“Shout for joy!” Back by popular demand, the Bach Society of Minnesota and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers renew their collaboration to tell one of the greatest musical Christmas stories of all time. Hear three cantatas from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio as well as Cantata 40, originally written for the second day of Christmas. Nearly…
Two Performances Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 4 PM Northrop 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 4 PM Northrop 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN Forget the hustle and bustle—take time to experience the wonder and joy of the season as VocalEssence returns to the magnificent Northrop stage to welcome Christmas in song. Immerse…
Forget the hustle and bustle—take time to experience the wonder and joy of the season as VocalEssence returns to the magnificent Northrop stage to welcome Christmas in song. Immerse yourself in new and familiar favorites featuring all four VocalEssence ensembles singing together. Mix in harp, brass, percussion, and Northrop’s spectacular Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, plus our special ingredient—your…
Forget the hustle and bustle—take time to experience the wonder and joy of the season as VocalEssence returns to the magnificent Northrop stage to welcome Christmas in song. Immerse yourself in new and familiar favorites featuring all four VocalEssence ensembles singing together. Mix in harp, brass, percussion, and Northrop’s spectacular Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, plus our special ingredient—your…
Join us for the musical journey of Kristina Nilsson and her family, brought to life by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the legendary songwriters of ABBA. Based on Vilhelm Moberg’s The Emigrants, this concert version of the musical chronicles the Nilsson family and their courageous journey from the harsh realities of mid-19th century Sweden to…
At this year’s WITNESS: Leading with Love concert, VocalEssence was thrilled to feature a showcase of Black makers and entrepreneurs who align themselves with the message of “leading with love.” Target Atrium at Orchestra Hall was bustling with activity on the day of the event. There were book readings, songs sung, improv comedy skits performed,…
To Lead with Love is to acknowledge that everyone deserves the right to live in a world that allows them to be fully alive and thrive. Leading with love is not just a choice that we make or a mindset that we adopt, it is cultivating the practice of belovedness and hospitality each and every…
The VocalEssence WITNESS School Program is an exciting opportunity for Minnesota students and teachers to learn more about the contributions African Americans have made, and are making, to the fine arts and to our shared cultural heritage. Thanks to generous support from our program sponsors, we are pleased to offer tickets to the Student Matinee: WITNESS…
FEATURING: VocalEssence Chorus VocalEssence Ensemble Singers VocalEssence Singers Of This Age Shanelle Gabriel, guest artist Casey Rafn, piano Philip Brunelle, conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor
MINNEAPOLIS—April 17, 2024—VocalEssence is pleased to announce that Amy Wielunski will join the internationally-renowned Twin Cities choral and community-building nonprofit in the role of executive director. A leader with 22 years of experience of cross-functional work at nonprofit organizations with local, state, and national reach, Wielunski was most recently vice-president of membership at Chicago Public…
VocalEssence is blessed to have so many committed supporters. Thank you for all that you do to keep our community singing! Although we make every effort to ensure that our Honor Roll list is accurate and complete, we are capable of error. Please let us know if your name does not appear the way you…
“Telling our stories takes time and space.”—Healing Beats Session Participant “We are all connected. We are all ancestors.”—Healing Beats Session Participant Over the past few months VocalEssence held Healing Beats Sessions led by Melanie DeMore at five sites around the Twin Cities. Melanie DeMore has expertise in the traditions of the Gullah persons from the…
