Artistic Director Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III have been busy preparing for a safe and innovative 52nd season of VocalEssence. Online and physically distanced rehearsals have begun with VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers and will begin soon for our youth choir VocalEssence Singers Of This Age. Philip Brunelle has begun releasing… Read More →
This September, VocalEssence Vintage Voices conductor Rob Graham has been visiting the homes of older adult singers from Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis. At a safe distance and accompanied by Sabathani Community Center Senior Program Director Georgia Marinkov-Omorean, Rob has been greeting them with a friendly visit as well as gifting them a care… Read More →
VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III partnered with NATS Boston, Boston Singers’ Resource, and the Greater Boston Choral Consortium to present the 4-part Interactive Webinar Series “Table for More: Making Room in the Singing Arts” in August 2020. Offered free of charge, the webinars were interactive discussions surrounding the discrimination and injustice in the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Bob Chilcott. Bob Chilcott b. 1955 Bob Chilcott is a British conductor, singer, and composer of music that choirs at all levels love to sing. Chilcott sang in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, first… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Eskil Hemberg. Eskil Hemberg 1938-2004 Eskil Hemberg was a composer and conductor born in Stockholm, Sweden. He studied organ, composition, and conducting at the Stockholm Royal College of Music under Herbert Blomstedt from 1957 to… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Arthur Honegger. Arthur Honegger 1892-1955 Arthur Honegger was born to Swiss parents, but spent much of his life composing in Paris. As a child, he studied violin and harmony privately in Le Havre and spent… Read More →
Today, we celebrate 100 Musical Moments. Philip and series producer Tim Brunelle talk about what they’ve each learned collaborating these past 20+ weeks, from the piano in Guild Hall of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Moses Hogan. Moses Hogan 1957-2003 Moses Hogan was a leading arranger of African-American spirituals, as well as a talented pianist and conductor. Beginning at an early age, Hogan studied piano and was immersed in… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Calvin Hampton. Calvin Hampton 1938-1984 Calvin Hampton was best known for his music for organ and his talents as an organist, though he also composed beautiful sacred music for choir. He studied organ and composition… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Ola Gjeilo. Ola Gjeilo b. 1978 Ola Gjeilo is one of the most frequently performed composers in the choral world. An accomplished pianist, improvisations over his own published choral pieces have become a trademark of… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Maurice Duruflé. Maurice Duruflé 1902-1986 The French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé is known for the extraordinary sensitivity in his music. At age ten, he entered the choir school at Rouen Cathedral, where he was… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer William Byrd. William Byrd 1543-1623 As the foremost English composer of the Renaissance, William Byrd made significant contributions to nearly every existing genre and influenced generations of younger composers. From 1563 to 1572, Byrd served… Read More →
Join us on Thursday to see a online rehearsal demonstration to prepare you for upcoming rehearsals this fall. Zoom Information https://stolaf.zoom.us/j/98077756921?pwd=ek9wTFRMbFFQZmxxU215ZzRHYXQ0Zz09 Meeting ID: 980 7775 6921 Password: musiclives Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Background A day of new possibilities began on Monday, May 11 as representatives from ACDA-MN (Diane Heaney,… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Ysaÿe M. Barnwell. Ysaÿe M. Barnwell b. 1946 The composer and singer Ysaÿe M. Barnwell writes meaningful music that choirs love to sing. After studying violin for fifteen years and majoring in music in high… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Alberto Ginastera. Alberto Ginastera 1916-1983 Argentinian composer and teacher Alberto Ginastera was widely recognized as among the most significant 20th century composers. He studied composition at the Conservatorio WIlliams and the Conservatorio Nacional de Música,… Read More →
