Ensemble Singers Featuring Roderick Williams Digital Concert Program
Artist Statement
This summer’s tour to England by the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers was a great success! It began with a concert at the Three Choirs Festival, where we were only the third U.S. choir ever invited in their 300+ year history! One of the highlights of that concert was collaborating with Roderick Williams OBE, the great British baritone. VocalEssence has had a long friendship with the composers and performers of Great Britain including Sir Peter Pears, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Dame Ethel Smyth, Sir James MacMillan, and now Roderick Williams!
This evening’s program features wonderful music for baritone and a cappella ensemble by Edvard Grieg, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ken Burton (composed for Roderick Williams), Aaron Copland, and Jester Hairston. The program also includes music of American composers: Dominick Argento (the only Minnesota composer to have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music), Moses Hogan (one of the premier African American composers of the 20th century), Eric Whitacre (whose music has been performed widely in all 50 states), and Alice Parker (the beloved composer and arranger of folk songs and hymns of the 19th century).
We are also very pleased to have the St. Michael-Albertville High School Choir and their conductor Joe Osowski as part of this choral celebration! How wonderful to be appearing for the first time in the St. Michael-Albertville High School Performing Arts Center. Thank you for inviting us!
—Phillip Brunelle
Artistic Director and Founder, VocalEssence
PROGRAM
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
Moses Hogan (1999)
Four Psalms
Edvard Grieg (1925)
Roderick Williams OBE, soloist
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
Eric Whitacre (2002)
Easter Day
Dominick Argento (1990)
St. Michael-Albertville Concert Choir
Courtney Keenan-Young, collaborative pianist
The Waking
Giselle Wyers (2009)
Pingst
arr. Oskar Lindberg (1911)
The Green Ray
Giselle Wyers (2025)
Caledonia
arr. Blake Morgan (2017)
VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS AND ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE CHOIR
On the Common Ground
Alice Parker (2020)
JoAnna Johnson, soloist
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal
Alice Parker (1967)
VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS
Roderick Williams OBE, soloist
Lark
Aaron Copland (1941)
Descend to Earth
Ken Burton (2020)
The Turtle Dove
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1924)
Amen
Jester Hairston (1957)
Texts and Translations
MY SOUL’S BEEN ANCHORED IN THE LORD
Moses Hogan (1999)
In the Lord, in the Lord.
My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
Before I’d stay in hell one day,
I’d sing and pray myself away.
My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
Goin’ shout and pray and never stop,
Until I reach the mountain top.
My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
Do you love Him?
Are you anchored?
Yes, I’m anchored, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
Will you serve Him?
Are you anchored?
Yes, I’m anchored, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
Will you praise Him?
Are you anchored?
Yes, I’m anchored, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.
—Negro Spiritual
FOUR PSALMS
Edvard Grieg (1925)
I. How Fair is Thy Face
How fair is Thy face,
Yea fair, yea fair,
Thou Son of God, Thou Prince of Grace!
O Thou my Shulamite, sweet and kind,
Yea kind, yea kind,
All that I have is also Thine.
My Friend, Thou art mine,
Yea mine, yea mine;
Forevermore let me be Thine.
Thou canst me save, canst me save,
Yea save, yea save,
Both here on earth and ‘yond the grave.
Remember my plight,
Yea plight, yea plight:
Around me hostile swords flash bright.
Fly hither, Dove of Grace, Dove of Grace,
Apace, apace!
Among the rocks are peace and space.
—Translation by Percy Grainger
II. God’s Son Hath Set Me Free
God’s Son hath set me free
From Satan’s tyranny,
From base desire,
Enslavement dire,
From fear of death and hell’s hot fire.
Lord Christ did intercede
With God for me did plead;
He underwent
My punishment,
To torture, death, was sent.
I cannot fathom love so great
However much I contemplate:
That He
Could be
So merciful to me,
A sinner frail, whom naught could suit
But tasting the forbidden fruit;
By day, by night,
Old Satan’s might
My soul had captured quite.
But now I’m in God’s care,
In spite of Satan’s snare;
No longer sad,
I wander glad
In Liberation purple-clad.
How deeply I rejoice
To follow Jesus’ voice:
He bids me cleave
To Him and leave
All sin—forget to grieve.
Let Mamnon not expect to find
Me e’er again so weak, so blind.
Nay, nay!
I’ll stray
No more from off this way.
For my salvation Christ did pay;
I shall not gamble it away.
I do despise
The tempter’s lies,
To heaven lift my eyes.
My heart laughs blithe and bold
When I my grave behold;
No flow’ry bed,
Nor princely stead,
Can show a couch so free from dread.
To where God’s castle stands
In Deathless Life’s fair lands
Death pilots me
Across the sea—
Towards Eternity.
Though stormy winds about me still
Are blowing contrary and chill
My soul is whole
And craves the perfect goal.
My spirit leaps, like deer or hind,
To think of leaving sin behind;
Oh blessed sign!
Christ’s Cross doth shine,
Makes bliss eternal mine.
—Translation by Percy Grainger
III. Jesus Christ Our Lord is Risen
Jesus Christ our Lord is risen
Heavenward from out death’s prison.
With angel legions
He captured hell’s dread regions.
Kyrie eleison!
Savior Jesus, we thank Thee, Lord,
For Thy great blessings us toward;
Through Thy ascending
Our fears of death found ending.
Kyrie eleison!
Thy ascension, in joyous lays,
With heart and mouth and tongue we praise,
And join the chorus
Of angels singing o’er us.
Kyrie eleison!
—Translation by Percy Grainger
IV. In Heaven Above
In heaven above, in heaven above,
Where God Almighty dwells;
What bliss to reach that realm of love,
My heart with longing swells;
For there in all eternity
In dazzling radiance we shall see
The Lord of Sabaoth.
From darkest night, from darkest night,
Our bodies ‘neath the mould,
Shall then become all shining bright—
As bright as purest gold;
Our wounds assuaged by heavenly grace,
We’ll see our Maker face to face,
The Lord of Sabaoth.
Each soul shall find its comfort there
As promised long ago;
The wreath of righteousness shall wear
A robe as white as snow.
Oh God! What rapture will be mine,
To see Thee in Thy radiance shine,
O Lord of Sabaoth.
—Translation by Percy Grainger
LEONARDO DREAMS OF HIS FLYING MACHINE
Eric Whitacre (2006)
Tormented by visions of flight and falling,
More wondrous and terrible each than the last,
Master Leonardo imagines an engine
To carry a man up into the sun…
And as he’s dreaming the heavens call him,
Softly whispering their siren-song:
“Leonardo, Leonardo, vieni à volare.”
(“Leonardo, Leonardo, come fly.”)
L’uomo colle sua congiegniate e grandi ale,
(A man with wings large enough and duly connected)
Facciendo forza contro alla resistente aria.
(might learn to overcome the resistance of the air.)
As the candles burn low he paces and writes,
Releasing purchased pigeons one by one by one
Into the golden Tuscan sunrise…
And as he dreams, again the calling,
The very air itself gives voice:
“Leonardo, Leonardo, vieni à volare.”
(“Leonardo, Leonardo, come fly.”)
Vicina all’ elemento del fuoco…
(Close to the sphere of elemental fire…)
Scratching quill on crumpled paper
Rete, canna, filo, carta.
(Net, cane, thread, paper.)
Images of wing and frame and fabric fastened tightly
…sulla suprema sottile aria.
(…in the highest and rarest atmosphere.)
As the midnight watchtower tolls,
Over rooftop, street and dome,
The triumph of a human being ascending
To carry a man up into the sun…
Leonardo steels himself,
Takes one last breath, and leaps…
“Leonardo vieni à volare! Leonardo, sognare!”
(“Leonardo, come fly! Leonardo, dream!”)
—Charles Anthoni Silvestri (b. 1965) Italian fragments taken from the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
EASTER DAY
Dominick Argento (1990)
Rise, Heire of fresh Eternity,
From thy Virgin Tombe:
Rise mighty man of wonders! and thy world with thee.
Thy Tombe, the universall East,
Natures new wombe,
Thy Tombe, faire Immortalities perfumed Nest.
Of all the Gloryes Make Noone gay
This is the Morne.
This rocke buds forth the fountaine of the streames of Day.
In joyes white Annals live this houre,
When life was borne,
No cloud scoule on his radiant lids no tempest lowre.
Life, by this light’s Nativity
All creatures have.
Death onely by this Dayes just Doome is forc’t to Dye;
Nor is Death forc’t; for may hee ly
Thron’d in thy Grave.
Death will on this condition be content to Dy.
—Richard Crashaw
THE WAKING
Giselle Wyers (2009)
I strolled across an open field; The sun was out;
Heat was happy, happy, happy.
This way! This way! The wren’s throat shimmered,
either to other; the blossoms sang.
The stones sang, the little ones did,
And flowers jumped Like small goats.
A ragged fringe of daisies waved;
I wasn’t alone in a grove of apples.
Far in the woods a nestling sighed;
The dew loosened it’s morning smells.
I came where the river ran over stones;
My ears knew an early joy.
And all the waters of all the streams sang in my veins,
that summer day.
—Theodore Roethke
PINGST
arr. Oaskar Lindberg (1911)
Sung in Swedish
High above, over land and sea,
the Whitsun evening stars are shining
And the night-sweetening song
is like the fragrance of a rich burning incense.
Like the sun it parts the mists, rises from the land and taps
pure white fingers on Heaven’s bolted door.
—Oscar Levertin
THE GREEN RAY
Giselle Wyers (2025)
Ah! All eyes turned to the west
the sun seemed to sink with greater rapidity
as it approached the sea.
It threw a long trail of dazzling light
over the trembling surface
of the water like a spangled mass of glittering gems.
Not the faintest sign of cloud, haze, or mist
was visible along the horizon,
motionless and with intense excitement.
We watched the fiery globe as it sank
nearer and nearer the horizon.
And for an instant hung suspended over the abyss.
Then through the refraction of the waves,
its disk seemed to change till it looked like an Etruscan vase
bulging sides standing on the water.
“The green ray!” “The green ray!” we cried.
Our eyes for one second revelled
in the incomparable tint of liquid jade.
There was no longer any doubt as to its brilliance.
Nothing could now interfere with its glorious sunset.
Nothing could prevent its last ray from being seen.
“The green ray!”
—Jules Verne
CALEDONIA
arr. Blake Morgan (2017)
I don’t know if you can see the changes
that have come over me.
In these last few days, I’ve been afraid
that I might drift away.
So I’ve been telling old stories, singing songs
that make me think about where I came from.
And that’s the reason why I seem so far away today.
But let me tell you that I love you,
that I think about you all the time.
Caledonia, you’re calling me, and now I’m going home.
But if I should become a stranger, you know
that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had.
And I have tried and I’ve kept on trying stolen dreams
yes, there’s no denying.
I have travelled hard, sometimes with conscience flying
somewhere with the wind.
But let me tell you that I love you,
that I think about you all the time.
Caledonia, you’re calling me, and now I’m going home.
But if I should become a stranger,
you know that it would make me more than sad.
Caledonia’s been everything I’ve ever had.
Now I’m sitting here before the fire,
the empty room, the forest choir.
The flames that couldn’t get any higher,
well they’ve withered, now they’ve gone.
But I’m steady thinking, my way is clear
and I know what I will do tomorrow.
When the hands have shaken and the kisses flow,
well I will disappear.
—Dougie MacLean
ON THE COMMON GROUND
Alice Parker (2020)
Help me, Lord, find the common ground
between the high and the low,
between the poor and the rich,
between the old and the young,
between the black and the white.
Help me find the common ground
between the shouting and the silence,
between the bound and the free,
between the grief and the joy,
between the heart and the mind.
Open us, Lord, guide us to that meeting place,
where we can see each other, hear each other,
care for each other.
Where we can sing together, work together,
play together on the common ground.
Come, let us meet together on the common ground.
HARK, I HEAR THE HARPS ETERNAL
Alice Parker (1967)
Hark, I hear the harps eternal
ringing on the farther shore.
As I near those swollen waters,
with their deep and solumn roar.
Refrain: Hallelujah, praise the Lamb.
Hallelujah, glory to the Great I AM.
And my soul though stained with sorrow,
fading as the light of day,
Passes swiftly o’er those waters
to the city far away. Refrain:
Souls have crossed before me, saintly,
to that land of perfect rest,
And I hear them singing faintly
in the mansions of the blest. Refrain:
—19th-century American melody
LARK
Aaron Copland (1941)
O, Lark, from great dark, arise!
O, lark of light,
O, lightness like a spark,
Shock ears and stun our eyes
Singing the day-rise, the day-rise, the great day-rise.
O Believer, Rejoicer, say
Before Evidence of Day
The Sun is Risen_.
Where
No sun is, come loudly in the air;
Let ear and eye prepare
To see and hear, truly to see and hear;
To hear thy three-fold welcome in the air,
To see all dazzle after long despair,
Toseewhatnonemayseenow,singer,singerfair,sofair.
O, lark alert, O, lark alive,
O lovely, lovely chanting arrow-lark,
Sprung like an arrow from the bow of dark,
O, lark arise
Sing the day-rise,
The great day-rise.
—Genevieve Taggard
DESCEND TO EARTH
Ken Burton (2020)
Descend to earth, there place thy throne;
To succour man’s afflicted son
Each human heart inspire:
To act in bounties unconfin’d
Enlarge the close contracted mind,
And fill it with thy fire.
—Phyllis Wheatley
THE TURTLE DOVE
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1924)
Fare you well, my dear, I must be gone,
And leave you for a while;
If I roam away I’ll come back again,
Though I roam ten thousand miles, my dear,
Though I roam ten thousand miles.
So fair thou art, my bonny lass,
So deep in love am I;
But I never will prove false to the bonny lass I love,
Till the stars fall from the sky, my dear,
Till the stars fall from the sky.
The sea will never run dry, my dear,
Nor the rocks melt with the sun,
But I never will prove false to the bonny lass I love,
Till all these things be done, my dear,
Till all these things be done.
O yonder doth sit that little turtle dove,
He doth sit on yonder high tree,
A-making a moan for the loss of his love,
As I will do for thee, my dear,
As I will do for thee.
—18th Century English Folk Tune
AMEN
Jester Hairston (1957)
See the baby,
Wrapped in a manger,
On Christmas mornin’
See him in the temple,
Talkin’ with the elders
Who marveled at his wisdom.
See him at the Jordan
Where John was baptizin’
And saving all the sinners.
See him at the seaside
Talking to the fishermen
And making them disciples
Marching in Jerusalem
Over palm branches
In pomp and splendor.
See him in the garden
Praying to his father
In deepest sorrow.
Led before Pilate
Then they crucified him
But he rose on Easter
Hallelujah
He died to save us
And he lives forever
Amen.
Biographies
RODERICK WILLIAMS OBE
Baritone
Roderick Williams is one of the most sought-after baritones of his generation with a wide repertoire spanning baroque to contemporary. He enjoys relationships with major UK and European opera houses and also performs regularly with leading conductors and orchestras throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh, and Melbourne.
As a recitalist he is in demand around the world and appears regularly at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, and Musikverein and at festivals including Leeds Lieder, Oxford International Song, Aldeburgh, and Ludlow English Song.
Roderick Williams was awarded an OBE in June 2017 and was Artist in Residence with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020-22, Artist in Residence at the 2023 Aldeburgh Festival and Singer in Residence at Music in the Round. He was also one of the featured soloists at the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
As a composer he has had works premiered at Wigmore Hall, the Barbican, the Purcell Room, and on national radio. In 2016 he won Best Choral Composition at the British Composer Awards and he currently holds the position of Composer in Association of the BBC Singers.
ABOUT THE ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE CONCERT CHOIR
As the flagship organization for ISD #885, the St. Michael-Albertville High School Music program prides itself on excellence and inclusion for the over 500 students that it serves. The STMA Concert Choir is one of 16 performing ensembles offered at STMA High School. Recent performance highlights include invitational performances with American Public Media, the State and Regional Chapters of the American Choral Directors Association, and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. STMA has enjoyed collaborative performances with numerous high schools, collegiate ensembles, and professional ensembles including Cantus, The National Lutheran Choir, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, Voces8, The Aeolians of Oakwood University, Conspirare, The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, and Chanticleer.
The 2025-2026 STMA Concert Season will include performances with The North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, Lake Superior Youth Chorus, The College of St. Scholastica, VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Iowa State University, Cantus, Bemidji State University, and St. John’s University. More information about the choral program at STMA is available at www.stmachoirs.org.
JOE OSOWSKI
Director of Vocal Music Education, St. Michael-Albertville High School
Joe Osowski is the Director of Vocal Music Education at St. Michael-Albertville High School. He holds a Masters of Music Degree in Music Education from North Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocal Music Education from the same institution.
At STMA High School, Joe Osowski directs three curricular ensembles and one co-curricular ensemble. He is also the conductor of Bring the Sing, a community singing initiative sponsored by Classical Minnesota Public Radio, Choral Director of the Minnesota Ambassadors of Music and Director of the Central Choir at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Previously, Joe Osowski served as Choral Director in the Worthington and Anoka-Hennepin School Districts. He also has served as Choral Director at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka, Minnesota, First United Methodist Church in Worthington, Minnesota, Artistic Director of the East Central Minnesota Chorale and the Worthington Chamber Singers.
Joe Osowski is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. He has served in these roles throughout the Midwest and Central America. He is an active member of the Minnesota Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association, most recently serving as the Northeast District Chair for ACDA-MN. Choirs under his direction have performed at numerous invitational festivals and state and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and Minnesota Music Educators Association.
Joe Osowski was nominated as a Minnesota Teacher of the Year Semifinalist in 2016 and 2024 by Education Minnesota and was selected as a conducting delegate representing the United States for the 2017 International Conductors Exchange Program sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association. He lives in Albertville with his wife, Erin, a fellow Choral Music Educator and their two cats, Gus and Joey.
STMA CONCERT CHOIR ROSTER
SOPRANO
Dane Bosozi
Julia Brutger
Greta Crowell
Frankie Edgar
Esme Erntson
Ranya Ezzaid
Taylor Hanson
Ella Krube
Averie Martinson
Ava Pajari
Maren Penserga
Helen Pichler
Audrey Powell
Rachel Sixta
Demah Stahl
Olivia Tanner
Abby Vang
Skye Yaeger
Gabriella Zea
ALTO
Rhea Bartel
Hannah Berendes
Lexie Bergen
Naomi Cheney
Olivia Esnough
Josephine Hjelle
Ava Huggins
Izzie Kephart
Eva Krube
Abby Leonard
Adrienne Lewis
Renee Meehan
Dinah Morara
Jenson Rogers
Addie Schmoyer
Leah Smith
Joslyn Thering
Charli Tims
Tori Verhulst
Macy Weber
Isabella Williams
TENOR
Oliver Beaudry
Tanner Carel
Joseph Christner
Trey Cornillez
William Hauxwell
Will Hein
William Henry
Ethan Jordheim
Cooper Landy
Nicolas Laurie
Bennett Lehn
Judah Lightfoot
Maverick Maros
Connor Marshall
Aiden Mceachern
Ethan Novak
Drew O’Neill
Zachary Ruhland
Dyllan Sullivan
Will Underthun
Ethan Xiong
BASS
Brody Andrzejewski
Justin Berg
Dayne Berglund
Jared Brutger
Daniel Eicher
Jude Galarowicz
Andrew Gindele
MJ Jugran
Aaron Kasperowicz
Jack Klemmensen
Thomas Lahr
Talon Moreland
Henry New
Jackson Outcelt
Joey Renczykowski
Kyle Shull
Logan Warner
Ben Vagts
Beckett Young
About VocalEssence
For 57 years, VocalEssence has provided opportunities for singers from the Twin Cities area to create incredible music together and build connections as part of the vibrant arts community in Minnesota.
VocalEssence is known for introducing audiences to music and artists who are not yet known, often welcoming guest artists, composers, and conductors who are emerging, have unknown works, or represent a variety of cultures. Welcoming all members of the greater community, VocalEssence embodies the motto: Together We Sing.
VOCALESSENCE MISSION
VocalEssence draws upon the power of singing together to nurture community, inspire creativity, affirm the value of all persons, and expand the influence of choral music.
VocalEssence Artistic Staff
PHILIP BRUNELLE
Artistic Director and Founder
Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder of VocalEssence 57 years ago, is an internationally-renowned conductor, choral scholar, and visionary. Philip has conducted symphonies, choral festivals, and operas on six continents. He holds five honorary degrees, served 9 years as Vice President of IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music), and has been recognized for his commitment to choral music by the governments of Norway, Hungary, Sweden, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. In 2019, he was awarded the American Prize in Choral Conducting and, in 2020, was given the Honorary Member Award by the Society for American Music. Last fall Philip was appointed a National Arts Associate of the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. Philip is also Organist-Choirmaster at Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis. During the pandemic Philip recorded 300 “Musical Moments” which can be accessed at vocalessence.org/category/musical-moments and his thoughts on music are at RenaissanceManpodcast.com. Philip and his wife Carolyn, a studio artist, have 3 children (Tim, Christopher, and Elise) and 7 grandchildren.
G. PHILLIP SHOULTZ, III
Associate Artistic Director
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, associate artistic director, inspires action and fosters community among people of all ages and abilities through song and spoken word. He is Artistic Director of Sing Democracy 250, a national initiative of the Together In Hope Project, and the University of Minnesota Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert. Phillip is Cantor for Worship, Music, and the Arts at Westwood Lutheran Church and serves on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas, where he leads the Graduate Choral Conducting program. Phillip gives voice to the Songs of Freedom series on Minnesota Public Radio and hosts concerts for the Minnesota Orchestra. He creates content for SonoVoice (the Fitbit for voice) and is founder of “Table for More”, a platform addressing issues of innovation, equity, racial justice, and belonging in the arts. Phillip is engaged across the U.S. and beyond as a conductor, clinician, and worship curator/leader. He is published with Galaxy Music and is the winner of numerous honors, including the ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition and multiple Teacher of the Year awards. Phillip lives in St. Louis Park with his wife, Michelle, and their two children (Malachi and Lydia Grace).
ROBERT GRAHAM
Learning and Engagement Manager
Conductor, Vintage Voices
Robert Graham is the Learning and Engagement Manager at VocalEssence where he serves as the conductor for the VocalEssence Vintage Voices choirs, and oversees the renowned VocalEssence WITNESS School Program. Robert has a Master of Music degree in both vocal performance and choral conducting from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and a B.A. in vocal performance from Xavier University of Louisiana. Robert currently serves as a section leader of the adult choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, sings second tenor in the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, and also
performs around the Twin Cities as a solo and chamber musician.
CASEY RAFN
Accompanist
Pianist Casey Rafn enjoys a varied career as a collaborative pianist both in the United States and abroad, in Europe and Latin America. He is a member of ‘Trés’, whose saxophone-piano trio was just nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album for their new album “Romance al Campesino Porteño.” Casey often collaborates in concert or recordings with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and University of Minnesota School of Music faculty. As a piano soloist he took top prizes at the International Liszt-Garrison Competition in Baltimore, has appeared with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, and has taught at both the University of Minnesota School of Music and the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts.
JOHN JENSEN
Accompanist, VocalEssence Vintage Voices
John Jensen received his music degrees in Southern California, where he attended Occidental College and University of Southern California. While there he free-lanced as a studio musician, playing on the Andy Williams show and touring the country with prominent singers through Columbia Artists Management. He moved to Iowa and taught for 15 years at Grinnell College as an artist-in-residence. In 1990, John moved to St. Paul and has played with VocalEssence, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He plays jazz and classical piano around the area, including performances with the Bloomingtones, a traveling senior choir based in Bloomington, MN. In 2023, John recorded a piano concerto by the late Paul Reale with the Yale Symphony Orchestra at Yale University which was released by Naxos records.
VocalEssence Performing Ensembles
VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS
The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers have established an international reputation because of their extensive catalog of recordings and broad range of unique repertoire. This chamber choir, whose members hail from a wide variety of professions, is bound together by their skilled artistry to create what The Times of London has described as a “flawless” sound.
SOPRANO
Jennifer Bevington
Katie Boardman
Elsa Buck
Chloe Johnson
JoAnna Johnson
Kathryn Rupp
Mari Scott
Carey Shunskis
ALTO
Robin Joy Helgen
Patty Kramer
Audrey Lane-Getaz
Anna Meek
Judith Melander
Carolyn Nuelle
Kristina Rodel Sorum
Cat Terres
TENOR
Will Berendsen
Ben Brunnette
Jared Campbell
Eli Gatlin-Baumgartner
Robert Graham
Jonah Herzog
Andy McCullough
Phil Reilly
BASS
Dakota Anderson
Joe Ellickson
David Gindra
Joe Kastner
Erik Krohg
Dr. Michael P. Schmidt
Benjamin Shermock
Ian Witry
VOCALESSENCE CHORUS
The VocalEssence Chorus is a group of talented and enthusiastic singers from many different walks of life, united by their love of singing and community. Performing a wide variety of musical styles, premiering new works, and sharing the stage with a diverse array of guest artists, the Chorus is a welcome home for singers who wish to continue making music throughout their adult lives.
VOCALESSENCE SINGERS OF THIS AGE
The VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (SOTA) is a community of Twin Cities teenagers engaged in expanding what it means to be a choir and, encouraging a wider circle of participation in the artform. Presenting music ranging from classical to hip-hop, they use creativity and collaboration to build an accepting community, equipped with the skills to lead social change in our society.
VOCALESSENCE VINTAGE VOICES
