MINNEAPOLIS — January 7, 2014 — The
100-voice VocalEssence Chorus and the 32-voice Ensemble Singers will
perform two John Rutter Jubilee concerts in
honor of John Rutter at Central Lutheran Church on Friday, Mar. 21
at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Mar. 23 at 4 p.m., as part of the 45^th season
of VocalEssence.

John Rutter was originally scheduled to conduct
these performances, but has recently been advised by his doctor to refrain from
international travel for the next six months due to a short-term illness. Click
here for a message from John Rutter. 

Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music expert
John Birge will lead a concert conversation with VocalEssence founder and
artistic director Philip Brunelle about his experiences working with John
Rutter before both performances, at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

           
The program will now focus on Rutter’s
own choral pieces, including Birthday Madrigals, A Dedication and
an Amen, All Creatures of Our God and King and Requiem. Mr. Rutter will appear in a pre-taped video welcome and in three
composition introductions during each performance. A longtime choral composer and conductor, Rutter
is vice president of the Association of British Choral Directors, as
well as the founder and conductor of the Cambridge Singers. 

On Saturday, Mar. 22, at 10 a.m. Philip
Brunelle will conduct a Community
Sing at the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, featuring John Rutter’s music. Choral fans as well as
vocalists, amateur and experienced alike, are invited to attend – sheet music
will be provided!

           
“John Rutter is a prolific composer – his limitless talent ranges from large-scale orchestral
pieces to children’s operas to concertos,” said Philip Brunelle, founder and
artistic director, VocalEssence. “And while we are so regretful he is
not able to be with us in person for this concert, we look forward to
celebrating his genius through his music.”

           
Tickets for the John Rutter Jubilee concerts are available for $20 and up
(youth ages 6-18 and college students with a valid college ID are eligible for
half-price tickets.) For more information about this concert series and to purchase
tickets, please call 612-371-5656 or visit www.vocalessence.org. Tickets for the Community Sing are $25 (price includes
sheet music), and will be available through the VocalEssence website in
February 2014.

           
VocalEssence, called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our
time” by Dana Gioia, past chairman of the National Endowment for the
Arts,  impacts thousands of
students, singers, and composers each year through its initiative programs,
contests, and support for innovative art. VocalEssence was founded in 1969 and
has debuted more than 150 commissions and world premieres. For more
information, visit www.vocalessence.org. 

###