MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (August 4, 2010) – When Philip Brunelle and Garrison Keillor
combine their musical and storytelling talents for a concert, a very special
event awaits. Mix in an American holiday full of family and nostalgia and you
have the theme for this year’s VocalEssence Thanksgiving concert, Gratitude, Gravy & Garrison.

Gratitude, Gravy & Garrison takes place just two days before
Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 23 (7:30 pm) at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Tickets ($25-$50,
service charges apply), are available by calling 612-371-5656 or by visiting www.vocalessence.org.
Student and group discounts are available.

Philip Brunelle and Garrison
Keillor have been fast friends and creative collaborators since the very first
episode of A Prairie Home Companion back
in 1974. Since then Philip has guest conducted symphony orchestras for Garrison
Keillor’s cross-country tours and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers have been
frequent guest artists on A Prairie Home
Companion. The two have developed a unique partnership combining Keillor’s
creative meandering and Brunelle’s musical expressiveness.

Gratitude, Gravy & Garrison will feature a cornucopia of choral
delights sung by the 125-voice VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers.
Expect familiar songs and hymns—and even Gregorian chant—with comical new
lyrics by Keillor, written expressly for the occasion. Jazz vocalist Jearlyn
Steele and pianist Rich Dworsky, leader of A
Prairie Home Companion’s house band, will add their talents to the musical
mélange. And of course no evening with Garrison Keillor would be complete
without one of his signature monologues!

The concert will be recorded for
radio broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio’s regional Classical and News
stations on Wednesday evening, November 24, 2010, and national distribution in
2011.

For additional press information,
please contact Katryn Conlin (kconlin@vocalessence.org, 612-547-1457). High-resolution photographs can be
downloaded from the VocalEssence website at http://tinyurl.com/ve-photos.

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