In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Zoltán Kodály. Zoltán Kodály 1882-1962 Composer, pioneering ethnomusicologist, groundbreaking educator and critic, Kodály enjoyed a status in Hungary that is perhaps unrivaled by any other figure. Kodály was born in Kecskemét, Hungary, soon moving to… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Hugo Distler. Hugo Distler 1908-1942 Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Hugo Distler is known mostly for his sacred choral music. He began his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory in the conducting class, with piano as his… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Philip Sousa. This episode features Tenor Bradley Greenwald. John Philip Sousa 1854-1932 Composer of the official national march of the United States, The Stars and Stripes Forever!, John Philip Sousa, known as the “March… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Darius Milhaud. Darius Milhaud 1892-1974 The French composer Darius Milhaud was a pioneer of 1920s avant-garde music. Born in Marseille, Milhaud was the son of an excellent amateur pianist and a fine contralto. From the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Thomas Tallis. Thomas Tallis 1505-1585 The career of the English composer Thomas Tallis spans the troubled period of the reign of Henry VIII to the reign of the last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. These… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Claude Debussy. Claude Debussy 1862-1918 French composer and pianist, Claude Debussy, known for his operas, symphonic music and his works for the piano, remains one of the most commonly-performed composers of the late nineteenth century.… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Cecilia McDowall. Cecilia McDowall b.1951 Born in London in 1951, Cecilia McDowall’s writing combines rhythmic vitality with expressive lyricism. She has won many awards, been short-listed eight times for the British Composer Awards, and in… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Einojuhani Rautavaara 1928-2016 Einojuhani Rautavaara is one of the best known and most frequently performed Finnish composers. He studied musicology at the University of Helsinki and composition at the Sibelius Academy with Aarre… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer William Dawson. William Dawson 1899-1990 William Dawson was a leading African-American arranger of spirituals as well as a distinguished choral conductor. At age 13, Dawson ran away from home to enter Tuskegee (Institute) University. He… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Randall Thompson. Randall Thompson 1899-1984 The skilled composer and music educator Randall Thompson, well-known for his Alleluia, transformed American music and his choral music has been more widely performed than that of any other American… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Rodion Shchedrin. Rodion Shchedrin b. 1932 Rodion Shchedrin, Russian composer and virtuosic pianist, was born in Moscow into a musical family: his father was a composer and a teacher of music theory. After completing his… Read More →
We hope you are safe and find ways to make the best of this pause that we are experiencing. Below is a status update for our organization. EVENT CHANGES We need to make changes to our spring 2021 schedule because of barriers that we have encountered with COVID-19. Call of the North: We have added… Read More →
Today marks the third day of 28 Days of Black Excellence created by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Phillip highlights the work of Lonnie George Johnson (1949-), NASA engineer and inventor of the Super Soaker. His musical inspiration comes from “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands.” Book Recommendations He’s Got the… Read More →
Today marks the second day of 28 Days of Black Excellence created by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Phillip highlights the work of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931), one of the first physicians to perform open-heart surgery in the United States. His musical inspiration comes from the Stevie Wonder’s 1984 hit “I Just… Read More →
Today marks the first day of 28 Days of Black Excellence created by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Phillip highlights the work of Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877-1963), best known for creating the Safety Hood and the Stoplight. His musical inspiration comes from the Supremes the 1965 hit song, “Stop! In The Name Of Love.”… Read More →
