Northrop and VocalEssence Present
VocalEssence: Welcome Christmas
Past event
Dec 07, 2024
Dec 08, 2024
Forget the hustle and bustle—take time to experience the wonder and joy of the holiday season as VocalEssence returns to the Northrop stage. Immerse yourself in new and familiar seasonal favorites, featuring all four inspiring VocalEssence choral ensembles—Chorus, Ensemble Singers, Singers Of This Age, and Vintage Voices—singing together. Mix in harp, brass, piano, and percussion with Northrop’s spectacular Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, then add the special ingredient—your voice in rousing sing-alongs—to create the perfect recipe. You will leave feeling festive and full of holiday spirit.
More about VocalEssence performing ensembles:
- VocalEssence Chorus: 110-voice chorus
- VocalEssence Ensemble Singers: 32-voice professional choir
- VocalEssence Singers Of This Age: dynamic group of 40 Twin Cities teenagers
- VocalEssence Vintage Voices: choirs from assisted living communities and senior centers
Pre-show Fun:
Starting at 3:00 pm, join us in the lobby for a kid-friendly coloring corner, winter-themed photo booth, and at 3:30 pm, enjoy pre-concert music inside and outside the hall with performances by the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and organ music by Aaron David Miller.
Know Before You Go
Event Information
- Building Opens: 12:00 pm
- Bistro Opens: 1:00 pm
- Doors & Lobby Activities: 3:00 pm
- Organ Prelude: 3:30 pm
- Performance Begins: 4:00 pm
- Duration: 90 minutes with no intermission
- Pre-show Lobby Activities
Kid-friendly coloring corner, winter-themed photo booth, and at 3:30 pm, enjoy pre-concert music inside and outside the hall with performances by the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and organ music by Aaron David Miller. - Seating: Ticket Required
- Tickets: Check the email you provided when you placed your order to locate your digital ticket. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not see them.
- Detailed Event Information: Find Your Event Info link on your order confirmation or check your email within 48 hours for detailed information from Northrop, U of M
If you need assistance with your tickets, please call 612-624-2345, email umntix@umn.edu.
You might enjoy this performance if you loved:
- Let Freedom Ring or the previous two VocalEssence: Welcome Christmas holiday concerts.
Explore Single Ticket Discounts Galore*
- First Year/Free Ticket for new UMN students and staff/faculty
- $5 off for students and many others
- Children 17 and under: 50% off base price, always
- $30 under 30: 2 tickets per valid ID + one free beverage per ticket
- 20% off tickets for groups of 10 or more
*Some exclusions apply.
Create Your Own Package
Our flexible, Create Your Own package lets you choose your experiences from any three or more in-person events from the 2024-25 Northrop Season and save 15%! Subscribers enjoy:
- Savings of 15%—when you buy three+ 2024-25 Northrop Season events
- Early prepaid parking reservations—order when you purchase tickets
- Invites to exclusive, behind-the-scenes events
- Flexibility at no extra cost—get unlimited free ticket exchanges
- Our appreciation for supporting Northrop programming and Centennial Commissions! Your purchase helps make a difference.
Quotes / Reviews
"There is something magical about hundreds of voices melting together in unison and harmony, especially at Christmas."—performance and interview on KARE11
"Christmas concert brings voices together."—performance and interview on FOX9 Morning
“VocalEssence is one of the granddaddies of Christmas concertizing in these parts. The organization, propelled by the musically insatiable curiosity of its founder, Philip Brunelle, has thrived…by convincing audiences that vocal music is not for the timid.”—Minnpost
“There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than with Welcome Christmas.”—Classical MPR
“Guaranteed to make holiday spirits brighter.”—Star Tribune
Articles and More
Related Events
Related Links
VocalEssence website
Learn More - Explore These Themes
The content below derives from the Northrop Across Campus Program that supports Northrop's mission towards intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Find ways to make thematic connections to these suggested topics:
Music: Voice, Keyboard, Brass, Conducting
Music Education
Music Therapy
Religious Studies
Geriatrics, Gerontology
Youth Development & Research
Take a deeper dive with these resources that provide additional information about the performers, the history of the artform, and the artistic process.
Links:
VocalEssence Singers of This Age
MPR News: Choral Music Called...and Philip Brunelle Answered
MinnPost: “G. Phillip Shoultz III of VocalEssence: ‘Stopping has never been an option for me’”
Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
This performance will mark the third year VocalEssence choral ensembles—from high-schoolers to elders—have graced the Northrop stage as part of the Welcome Christmas program.
- Can you think of other situations where so many generations have come together to create something?
- How might this intergenerational experience benefit both younger and older people?
- When do you interact with people at a different stage of life than you? How does it contribute to your experience?
During their last Welcome Christmas concert at Northrop, VocalEssence performed many well-known Christmas carols, and sometimes asked the audience to sing along.
- Why might VocalEssence ask for audience participation?
- Do you have experience singing in a group? How did creating something with a group make you feel?
- How do you imagine singing—or any creative pursuit—might positively impact your life and the lives of those around you?
- Can you name winter artistic traditions associated with holidays other than Christmas, and/or related to cultural practices other than Christianity?
