Stories & Results

Orlando Gibbons | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Orlando Gibbons. Orlando Gibbons 1583-1625 The English composer and keyboard player, Orlando Gibbons, was a leading composer of vocal, keyboard and ensemble music in early 17th-century England. Gibbons was the most illustrious of a large…  Read More

Théodore Dubois | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Théodore Dubois.  Théodore Dubois 1837-1924 Théodore Dubois, French composer, organist and teacher, is well-known for his religious choral works, some of which have been part of the French church repertory for decades. Born into a…  Read More

Federico Mompou | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Federico Mompou. This episode features Soprano Maria Jette. Federico Mompou 1893-1987 A piano miniaturist and songwriter, Catalan composer, Federico Mompou created a small but highly personal body of work. He began to study the piano…  Read More

Dr. Valerie L. Thomas | 28 Days of Black Excellence

Today marks the fourth day of 28 Days of Black Excellence created by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Phillip highlights the work of Dr. Valerie L. Thomas, inventor of the illusion transmitter and retired associate chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office (SSDOO) at NASA. His musical inspiration comes from the song…  Read More

Carl Rütti | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Carl Rütti. Carl Rütti b. 1949 Carl Rütti is one of the most notable Swiss pianists, organists, and choral composers of this era. Living in Zug, Switzerland, after taking his high school education at the…  Read More

Franz Liszt | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Franz Liszt. Franz Liszt 1811-1886 Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer, pianist, and teacher, was a leader of the Romantic movement with music known for his imaginative and technical approach to composition. Born in Raiding, his father…  Read More

Chris DeBlasio | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Chris DeBlasio.This episode features Soprano Maria Jette. Chris DeBlasio 1959-1993 The American composer Chris DeBlasio was a pioneer composer in musical theatre, art songs, and sacred music. He studied theatre arts at New York University…  Read More

Edward Bairstow | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Edward Bairstow. Edward Bairstow 1874-1946 Edward Bairstow, English organist, composer and conductor, is best known for his sacred choral works. Little is known about Bairstow’s rearing, however, after a period of teaching at Windsor, he…  Read More

Wilhelm Stenhammar | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Wilhelm Stenhammar. Wilhelm Stenhammar 1871-1927 Wilhelm Stenhammar was a Swedish pianist, self-taught composer, and conductor whose pioneering compositions evolved over three musical periods. He grew up in a home where the arts were strongly encouraged:…  Read More

Andrew Carter | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Andrew Carter. Andrew Carter b. 1939 Andrew Carter is an English composer, conductor, and arranger whose choral works, many of which are published by Oxford University Press. Born into a Leicestershire family of tower and…  Read More

Robert Wetzler | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Robert Wetzler. Robert Wetzler b. 1932 Robert Wetzler is an American composer, organist, and choirmaster based in Minneapolis, MN, well-known for his sacred choral works. Wetzler earned his Bachelor of Arts from Thiel College and…  Read More

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 1844-1908 The Russian composer and educator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a luminary of orchestral orchestrations. Born in Tikhvin into an aristocratic family, Rimsky-Korsakov showed musical ability from an early age but instead…  Read More

Lena McLin | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Lena McLin. Lena McLin b. 1928 Lena McLin, known as the woman who launched a thousand careers, is an African American musician, music teacher, author, pastor, and composer. McLin earned a Bachelor’s degree in music,…  Read More

Howard Hanson | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Howard Hanson. Howard Hanson 1896-1981 The American composer, conductor and teacher, Howard Hanson, promoted contemporary American music and was, in his compositions, a principal representative of the Romantic tradition. He studied at Luther College, with…  Read More

César Franck | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer César Franck. César Franck 1822-1890 César Franck, Belgian-French Romantic composer, organist, and music educator was one of the most powerful French composers in the second half of the 19th- century. Franck showed unmistakable musical gifts…  Read More