Students at UMD received a masterclass in vocal performance with one of the region’s top choral groups.

If the chorus of voices filling Weber Music Hall could be seen, they might look something like the northern lights hanging in the night sky, each rising and falling in columns of color and mixing together in a cosmic dance. It’s truly awe-inspiring.

Those voices, 75 in all, came from a combination of students at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) and members of VocalEssence, a premiere choral organization that presented a masterclass in vocal performance at UMD in late September.

“This is a touchstone point that people will remember for their lives,” said Christopher Mason, DMA, an assistant professor and director of choral activities in the UMD Department of Music.

Leading the masterclass was VocalEssence Artistic Director and Founder, Philip Brunelle, an internationally-renowned conductor and choral music scholar whose resume includes a long list of accolades. For Mason, having the opportunity to “peer behind the curtain” and witness how Brunelle “paints with different colors in the voice” was an opportunity of a lifetime.

“Hearing it from ten feet away is just really special,” Mason said.

The masterclass gave UMD students an opportunity to sing side by side with members of VocalEssence and receive immediate feedback from Brunelle.

“We were immersed with them,” said Keegan Foster, a music performance student. “It was really exciting.”

Fellow music performance student Ben Jorgenson appreciated the opportunity to interact with working professionals in the music industry.

“You get to see someone already doing what you hope to do someday,” he said. “These experiences really benefit you in many ways.”

Victoria Mitchell, a music education student and aspiring high school choir teacher, honed in on Brunelle’s advice about music selection and interpretation.

“It will be really awesome to take these experiences and his advice and put that before my students one day,” she said.

The learning experience, supported by the UMD Robert and Kathleen Carlson Choral Music Fund, was followed by an evening concert by VocalEssence, where UMD students had the opportunity to put their learning into practice by joining the choir for one combined piece. All of the proceeds from the concert were donated toward scholarships for UMD music students.

“Those sounds and those experiences become part of the cloud of creative energy that imbibes your whole existence,” Mason said. “I was really moved that I could be there to observe them experiencing such a special thing.”

“I’m getting such a great education here and I know I’ll be able to be successful in my career because of that.” – Keegan Foster, Music Performance B.Mus.