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VOCALESSENCE PAYS HOMAGE TO THE MALE CHORUS —
WITH HELP FROM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GLEE CLUB

Renowned choral ensemble and historic all-male glee club join forces
for VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club concert—Feb. 21 

MINNEAPOLIS—December 17, 2015—What happens when the internationally-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club partners with nationally acclaimed choral ensemble VocalEssence to celebrate the male voice?

Find out at the annual VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club concert Sun., Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. The performance will feature Morehouse College Glee Club conductor David E. Morrow and new VocalEssence associate conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III leading the Morehouse College Glee Club, the VocalEssence Chorus and a newly formed 200-Voice High School Male Chorus—made up of students from Minneapolis and St. Paul high schools. The ensembles will sing everything from classical favorites to the Morehouse College Glee Club anthem, “Betelehemu.”

Dr. Morrow will visit Minnesota three times in preparation for the concert to work with the boys from the 200-Voice High School Male Chorus, present workshops at area schools, and speak to teachers involved in the WITNESS School Program.

Sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, WITNESS, now in its 26^th year, has grown to be one of the nation’s premier initiatives celebrating the contributions of African Americans to our shared American heritage. In addition to an annual concert and recordings, VocalEssence WITNESS offers a comprehensive School Program with teaching artists conducting in-school workshops for more than 5,000 students.

Participating schools are invited to attend one of three WITNESS Young People’s Concerts on Monday, Feb. 22 at Orchestra Hall. These concerts—for students in grades 4-12—are a 50-minute version of the WITNESS public concert featuring the Morehouse College Glee Club, the Male Chorus and VocalEssence Chorus. For many students, this is their first performance at a professional concert hall.

“At VocalEssence, we celebrate Minnesota’s cultural heritage through transformative programming in schools, like WITNESS. And this year we’re celebrating 26 wonderful years of this successful program,” said G. Phillip Shoultz, III, VocalEssence associate conductor. “Both Morehouse College and its century-old Glee Club are pioneering institutions. So, to share the stage with this very talented group really makes this celebration all the more special—and engaging young men in our community with this opportunity to learn and perform with them is an exciting and inspirational new twist.”

VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club will take place Sunday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. Tickets are $10-$40. For more information about this concert and to purchase tickets, please call 612-371-5656 or visit vocalessence.org.

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”—is a leading arts organization that impacts thousands of students, singers, and composers each year through its initiative programs, contests, and support for innovative art. Regularly featured on “A Prairie Home Companion,” VocalEssence is in demand whenever choral music is required—performing with everyone from the Rolling Stones and Rufus Wainwright to James Earl Jones and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Founded in 1969, VocalEssence has debuted more than 250 commissions and world premieres. For more information, visit vocalessence.org.

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