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PHILIP BRUNELLE’S ‘MUSICAL MOMENTS’ REACHES 250 EPISODE MILESTONE  
(PLUS SPECIAL BONUS TRACK) 
VocalEssence pandemic programming about diverse choral composers concludes, takes on new life as worldwide choral educational tool  

MINNEAPOLIS—MAY 6, 2021—A web series conceived as a temporary pandemic response by a choral conductor unable to perform in public will conclude May 6 after 250 episodes (plus one), and will enter a new phase of reach and longevity, helping choral conductors around the world expand their repertoire and knowledge of composers from diverse backgrounds.  

During the first week of May, Musical Moments—the brainchild and passion project of VocalEssence founder and artistic director Philip Brunelle—will conclude when it reaches the major milestone of 251. Each 10-minute session has featured Brunelle at the piano or organ discussing different composers and playing excerpts of the artist’s choral music.   

Originally planned to engage audiences during the pandemic lockdown, the series has gained an international following, and will become an official teaching tool for choral conductors everywhere to provide support and increase knowledge about a wide range of choral compositions and composers.  

All 251 sessions are archived with additional materials on each composer, including biography, photo, and suggested choral pieces.  The names are also indexed and categorized as male/female, European, Scandinavian, British, French, LatinX, and Black/African American.  The sessions have already been used by choral directors at all levels for instruction with their choirs and are available on the VocalEssence website.

Each episode features a composer who has significance for VocalEssence, or for the place Brunelle has held the position of organist and choirmaster for the past half century, Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.  Sessions have included guest vocalists Maria Jette, Jenny French, Liv Redpath, Lisa Drew, Clara Osowski, Dan Dressen, James Bohn and Bradley Greenwald.  

“This was never meant to be a big thing,” says Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder, Vocalessence. “It was a little idea I had to connect with audiences during those dark early days of the lockdown—if you’d told me when it began that there would be 251 episodes, I would never have believed it!” 

“That it has now become a teaching tool for choral groups pleases me to no end—it can be a great way for choral directors to learn about composers beyond the canon,” adds Brunelle. “My goal has always been to share music of composers from around the world—to expand the vista of what is performed. And this has become a perfect way to do that.” 

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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