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NEW ALBUM FROM VOCALESSENCE & MELANIE DEMORE, HOW TO HOLD ON: SONGS OF COMFORT AND SOLACE, DROPS SEPTEMBER 26  

MINNEAPOLIS—September 12, 2025–VocalEssenceand Melanie DeMore have recorded a new album, How to Hold on: Songs of Comfort and Solace, and will release it on September 26, when it will be available on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Prime; as a digital download; and as a physical CD available for purchase online through vocalessence.org.

Media can access a digital download, cover artwork, and liner notes here.

The album’s 14 tracks, including a dozen original compositions by DeMore, are performed a capella by DeMore and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and show the power of choral music–whether influenced by spirituals, lullabies, or folk songs–to give listeners the gift of peace and calm.

How to Hold On: Songs of Comfort and Solace was recorded over the course of four days in January 2025 at Maud Moon Weyerhauser Studios at Minnesota Public Radio in Saint Paul.

“When the VocalEssence commitment to nourishing new music results in a physical recording, it’s always a thrill,” said Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence founder and artistic director, “and How to Hold On feels truly exceptional. These are songs that capture our Ensemble Singers in rare form–singing with such a simple and powerful feeling of communion with one another. We support composers who help choral evolve, and our years of collaboration with Melanie have produced incredible moments–she’s taught Gullah stick-pounding in schools with our WITNESS program, brought youth and police together in healing workshops, and now her original music for How to Hold On will be licensed through VocalEssence Music Press! We can’t wait to share this work with our community.”

“When we write music, we’re writing the medicine we need–that’s how I always think about it,” said Melanie DeMore, vocal activist, composer, and teacher. “A longing for connection and an ache for community drove the process of composing How To Hold On, and when the Ensemble Singers and I went into the studio to record, we really made the medicine. This is music that listeners can pull around themselves to feel supported, to feel held, to be transported to a place where it’s safe to take a deep breath and sit with their feelings.”

VocalEssence, the choral organization Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones says “sings magnificently,” provides opportunities that draw upon the power of singing together to nurture community, inspire creativity, affirm the value of all persons, and expand the impact of choral music. VocalEssence was founded in 1969 and through its performance series has debuted more than 300 commissions and world premieres. VocalEssence Learning & Engagement programs help people of all ages bridge, create, and learn across cultures by connecting them with renowned choral experts to provide exceptional role models, grow community self-esteem, self-expression, and engagement. For more information visit vocalessence.org.

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