13 - VocalEssence Turns 50

Renaissance Man - Philip Brunelle and Music

Way back in 1969 a 25-year old Philip Brunelle was hired as organist and choirmaster at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis, while still serving as percussionist and pianist for the Minnesota Orchestra. Clearly, he wasn't busy enough. Because in that same year, Philip founded the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota which later became VocalEssence (http://vocalessence.org). In this episode we go back in time to understand the organization's founding stories -- the motivations and challenges Philip faced, as well as his inspirations. We talk about how Philip met Aaron Copland (it involves sitting between Leonard Bernstein and Copland) then later inviting Copland to Minneapolis to conduct his choral work. We talk about the systems and attitudes necessary to sustain decade upon decade of inventive musical programming, financial stability and audience engagement. And we talk about what's in store for VocalEssence's 50th season, as well as the next 50 years. If there's a founder's story, this is it. This episode also features three numbers from VocalEssence's 1990 Virgin Classics recording of Aaron Copland's opera The Tender Land. Act 1 - Two Little Bits Of Metal Act 2 - Stomp Your Foot Upon The Floor Act 1 - The Promise Of Living