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VOCALESSENCE SINGERS OF THIS AGE PRESENT AN MLK-INSPIRED CONCERT THAT WILL MAKE AUDIENCES “BELIEVE” 

Celebrated Minneapolis-based choral ensemble’s youth choir will present second part of a four-part performance series to inspire change in the world

MINNEAPOLIS—January 13, 2021—The VocalEssence ensemble made up of a diverse collection of high school students, Singers Of This Age (VESOTA), will present a 30-minute family-friendly performance titled Believe. The concert will be the second installment in a four-part series designed to inspire audiences “to imagine, believe, create, and celebrate a world where all people have what they need to live out their hopes and dreams.” Believe will be released first on VocalEssence on Demand at 2 p.m. on January 16, 2021—to coincide with the eve of the Martin Luther King Day Holiday.

VESOTA singers and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III have created the performance series in the hopes that people can be the change they want to see in the world. Each show has a specific release date during the season, and once premiered, will be available to stream anytime, anywhere, from the VocalEssence on demand website.

“With this performance, we are piloting a new approach to virtual choir. Two of our pieces will show our singers interacting as if they are standing side by side, on stage together,” says G. Phillip Shoultz, associate conductor, VocalEssence.  “We created this technology collaboratively with Alms Creative, and it will look like we’re in a concert hall standing together. It’s something that movies use, but we’ve never leveraged it for singing in groups before.”

Through solo and group performances, these young musicians will use Dr. King’s own words to help audiences see—individually and collectively—that our actions can create a more inclusive world. The program features three original spoken word pieces and an original solo song from members of VESOTA, paired with the two featured songs of the program—“Believe” from “The Polar Express,” and “When You Believe” from “The Prince of Egypt.” The show also includes a performance of “More Love,” from a ceremony for the Facing Race Awards, sponsored by the Minnesota and St. Paul Foundations.

“We are thrilled to present these amazing young people, and to give them a chance to connect with and inspire audience from all over,” says VocalEssence associate conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. “The message of this concert, one that amplifies Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ideal of a world in which people are ‘not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,’ feels especially relevant in these times.”

Tickets are currently available as part of a VocalEssence On Demand 2020-2021 Subscription for $49 per household or as a single stream for $15 per household. Essential workers, unemployed people, those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and their caregivers are eligible for free subscriptions. To purchase a single stream or subscribe, visit  https://www.vocalessence.org/event/family-believe/ or call 612-371-5656.

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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