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VOICES JOIN IN JOY AS VOCALESSENCE  RETURNS TO NORTHROP FOR WELCOME CHRISTMAS CHORAL CONCERT 
Catch the spirit of the season with lobby carols, sing-alongs, four choirs, and the famed pipe organ–Dec. 13   

 MINNEAPOLIS—September 29, 2025—Holiday spirit becomes song at the beloved VocalEssence Welcome Christmas concert, which the choral and community-building organization is bringing to the spectacular Northrop concert hall for a fourth year on December 13th.  

High resolution images are available here. 

“Love overflows when we meet those we hold dear after a time of absence, and that’s why we find so much joy in returning to the holiday-themed music of Welcome Christmas,” said VocalEssence founder and artistic director Philip Brunelle. “Choral composers are at their most inspired when working with the story at the heart of the celebration—the guiding star, the family seeking shelter, the hope and innocence of new life—and we have beautiful music from some of the best, including contemporary American artists like Rosephanye Powell and Minnesota’s own Paul Lohman and our British friends Ken Burton and John Rutter. Audiences tell me they love discovering new seasonal favorites alongside the concert’s traditional pieces—including a rollicking audience sing-along of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,”—and we’re so excited to share this year’s program with them.” 

“So many elements combine to make the Welcome Christmas concert truly magical,” said associate artistic director G. Phillip Shoultz, III, “the anticipation of the audience, the exuberant reaction of our singers to the splendor of Northrop, the power of 200 choral voices, and the audience joining together during the sing-along—we lift the roof off the place! Everyone involved brings their most loving, generous selves to this show, and you can feel the fellowship lifting you up from the first note you hear from our teenage choristers in the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age caroling in the Northrop lobby. It’s absolutely a highlight of our concert season.”  

Audience members are encouraged to come early to appreciate the full Welcome Christmas event. Organist Aaron David Miller will fill Northrop with music 30 minutes prior to the concert start time and the diverse teenage choir VocalEssence Singers Of This Age will carol in the lobby. The performances will feature the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age, senior singers from VocalEssence Vintage Voices, pianist Casey Rafn, and rich additional instrumentation including guitar, brass, and percussion, with Philip Brunelle and G. Phillip Shoultz, III conducting.   

The VocalEssence Welcome Christmas concert at Northrop, University of Minnesota, 84 Church St SE Minneapolis, will take place at 4:00 pm on Saturday December 13, 2025. Single tickets are available here or by phone at the Northrop Box Office at 612-624-2345 (open Mon-Fri, 10:00 am-5:00 pm). Tickets prices vary, discounts are available.     

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 www.vocalessence.org.      

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