Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. Please enjoy “Ščedryk”, a Ukrainian New Year’s carol by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich, arranged by Philip Brunelle. This carol, traditionally sung on January 13, tells the story of a swallow flying into a house to sing of wealth that will come the following spring (you can hear the bird… Read More →
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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…
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Aaron Jay Kernis. Aaron Jay Kernis b. 1960 Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-Award-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis is among the most esteemed musical figures of his generation. He began his musical studies on the violin; at… Read More →
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 →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Georg Schumann. Georg Schumann 1866-1952 Georg Schumann was a German composer and director of the Sing-Akademie in Berlin. He first studied the violin and organ with his father and grandfather and was taught by Friedrich… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Melanie DeMore. Melanie DeMore b. Prolific African-American composer Melanie DeMore was born in the Bronx, raised in Anchorage, and moved to San Antonio to complete her schooling. “Getting off,” as DeMore calls it, on… Read More →
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 →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Josef Rheinberger. Josef Rheinberger 1839-1901 Josef Rheinberger was a Liechtenstein composer and teacher whose organ sonatas are among the finest 19th-century works for the instrument. At age five he received lessons in theory, pianoforte, and… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Knowles Paine. John Knowles Paine 1839-1906 John Knowles Paine was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. In the 1850s Paine took lessons in organ and composition from Hermann Kotzschmar,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Johann Pachelbel. Johann Pachelbel 1653-1706 Johann Pachelbel was a German composer, organist, and teacher whose large body of sacred and secular music and contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer T. Tertius Noble. T. Tertius Noble 1867-1953 Organist and composer Thomas Tertius Noble is better known today as a composer, although in his time he achieved greater eminence as a performing artist. Trained first… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Joubert. John Joubert 1927-2019 Born in Cape Town in 1927, John Joubert’s compositional career stretched over 70 years. His schooling took place at an Anglican foundation run on the lines of an English public… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer George Jeffreys. George Jeffreys 1610-1685 George Jeffreys was an English composer during the period that saw the introduction of the Italian seconda pratica to northern Europe. Jeffreys was organist to Charles I at Oxford in… Read More →
