In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Daniel Kantor. Daniel Kantor b. 1960 As a composer, Daniel Kantor is best known for his beloved and widely popular piece “Night of Silence”. Additionally, Kantor is very active outside of the music world. Kantor… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Steve Heitzeg. This episode includes a world premiere written by Steve called Water on Rocks Waltz, which was composed in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and is dedicated to Will Steger. Steve… Read More →
VocalEssence is pleased to share with you that we have been accepted into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. Supported by… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Jocelyn Hagen. Jocelyn Hagen b. 1980 Jocelyn Hagen is a distinguished and innovative composer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hagen’s musical talents were apparent from an early age, as she accompanied a choir in Valley City,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Randall Davidson. Randall Davidson b. 1953 Minnesota composer Randall Davidson is praised for the originality, humor, and passion in his works. Davidson studied at Cornell College under Alf Houkom and at the University of Minnesota… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 1875-1912 The gifted English composer, conductor, and professor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor achieved great popularity during his life. He was the son of a Sierra Leone doctor and an English woman. Coleridge-Taylor studied… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Dave Brubeck. Dave Brubeck 1920-2012 The highly acclaimed composer and musician Dave Brubeck was born into a musical family in Concord, California. He studied at the College of the Pacific before enlisting in the Army… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Aaron Copland. Aaron Copland 1900-1990 Prolific and beloved American composer Aaron Copland was born into a family of Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. He studied piano, music theory, and composition from his sister Laurine,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Dame Ethel Smyth. Dame Ethel Smyth 1858-1944 Dame Ethel Smyth was a British composer, writer, and feminist born into a military, upper middle-class family in London, England. She studied harmony and counterpoint in Leipzig, Germany… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Rutter. John Rutter b. 1945 Prolific composer John Rutter captures audiences around the world with his choral compositions and arrangements. Rutter attended Highgate School in London and went on to study at Clare College,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Paul Manz. Paul Manz 1919-2009 Composer and organist Paul Manz is known for his widely-admired motet “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” and for the hymn festivals he organized and led. Manz attended Concordia River… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Undine Smith Moore. Undine Smith Moore 1904-1989 American composer Undine Smith Moore composed in a variety of different forms and genres, but is best known for her arrangements of spirituals and other choral compositions and… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Conrad Susa. Conrad Susa 1935-2013 American composer Conrad Susa is best known for his choral music, incidental music, and operas. Susa studied at Carnegie Mellon University and The Juilliard School and his teachers included Nikolai… Read More →
Artistic Director Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor | Learning and Engagement Director G. Phillip Shoultz, III are finding inspiration from so many places during this time. Read a few words from them below. Philip Brunelle I have found these words from Dr. Randall Bradley, Professor Church Music at Baylor University very uplifting: “I long for… Read More →
VocalEssence is excited to launch the Singer Pen Pal Initiative, a program that pairs members of our adult VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers with singers from one of our three older adult Vintage Voices choirs. The VocalEssence Vintage Voices program sends a professional conductor and pianist into a senior community to create choirs that promote positive… Read More →
