VocalEssence Unveils Concerts For 2025-2026 Season

VocalEssence has revealed the performances for its 57th concert season. The seven concerts in the 2025-2026 season show the global reach of VocalEssence as an organization and gift audiences with the chance to experience choral music in all its richness-from combining classical music traditions of South India and the West in the season opener Sarojini, to spotlighting the power of the baritone voice courtesy of star talent Roderick Williams, to the triumphant return of the brilliant Sir John Rutter, and a celebration of the versatility of the human voice in the season finale.

The VocalEssence 2025-2026 Season includes:    

Sarojini

Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis

Saturday, October 25, 2025, 4 PM 

Experience a groundbreaking fusion where classical music traditions of South India and the West meet. Hear a North American premiere unlike any other by Minnesota's own Shruthi Rajasekar. Hailed as "the most exciting piece of new music for choir and orchestra" by Canadian critic Natasha Gauthier, Sarojini (pronounced sa-RO-ji-ni) brings world-renowned Indian musicians Nirmala Rajasekar and Thanjavur K. Murgaboopathi, the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra together in a thrilling soundscape that tells the story of India's fight for independence from the British Empire.

Ensemble Singers Featuring Roderick Williams 

St. Michael Albertville High School Performing Arts Center, St. Michael

Friday, November 14, 2025, 7:30 PM

Hear the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers in their triumphant return from the Three Choirs Festival and tour of England. Lauded by The Times of London as "polished, bright and brilliantly balanced," the Ensemble Singers present a reprise of their festival performance. They join forces with the award-winning baritone, Roderick Williams, OBE, to present Edvard Grieg's magnificent Four Psalms, alongside works by American and British composers. The highly-regarded Concert Choir from St. Michael-Albertville High School will also make a special appearance on this program.

Welcome Christmas 

Northrop, Minneapolis

Saturday, December 13, 2025, 4 PM  

Embrace the wonder of the season as VocalEssence continues its cherished tradition of welcoming Christmas in song. Hear sounds of the season from around the globe performed by four VocalEssence choirs, brass, guitar, percussion, and Northrop's spectacular pipe organ. Feel the holiday spirit move through you as you lend your voice to joy-filled sing-alongs that will leave you feeling uplifted, festive, and ready to celebrate the season.

An Evening with John Rutter

Cathedral of Saint Paul, St. Paul 

Friday, January 16, 2026, 7:30 PM

Join VocalEssence as we celebrate John Rutter's 80th birthday with an unforgettable evening of choral beauty. Sit back and revel in the magnificent sights and sounds of the Cathedral of Saint Paul as Rutter conducts the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers and chamber orchestra in his best-loved choral gems. The program features the Midwest premiere of I'll Make Me a World, his latest masterwork inspired by James Weldon Johnson's poem "The Creation." 

WITNESS: Symphony of Spirituals

Northrop, Minneapolis

Sunday, February 22, 2026, 4 PM  

Lift your voice and sing for justice as VocalEssence presents songs of resilience and resistance that inspire us to continue the march towards freedom and racial reconciliation. Hear the rhythmic cry for freedom found in The Justice Symphony by Damien Geter, featuring anthems from the Civil Rights era. Experience the poignant and beautiful sounds of the Negro spiritual in the world premiere performance of two newly commissioned settings by B.E. Boykin. Co-presented with Northrop, WITNESS: Symphony of Spirituals will feature the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers, elder singers from the VocalEssence Vintage Voices, diverse teenage choir VocalEssence Singers of This Age, and symphony orchestra with G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conducting.

Ensemble Singers Featuring Greg Zelek

Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis

Friday, April 10, 2026, 7:30 PM

The majestic vaulted ceiling and warm acoustics of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral create the perfect setting for this virtuosic all-French program. Greg Zelek, "one of the country's most exciting young organists" (Organiste), joins the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers-acclaimed for their "superbly blended sound" (Birmingham Post, UK) and "exemplary technique" (Minnesota Star Tribune)-performing works by Roger-Ducasse, Duruflé, Poulenc, and more. Marvel at the juxtaposition of stunning a cappella singing alongside the sonorous sounds of the four-manual Foley-Baker pipe organ.

Global Rhythms, Joyful Voices-Tickets available soon!

Ordway Concert Hall, Saint Paul

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Join the VocalEssence Chorus in an exploration of genre-defying selections that showcase the incredible versatility of the human voice. Span the globe with us as we highlight the diverse cultural influences that continue to shape American musical traditions. A spotlight will be placed on the music of VocalEssence ¡Cantaré!-an initiative that builds musical bridges between Mexico and Minnesota. Special guests, including the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age, will join this vibrant celebration. 

Additional events during the season include VocalEssence Vintage Voices concerts, and a Community Sing, location to be announced.