Artistic Director Philip Brunelle just returned from England meeting with John Rutter, Sir Stephen Cleobury (just knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours), Simon Halsey and Katie Rowan—the person helping us with the U.S. premiere in October of Ina Boyle’s music. He and his wife Carolyn also enjoyed a week’s vacation in Wales and on the… Read More →
By Pamela Espeland | MinnPost Wednesday, March 20, 2019 – 10:04 AM: https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2019/03/260-films-from-77-nations-coming-our-way-in-april/ Courtesy of the Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul A still from MSPIFF’s opening night film, “Yuli,” about the life of Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta. The 38th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival is just over two weeks away. Tickets go on sale to the… Read More →
Don Lee | Chorus America January 10, 2019 https://www.chorusamerica.org/node/9195 North American choruses are anticipating a wave of major anniversaries in the coming years, and their leaders are hard at work preparing to mark the occasions. The most thoughtful celebrations honor a chorus’s past achievements, while laying the groundwork for an even stronger future. Brace yourself. In… Read More →
A musical visionary and tireless self-promoter, VocalEssence founder Philip Brunelle is a world-renowned force.
By Pamela Espeland January 17, 2019: https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2019/01/mlk-celebrations-and-concerts-mr-poppers-penguins-at-childrens-theatre/ Monday is Martin Luther King Day, and the weekend will light up with celebrations of his life. Tuesday this week would have been his 89th birthday. Imagine if he had lived past 39. Although it’s not billed specifically as an MLK event, VocalEssence’s annual “Together We Sing” festival on Saturday (Jan.… Read More →
Let’s fill the hall! Orchestra Hall, that is. 4,245 students are slated to attend the VocalEssence WITNESS Young People’s Concerts this February, and celebrate the amazing African and African American women who change our world for the better! But here’s the catch… The cost of the VocalEssence WITNESS program and Young People’s Concerts is $28.50… Read More →
Since 1973, when the first commission by VocalEssence led Dominick Argento to compose Jonah and the Whale, the organization has ardently supported new music. More than 300 commissions later, VocalEssence Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle explains how commissioning works. Why does VocalEssence commission so much original work? Just as we don’t want to lose sight of the composers… Read More →
October is off to a rousing start for Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. He’s launched the second season of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age, as they prepare for their Identity concert on November 8, 2018. He spent two days training VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! composer, Pablo Mendoza, for workshops in our partner schools. This past… Read More →
Artistic Director Philip Brunelle has had a whirlwind summer (nothing unusual!) beginning in early June with a trip to New York City meeting with Nico Muhly, composer of the new cantata being written for our Welcome Christmas concerts. The visit also included meetings with several composers and interviews about the upcoming 50th anniversary season. Then… Read More →
WISHES AND CANDLES Stephen Paulus We have a wish for each candle we light, Making the holidays shiny and bright. A wish for the children, the young and the old, To never go hungry, to never be cold. Wishes and candles and love and laughter, Memories we’ll treasure forever after. Families are gathered with presents… Read More →
Artistic Director Philip Brunelle is presently in Seoul, South Korea conducting an all-American concert with one of Korea’s finest professional choirs, the Ansan City Choir. Included in the program is “Peter Quince at the Clavier” by Dominick Argento, to celebrate Argento’s 90th birthday on October 27. When he returns, he will have a number of… Read More →
A wonderful month ahead with lots of music-making! The first rehearsals have begun for the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. Osmo Vänskä comes to rehearsal next week as the Ensemble Singers prepare for the Finland concerts with Osmo on clarinet and Sara Pajunen on fiddle. Don’t miss one of these September 24 concerts at the… Read More →
Free event in celebration of ACDA conference will feature work from major Minnesota choral artists, composers, and a Garrison Keillor sing-along—March 7 MINNEAPOLIS—FEBRUARY 28, 2017—The best way to say welcome is to sing it! It’s especially true when you’re welcoming members of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) to town. That’s why VocalEssence, Minnesota’s internationally… Read More →
The Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium, that is. 6,567 students are slated to attend the VocalEssence WITNESS Young People’s Concerts this February (1,000 more students than last season!). But here’s the catch … The cost of the VocalEssence WITNESS program and Young People’s Concerts is $28.50 per student, but in order to make this program affordable… Read More →
