VOCALESSENCE
1900 NICOLLET AVENUE, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 www.vocalessence.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: VOCALESSENCE CHAMPIONS CHORAL MUSIC OF ALL GENRES, CELEBRATING THE VOCAL EXPERIENCE THROUGH INNOVATIVE CONCERTS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS.

VOCALESSENCE PRESENTED 8 SUBSCRIPTION CONCERTS, 6 FAMILY/COMMUNITY CONCERTS, AND 1 COMMUNITY SING EVENT THROUGHOUT THE TWIN CITIES DURING THE 2019-20 SEASON, WITH PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON MAJOR MILESTONES OF OUR WORLD, OUR NATION, AND OUR ORGANIZATION. CONCERTS FEATURED VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF OUR 32-MEMBER PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE SINGERS, OUR 120-VOICE VOLUNTEER CHORUS, OUR 45-MEMBER YOUTH CHOIR (VESOTA), INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED GUEST ARTISTS, AND PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRAL MUSICIANS, ALL LED BY THE VOCALESSENCE ARTISTIC STAFF. 6,740 PEOPLE ATTENDED LOCAL CONCERTS; 244,935 INTERACTED WITH VOCALESSENCE VIA ELECTRONIC AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, AND BROADCASTS REACHED 1,569,500. PARTICIPANTS AT THE COMMUNITY SING EVENT TOTALED 160, WHILE CONCERT CONVERSATIONS PRECEDING PERFORMANCES ATTRACTED 150 GUESTS.

OUR LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS REACHED 3,781 PEOPLE IN 2019-2020 AND ARE FOCUSED IN SEVERAL KEY AREAS. WITNESS CELEBRATES AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND MUSIC, REACHING 32 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AND ENGAGING THE VOCALESSENCE STAFF, SINGERS, AND 8 WITNESS TEACHING ARTISTS. CANTARE BROUGHT A COMPOSER FROM MEXICO TO WORK IN 3 SCHOOLS (ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL), EDUCATING PARTICIPANTS ABOUT MEXICAN CULTURE AND MUSIC WHILE COMPOSING 5 NEW QUALITY SPANISH CHORAL WORKS WHICH WILL BE PREMIERED IN THE 2020-2021 VOCALESSENCE SEASON DUE TO COVID-19. VINTAGE VOICES ENGAGED 113 SENIORS, THROUGH RESIDENTIAL AND DAY PROGRAMS IN CHORAL SINGING, MUSIC EDUCATION, AND PRESENTING A FINAL PERFORMANCES AND SINGALONGS FOR AUDIENCES OF THEIR PEERS TOTALING 680 PEOPLE. THE VOCALESSENCE SINGERS OF THIS AGE YOUTH CHOIR (VESOTA) BROUGHT TOGETHER 45 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF DIVERSE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS FROM 17 MINNEAPOLIS, ST. PAUL, AND ST. LOUIS PARK HIGH SCHOOLS. 40 WEEKLY REHEARSALS INVOLVED INSTRUCTION IN CHORAL MUSICANSHIP, MOVEMENT, CHOREOGRAPHY, DRAMA, LYRICS, AND AN INTRODUCTION TO MULTIPLE MUSICAL STYLES THROUGH VARIOUS GUEST PRESENTERS. VESOTA HAD 31 PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES IN ITS THIRD YEAR.

INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN CHORAL PERFORMANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT, VOCALESSENCE IS ENGAGED IN OTHER SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN 2019-20, VOCALESSENCE ENGAGED IN 30 ADDITIONAL AD-HOC PERFORMANCES, REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF 20,239, AND 4 ADDITIONAL WORKSHOPS OR EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS, REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF 205. DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ARTISTIC STAFF CREATED NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR PATRONS TO CONNECT WITH VOCALESSENCE. THESE INCLUDED "MUSICAL MOMENTS WITH PHILLIP BRUNELLE" WHICH DELVES INTO THE LIVES AND MUSIC OF INFLUENTIAL COMPOSERS EACH WEEKDAY; "TAKE 5 WITH GPS" (G. PHILLIP SHOULTZ, III) IS A HOPE-FILLED DAILY LIVE STREAM TO LIFT OUR VOICES TOGETHER; 4 EPISODES OF "GPS AND FRIENDS" FEATURED CONVERSATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, HEARING WHAT INSPIRES THEM AND WATCHING THEM PERFORM. TO COMBAT LONELINESS AND SEPARATION, VOCALESSENCE CREATED AN INTERGENERATIONAL SINGER PEN PAL PROGRAM THAT PAIRED SINGERS FROM OUR DIFFERENT SINGING CONSTITUENCIES. MEMBERS OF VESOTA PRESENTED A VIRTUAL CONCERT, "VOICES CALLING," ROLLED OUT VIDEO INSTALLMENTS OF SONGS THAT GIVE THEM HOPE, "SOUNDS OF HOPE, AND PRESENTED GALLERIES OF COLLABORATIVE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CREATIONS THROUGH A PROJECT CALLED CREATIVE CONNECTIONS.

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