about Wilma Rudolph, the first woman to win 3 gold medals at the Olympic Games. Our musical pairing is “Git On Board, Little Children,” a traditional Negro Spiritual. Learn More https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wilma-rudolph https://www.biography.com/athlete/wilma-rudolph https://usopm.org/wilma-rudolph/ Sponsor Black Excellence Each… Read More →
