A GRAND AND ROMANTIC
FINALE FOR THE 45^th VOCALESSENCE SEASON:

TCHAIKOVSKY FOR VOICES

VocalEssence and four
celebrated college choirs to perform Russian masterpiece

MINNEAPOLIS—February
XX, 2014— On Sunday, Apr. 27 at 3 p.m. the 130-voice
VocalEssence Chorus will perform alongside the Bethel
Choir, Gustavus
Choir, Luther
Nordic Choir and the University
of St. Thomas Chamber Singers at Bethel University’s
Benson
Great Hall in Tchaikovsky
for Voices. Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music
expert John Birge will also host a pre-concert conversation about the
renowned Russian composer. The soul-stirring Tchaikovsky for
Voices will be the final concert of the 45^th season by
VocalEssence.

The famed vocal
group, in combination with these four acclaimed student choirs, will
welcome spring 300 voices strong with the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky,
who once wrote: “Music is indeed the most beautiful of all Heaven’s
gifts to humanity wandering in the darkness. Alone it calms,
enlightens, and stills our souls.” The program will showcase
Tchaikovsky’s The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, composed
in 1878 from one of the most celebrated Eucharistic services of the
Russian Orthodox Church, a liturgy that Tchaikovsky wrote would have
every listener “stirred to the very depth of his being.”

“Tchaikovsky was
a great admirer of the music from his native Orthodox Church, and
The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was a labor of love for
him,” said Philip Brunelle, founder and artistic director,
VocalEssence. “The piece’s haunting and austere sound delivered
with the power of 300 voices will create a sublime experience for our
audience — a truly grand finale to the season.”

The
music of Tchaikovsky will be enhanced by readings in Russian and
English of poetry from the time of Tchaikovsky. In addition to the
Tchaikovsky, each of the four college choirs will sing a solo set of
music chosen by their conductor.

Tickets for Tchaikovsky for Voices are available for $20 and
up; youth ages 6-18 and students with a valid college ID are eligible
for half-price tickets. For more information about this concert and
to purchase tickets, please call 612-371-5656 or visit
www.vocalessence.org.
 

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. 

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