Drummer/Music Producer Brandon Commodore is a talented musician, producer and businessman. Brandon’s passion for music started at a very young age, when he picked up drumsticks and followed very close in his father’s footsteps; playing in school bands and continuing his music studies into college. Shortly after graduating high school, Brandon joined the Grammy Award winning Sounds of Blackness… Read More →
CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann Jennifer@owl-marketing.com 612-716-0556 VOCALESSENCE ANNOUNCES CONCERT & FAMILY PROGRAMS FOR HISTORIC 50th SEASON Celebrating 50 years of honoring music’s greatest artists, introducing their work to new audiences, and nurturing the diverse voices that will shape its next half-century. Download season photos here. MINNEAPOLIS — May 15, 2018—Marking a milestone for the nationally renowned… Read More →
14 schools, 56 students, one groundbreaking choir. by Les Poling Posted February 13, 2018 “Together we sing.” That phrase, according to VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, is more than VocalEssence’s official tagline. It’s a hands-on philosophy the entire group takes to heart, especially the new VocalEssence Youth Choir. Creating community has been VocalEssence’s mission since the… Read More →
CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com LANGSTON HUGHES AND THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE REVIVED IN VOCALESSENCE WITNESS: OF SUCH I DREAM Celebrate jazz poet and activist Langston Hughes at the world premiere of William Banfield’s ‘I Trust Harlem Is Still There’ and the debut of new VocalEssence Youth Choir—February 18 MINNEAPOLIS—October 2017—Our dreams inspire our actions and… Read More →
VocalEssence is expanding upon the work we have done for nearly three decades in providing Minneapolis and St. Paul students access to choral music. We are creating a VocalEssence Youth Choir that revolutionizes our concept of choir and seeks to reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Through this choir, we seek to… Read More →
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age is a dynamic group of 50 young people from Twin Cities high schools who sing, dance, write their own music, rap, and—most importantly—reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Under the visionary leadership of G. Phillip Shoultz, III, the students sing a wide range of music—from classical to… Read More →
The Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence and Youth Motivation through the Cultural Arts was developed by VocalEssence in 2007 to celebrate and recognize outstanding leaders who are in the field empowering young people through direct contact, making a way for them to be as successful as they can be. It was named after the… Read More →
For the next three months, VocalEssence will feature its education programs to promote Music Makes Us Whole, an initiative that brings together non-profit and for-profit organizations in Minnesota to raise awareness about the ways a rich music education enhances a child’s development. This month, we’re highlighting VocalEssence WITNESS School Program and Lullaby Project. VocalEssence WITNESS… Read More →
Director of Artistic Operations phone 612-547-1480 ethan@vocalessence.org Ethan Johnson joined the team at VocalEssence in the summer of 2019. As the Director of Artistic Operations, Ethan oversees the process of planning and executing the behind-the-scenes details of VocalEssence artistic programs, including concert production and Learning & Engagement programmatic events. Working with VocalEssence artists and guest… Read More →
CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com VOCALESSENCE PAYS HOMAGE TO THE MALE CHORUS — WITH HELP FROM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GLEE CLUB Renowned choral ensemble and historic all-male glee club join forces for VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club concert—Feb. 21 MINNEAPOLIS—December 17, 2015—What happens when the internationally-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club partners with nationally acclaimed choral ensemble… Read More →
This year, 49 partner schools are participating in the VocalEssence WITNESS School Program, which began with the annual Teacher Orientation Seminar in September and continues through workshops and residencies with our Teaching Artists. The theme, “Let Freedom Ring,” focused on the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his lifelong promotion of racial equality through… Read More →
CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com GATHER AT THE RIVER WITH MARK TWAIN TO SUPPORT CHORAL ART Twin Cities-based VocalEssence and Don Shelby host fundraiser cruise for music education—May 2 MINNEAPOLIS—February 16, 2015—Join the 32-voice VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and television legend Don Shelby as they travel back in time on the historic Minnesota Centennial Showboat to… Read More →
Congratulations to pianist, composer, arranger and producer Sanford Moore, who received the Reatha Clark King Award on Sunday, February 8 at the VocalEssence WITNESS: Let Freedom Ring concert at Orchestra Hall and was presented with a one-of-a-kind work of art created by past WITNESS Teaching Artist Ta-Coumba Aiken. The Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence… Read More →
VocalEssence has won an Arts Learning grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to expand our ¡Cantaré! program to Rochester, Minnesota. This means that several schools and community choirs in Rochester will have three-week residencies with Mexican composers Rodrigo Cadet and Novelli Jurado, and will host a Community Concert with VocalEssence. Rodrigo will be working with… Read More →
Libby Larsen Libby Larsen (b. 24 December 1950, Wilmington, Delaware) is one of America’s most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 500 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and more than 15 operas. Libby is a Grammy Award-winner and is widely recorded,… Read More →
