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VOCALESSENCE ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS
New board members; new officers and committee chairs to guide Twin Cities choral organization through 2020-21 season

Click here for photos: https://www.vocalessence.org/press-room/press-releases/2020-2021-season-press-photos/

MINNEAPOLIS — JULY 28, 2020 — VocalEssence is announcing new board members as well as new officers and committee chairs for its 52^nd season. The new board members will help the world-renowned choral organization deliver on its mission as a builder of community and a force of transformation through song.

“We are delighted to have such an all-star cast joining us on the board,” says Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence artistic director and founder. “It will be an incredible collection of talent in one room — whenever we’re all able to be in one room together again. Until then, we will continue to work together to keep Minnesota singing, and to keep VocalEssence humming along.”

This year’s new board members are:

Torrie Allen, President and CEO, Arts Midwest, a nationally recognized arts leader who has advocated for increased community engagement in the arts, including developing non-traditional partnerships to build audiences and using the arts as a catalyst for increasing creativity.

Barbara Burwell, a businesswoman, author, philanthropist, and civic leader and co-founder and chairperson of the Rodney and Barbara Burwell Family Foundation which serves health, education, arts, religion, and social service needs in the US.

Dan Kantor, a business developer as well as author, composer, musician, graphic designer, business strategist, and founder of Coda Music Software, publisher of Finale, the world standard in music publishing software. Dan is also one of about 100 puzzle constructors selected by Will Shortz to produce New York Times’ daily crosswords.

Lisa Merklin Lewis, Vice President and Chief Counsel of the Employment Law Group in the General Counsel’s Office at Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Ms. Lewis provides legal support to Human Resources and management concerning a wide variety of employment-related matters.

Kristen Hoeschler O’Brien, St. Paul-based Business Management Consultant and instructor with WomenVenture, where she teaches business classes to local entrepreneurs and mentoring business owners as they launch their ventures. Ms. Hoeschler O’Brien formerly worked for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.

Rabindra Tambyraja — Chorus Representative, Chief Medical Information Officer, Children’s Minnesota. Rabindra Tambyraja has been in the VocalEssence chorus since 2011, in the tenor section. A longtime choral singer, he joined VocalEssence shortly after moving to Minnesota and is an alum of the Harvard Glee Club.

Current board members moving into leadership roles are:

Officers:
President: David Myers
Past President: Dave Mona
Vice President: Traci Bransford
Secretary: Dan Fernelius
Treasurer: Nancy Nelson

Committee Chairs:
Board Affairs: Margaret Chutich
Development: Jim Odland
Finance: Nancy Nelson
Learning & Engagement: Ann Farrell

VocalEssence, called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time” by Dana Gioia, past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts—and the choral ensemble that Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones says “sings magnificently”—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 300 commissions and world premieres. For more information, visit vocalessence.org.

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