For Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle, February is always ‘planning month’ putting together all the music for the 2020-21 season—choosing the repertoire for each concert, working with composers on commissions and also looking at plans for 2021-22!  And with Philip’s creative mind it is also an important time for him to help find those ‘one-of-a-kind’ items for the May 17 Gala Auction! Close at hand is the Deep Roots concert on February 23 and this year’s celebration of 30 years of WITNESS concerts.  It was 30 years ago that Philip sat down with Reatha Clark King and presented his idea of celebrating the music of African American composers to our community—and the rest is history!

Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III is also busy preparing the VocalEssence Chorus and Singers Of This Age for the Deep Roots concert. In addition, he just finished working as an Emcee for the Minnesota Orchestra’s Family Concerts. At the end of February, he will be heading to Georgia to conduct the All-State Mixed Choir, and at the beginning of March he will be conducting a festival in South Carolina.