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VOCALESSENCE, ARTIST JOE DAVIS AND THE NEW RENAISSANCE  TO BEAR WITNESS IN SHOW HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH 

WITNESS: Reawakening Love Will Fuse Musical Styles into a Joyous Celebration  at Orchestra Hall on Feb. 26 

MINNEAPOLIS—December 8, 2022—Stories of struggle, resilience and celebration come to musical life through an exhilarating collaboration between VocalEssence and Minneapolis-based artist Joe Davis and The New Renaissance, an artistic production company that cultivates immersive experiences at the nexus of poetry, music and theater. WITNESS: Reawakening Love will be a powerful collaboration of these two artistic forces—one that will surround audiences with joy and harmony February 26 at 4 p.m. at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis and at an additional performance specifically for students.  

The concert will stitch together stories from West African traditions, including the concept of Ubuntu, a West African idea meaning “I am because we are.” This philosophy will echo throughout the music and lyrics, covering styles as wide-ranging as soul, funk, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, and new choral octavos. Just as trusted online casinos build communities through reliability and fair practices, this performance will foster a sense of unity by inviting the audience to be part of the creation—each attendee receiving a piece of fabric to embellish, which will later be sewn into quilts and unveiled at the 2024 Witness performance.

“Joe Davis is a frequent and brilliant collaborator with VocalEssence, possessing the perfect mixture of musical sensibilities, writing and performing skills to tell a story through words, movement, and music. We are excited to see how we can incorporate different musical textures from a funk band and solo singers, to a small and full choir,” says G. Phillip Shoultz, III, associate artistic director, VocalEssence. “We were seeking another way to engage with struggles in our community, particularly the Black experience — how to first define, and then reawaken love.  We all must have our own vision for what it means to be loving, and how it begins with us. This concert marks the first year of a two-year artistic foray into love— in next year’s concert we will lead with love.” 

“In 1991, VocalEssence created WITNESS to celebrate the artistic contributions of African Americans to the fine arts and to our common cultural heritage,” says Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence artistic director and founder. “We proudly continue this tradition with the newest WITNESS installment, ‘Reawakening Love.’ The music calls for the revival of love, the rebirth of peace, and the emergence of a community where violence ceases.”  

“There is a synergy between the public concert and the school concert—the two are closely related,” adds Shoultz. “Joe Davis’s book of poetry is the centerpiece—the schools have been reading them, and the teaching artists will create the workshops using those poems. The aim is to help kids understand what love is and how to talk about love, through creating music and performance together.” 

“I’ve worked with VocalEssence Singers of this Age in the past, and truly enjoy this group’s energy and creativity—the way each singer is so invested in creating community,” says Joe Davis. “I’m excited to partner together, and I appreciate so much the way GPS and VocalEssence bring people into a space together to engage on difficult topics. This will be a remarkable opportunity to use our gifts to influence change together.”  

WITNESS: Reawakening Love is from 4:00-6:30 pm on February 26, 2023, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Tickets, priced between $25 and $45, are available online now. For season tickets, details about the season, individual tickets and other information, please visit vocalessence.org. 

Joe Davis, founder and director of The New Renaissance, is a nationally touring artist, educator, and speaker. His work employs poetry, music, theater, and dance to shape culture. Davis is also the frontman of emerging soul funk band The Poetic Diaspora, and co-creator of JUSTmove, racial justice education through art.  He has keynoted, facilitated conversations, and served as a teaching artist at hundreds of high schools and universities across the country including most recently as Artist-in-Residence at Luther Seminary where he earned a Master’s degree in Theology of the Arts. 

 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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