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Twin Cities choral
organization celebrates nearly half a century of
musical innovation with another epic season

MINNEAPOLIS — March 5, 2013 —VocalEssence, the acclaimed
Minneapolis-based choral ensemble recognized internationally for its innovative
exploration of music for voices and instruments and beautiful sound, this week announces its 45^th
season.

45 years is no
small feat for a non-profit arts organization. Each year, VocalEssence presents
an engaging and eclectic series of concerts featuring the 120-voice
VocalEssence Chorus, the 32-voice professional Ensemble Singers (known as the
“house choir” on Garrison Keillor’s A
Prairie Home Companion), as well
as guest soloists and instrumentalists.

“One would think
it would be a challenge to keep things fresh after more than four decades — but
we find the contrary to be true,” says Philip Brunelle, founder of VocalEssence.
“The mission of VocalEssence is to explore the human voice, and certainly that
has no limit. I’m absolutely thrilled about next season — including the
premieres and commissions — and we can’t wait to roll up our sleeves.”

The diverse, energetic 2013-2014 season lineup includes something for
everyone:

• There Was a Child, October 27, 2013: In its season opener, VocalEssence and The St. Olaf Choir will
  share the stage, performing audience favorites by Eric Whitacre, René Clausen,
  Egil Hovland and F. Melius Christiansen. Then
  the choirs will join forces for the U.S. premiere of Jonathan Dove’s poetic
  masterpiece, There Was a Child, an epic and moving celebration of life. Composed
  in 2011 as a tribute to a friend’s son, There Was a Child traces a young man’s life from
  childhood to manhood in the spirit of Britten and Vaughan Williams. The passionate, romantic,
  and uplifting premiere will be held in the newly renovated Orchestra Hall.

• Cocktails & Cabaret, November
  18, 2013: This will be a special benefit event at the
  Metropolitan Ballroom and Clubroom. With Philip Brunelle at the piano, Twin
  Cities-based musical theater stars Simone Perrin, Bradley Greenwald, Greta
  Oglesby and Dieter Bierbrauer will fill the stage with songs of love, life and
  laughter. Attendees can sip a delicious cocktail, sample fabulous hors
  d’oeuvres, and soak in an incredible show. All proceeds benefit VocalEssence
  education programs, which bring music and cultural workshops to thousands of
  Minnesota’s schoolchildren each year.

• Welcome Christmas, December
  7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 2013: Welcome the holidays with a
  tribute to the late jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his charming Christmas cantata
  La Fiesta de la Posada, featuring
  pianist Dan Chouinard and local mariachi band Mariachi Mi Tierra. Inspired by
  Mexican folk music, Brubeck blends Latin rhythms with American jazz in a
  stunning Christmas piece celebrating Las Posadas, the Latin festival recounting
  the journey of Mary and Joseph to the stable. Beloved carols will complete the
  program for a performance that will warm hearts and get everyone in the
  Christmas spirit!

• Star of Wonder, December
  14, 2013: Something to add to the family’s
  holiday traditions: the VocalEssence annual one-hour family Christmas concert. Kids
  are invited to sit up close as members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
  perform familiar holiday music, including a rousing “Twelve Days of Christmas”
  sing-along, perfect for every age.

• WITNESS: Stomp & Sing, February
  9, 2014: Inspiring vocal
  activist Melanie DeMore will take audiences on a journey through the Sea
  Islands of Georgia and South Carolina. For the enslaved Gullah people, communal
  singing and dance were seen as vital to survival, and rhythm was deep in their
  souls. Through powerful spirituals performed in the Gullah tradition, accompanied
  by stick pounding, hand clapping and foot stomping, DeMore will challenge the
  audience to connect with our neighbors and the music within us.

 

• John Rutter Jubilee, March 21 and 23, 2014: As dean of British choral
  composers and conductor of the world-famous Cambridge Singers, John Rutter has most recently been on the world stage for
  composing an anthem for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. Here,
  Rutter will lead VocalEssence in a concert of his favorites, including his
  delightfully jazzy Birthday Madrigals, and
  music by some of his favorite English romantic composers, Charles Villiers
  Stanford and C. Hubert H. Parry.

 

• Tchaikovsky for Voices, April 27,
  2014: This soul-stirring season finale will
  celebrate centuries-old Russian orthodox tradition with The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, a precursor to the Rachmaninoff
  Vespers. The piece combines lush
  romanticism with a haunting and austere simplicity. VocalEssence and four of
  the region’s most acclaimed college choirs will join together more than 350
  voices recreating the spirit of the original premiere performance in 1880 that
  Tchaikovsky called “one of the happiest moments” of his career.

• ¡Cantaré! Community Concert, May 20, 2014: At this multi-generational fiesta, prominent Mexican composers will
  work with school choirs, community choruses, and VocalEssence to create a
  stunning performance, bringing the sounds of Mexico to Minnesota in a
  family-friendly, bilingual music celebration!

Season tickets go
on sale Saturday, March 9 in conjunction with the VocalEssence English Garden performance at 8 p.m. at
Ted Mann Concert Hall. For tickets, details about the season, and other
information, please visit www.vocalessence.org, or call 612-371-5656.

 

Called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time” by Dana Gioia,
past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, VocalEssence was founded
in 1969 by Artistic Director Philip Brunelle. VocalEssence has championed the vocal
experience in unconventional ways through concerts, commissions, and community
engagement, and has debuted more than 150 commissions and world premieres. Beyond performances and recordings,
VocalEssence impacts thousands of students, singers, and composers each year
through its programs, contests, and support for innovative art. For more
information, visit https://www.vocalessence.org.

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