The end of July found artistic director Philip Brunelle in Hong Kong, where the Hong Kong Children’s Choir celebrated its 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of VocalEssence. He also found time to stop in London and Gloucester for the Three Choirs Festival, where he enjoyed a Bob Chilcott premiere, and met with composer James Macmillan …stay tuned to find out if they will be part of a future VocalEssence season.
Then it was time for the Alexandria Festival of the Lakes, where he joined his old friend, tenor and St. Olaf professor Dan Dressen, in a Saturday performance featuring the music of 3 French composers: Fauré, Duparc and Poulenc.
Soon it’s off to Mexico City, where the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers will join the legendary Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería (OSM) from August 25 through September 2 for a cross-cultural celebration as an encore of last year’s stellar debut. They will perform a solo concert of music of USA composers as well as selections from our VocalEssence Cantaré composers.
And look for a new episode this month of Philip’s podcast at renaissancemanpodcast.com!
After enjoying a relaxing family vacation during the middle of August, G. Phillip Shoultz, III (GPS) is back in full swing putting the final pieces in place for this season. Working alongside the dynamic Learning and Engagement team staff of Amanda Timmer and Rob Graham, they just completed the editing of the Teacher Resource Guide for the 30th Anniversary of WITNESS. He is completing the analysis of the evaluation report for measuring the impact of the 2nd year of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and is working with colleagues around the country planning exciting things for the future of VocalEssence. In addition to this, August has been a time for GPS to consult with the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA), finalize plans for the Urban Choral Festival co-sponsored by the Minnesota American Choral Directors Association chapter, move forward on coursework through Cornell University, and prepare to lead choral workshops in Sioux Falls at the end of this month.