Did You Know? A Glance at VocalEssence

This christmas choral music concert marked the first time all of the VocalEssence ensembles performed at once! While VocalEssence has welcomed Christmas for over five decades, this was the first time they celebrated in Northrop’s newly renovated auditorium.

VocalEssence has been honored with more Chorus America awards than any other ensemble nationwide, including the once-in-an-organizational-lifetime Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence. They have also received the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for adventurous programming of contemporary music six times.

Since its start in 1991, more than 120,000 students have participated in the VocalEssence WITNESS program. This program celebrates the contributions of African Americans to our shared American heritage through concerts, recordings, and comprehensive educational programs.

VocalEssence has commissioned more than 300 new songs, more than half of which were written by composers of the global majority. 

VocalEssence ensembles perform for and engage with more than 20,000 people each year! The award-winning concert series is in its 54th consecutive season and has shared the love of music with more than half a million people through performances across the globe from St. Peter, MN to Shanghai, China. Throughout the years, VocalEssence has shared the stage with artists such as James Earl Jones and The Rolling Stones.