October 1, 2023
By Robert Atendido | Twin Cities Geek

https://twincitiesgeek.com/2023/10/vocalessence-opens-its-55th-season-together-we-sing/

VocalEssence, the noted Twin Cities choral institution of which I happen to be a member, will be starting its 55th season, Together We Sing, in late October. We have started rehearsals already, and we are preparing both choral classics and new music to delight the ear.

Members of the VocalEssence Chorus performing at Northrup. I’m the one with the least hair on his head. Tony Nelson Photography

The season opens on October 29, 2023, with the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble performing jointly with the world-renowned St. Olaf Choir. Music will include a performance of Requiem by José Maurícío Nuñez-García and a new commission in honor of the former associate conductor of VocalEssence and St. Olaf professor of music Sigrid Johnson.

The season continues on December 9 and 10, when all four VocalEssence groups—the Ensemble and Chorus; the youth choir, Singers of This Age; and the senior group, Vintage Voices—will join forces to perform our annual Welcome Christmas concerts. This year the concerts will once again be at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis. With over 200 singers, brass and percussion, and Northrop’s famous Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, this concert will be an inspiring and festive part of the holiday season. The festivities continue on December 15 and 16, when the VocalEssence Ensemble will team up with the Bach Society of Minnesota to perform a concert entitled Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

In March, the amazing and energetic performer Melanie DeMore will return to our annual Witness concert to perform music that she refers to as “weapons of mass connection.” The concert will include works by Damien Geter, Marques Garrett, and Joel Thompson and songs from the African diaspora, and Melanie and VocalEssence will share the world premiere performance of an extended work co-created through conversation and stick-pounding workshops with Twin Cities community members. Another Twin Cities Geek contributor has described Melanie DeMore as “made of amazing,” and she is definitely worth seeing.

The season will close in May with a concert entitled Hope Renewed. With this performance, VocalEssence seeks to give fresh life to justice and hope and to share the message of building bridges and caring for all.

This is just a part of our plans for the 2023–2024 season. Further details, including concert venues and ticket information, can be found on the VocalEssence website.