VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz explains (3:23). WCCO Mid-Morning – March 30, 2020 https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/4497007-sounds-of-hope-for-a-trying-time/

By ROB HUBBARD | Special to the Pioneer Press March 28, 2020 at 1:37 p.m. Article: https://www.twincities.com/2020/03/28/coronavirus-classical-what-you-can-do-to-get-an-earful-of-orchestra-or-opera/ While you sometimes have to look long and hard to find positives amid the COVID-19 crisis, one may be that folks who used to think of themselves as consumers of art now recognize that they are part of an artistic…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune Published: FEBRUARY 18, 2020 — 10:57AM http://www.startribune.com/for-30-years-vocalessence-s-witness-program-has-celebrated-black-music/567972202/ G. Phillip Shoultz III brings the Witness program to 40 schools each year. “Thirty years ago, Black History Month was just a mention on Minnesota Public Radio, and maybe a concert here or there. There wasn’t anything sustained here…  Read More →

By Pamela Espeland | MINNPOST Published: FEBRUARY 18, 2020 — 9:17AM ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Guthrie is pure joy; Russian Renaissance at Aria Photo by Dan Norman Emily Gunyou Halaas, Sun Mee Chomet and Michael Hanna in “Twelfth Night.”   The Guthrie’s new production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Twelfth Night” is pure joy. Filled with live music, movement and color,…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune Published: FEBRUARY 17, 2020 — 8:40AM http://www.startribune.com/vocalessence-explores-deep-roots-of-african-american-music-the-week-s-best-classical-concerts/567887142/ Bearing ‘Witness’ Thirty years ago, Philip Brunelle’s choir VocalEssence initiated a project called “Witness,” which aimed to “celebrate the artistic contributions of African-Americans to the fine arts and to our common cultural heritage.” The anniversary is marked this week…  Read More →

Multiple authors | Star Tribune February 14, 2020 – 11:10 PM: http://www.startribune.com/best-of-the-week-feb-16-23-tove-lo-joe-henry-gotta-dance-raphael-saadiq-vocalessence-winter-fest-more/567872132/ Behold Lo Like a raunchier and rowdier version of her fellow Swedish export Robyn, electro-pop singer Tove Lo has made a bigger splash in dance clubs and viral listening quarters than on pop radio, earning her a sizable underground following. She sticks to…  Read More →

Multiple authors | Star Tribune January 24, 2020 – 8:03 AM: http://m.startribune.com/best-of-the-week-jan-26-feb-2-walker-s-out-there-gza-noura-badi-assad-moana-sing-along-liszt-rex-orange-county-more/567260852/ Aussie theater company challenges perceptions about disabilities Walker Art Center’s monthlong “Out There” series concludes with the return of Back to Back Theatre, an Australian ensemble made up of artists with disabilities. In “The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes,” Back to Back…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Star Tribune Published: December 26, 2019 http://www.startribune.com/best-of-the-decade/566133041/?refresh=true#classical 10. “Candide” 2019-Philip Brunelle’s Vocal­Essence turned 50 with a joyful take on Bernstein’s operetta, brilliantly re-imagined as a 1930s radio broadcast by Peter Rothstein. 9. It’s Raining Grammys-Discs of Sibelius by the Minnesota Orchestra (2014) and Schubert by the SPCO (2018) won the ultimate…  Read More →

by Tom Weber weber@postbulletin.com | PostBulletin Published: December 10, 2019, https://www.postbulletin.com/life/lifestyles/twin-cities-ensembles-offer-christmas-concerts-in-rochester/article_08f28392-16ab-11ea-ad07-978e1f6ac6f9.html The Rose Ensemble will perform a concert of early American music Saturday in Rochester. (Contributed photo) Two of Minnesota’s iconic music groups, the Rose Ensemble and VocalEssence, will perform back-to-back holiday concerts this weekend in Rochester. In the case of the Rose Ensemble, which…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Star Tribune Published: December 20, 2019 — 8:20AM http://www.startribune.com/the-10-concerts-that-shone-brightest-in-2019-on-minnesota-s-classical-scene/566373282/ 1. “Candide,” VocalEssence, March 21: Leonard Bernstein’s Voltaire operetta is tough to stage, but Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein recast it brilliantly as a 1930s radio broadcast. VocalEssence made the music sparkle, with Bradley Greenwald narrating. 2. St. John Passion, Oratory Bach Ensemble,…  Read More →

By Pamela Espeland | MinnPost PUBLISHED: December 13, 2019 ww.minnpost.com/artscape/2019/12/all-is-calm-is-filmed-for-pbs-dog-act-at-gremlin-theatre/?fbclid=IwAR3d67FHcl0-DNebJRQ8ox8Jc32orIvL_NonUv7M8IDnM8Bi3snSwre2Vr0 Photo by Joseph Scheller Theater Latté Da spent part of this week with a film crew from New York Public Media (WNET). They were there to film Peter Rothstein’s award-winning “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” for national broadcast on PBS in 2020. For three days,…  Read More →

By ROB HUBBARD | Special to the Pioneer Press PUBLISHED: November 25, 2019 at 12:37 pm | UPDATED: November 25, 2019 at 6:37 pm https://www.twincities.com/2019/11/25/holiday-arts-guide-2019-classical-music-has-many-flavors-of-the-sounds-of-the-season/ Not one “Messiah,” but a few, including a bilingual version. Holiday fare sung in sweet harmony by ensembles of various sizes. And some carols that swing. That’s what’s in store for you as you head…  Read More →

By Terry Blain | Star Tribune Published: December 1, 2019 — 2:00PM http://www.startribune.com/a-hot-debut-and-a-bach-alternative-to-messiah-the-week-s-best-classical-concerts/565610352/ Alt-Bach Christmas inevitably means “Messiah,” and this week’s Minnesota Orchestra performances will please those who like an annual dose of Handel’s masterpiece. For a refreshing alternative, why not try Bach’s Christmas Oratorio? It covers many of the same biblical events, and the…  Read More →