Philip Brunelle

Who is Philip Brunelle?

Philip Brunelle is an American conductor and organist. He was born in Faribault, Minnesota on July 1, 1943. He founded VocalEssence in 1969 and remains the artistic director today. Brunelle has conducted such noted groups as the BBC Singers, the Houston Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra among others. He has also been a guest conductor at several notable music festivals including the Berkshire Choral Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival. His engagements have taken him across the United States, South America and Europe. Brunelle served for many years on the board of directors of Chorus America and the National Council on the Arts and he currently serves on the Board of Regents at St. Olaf College and the Board of Directors of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association. In 2001, he was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame and he has won a myriad of awards including the Kodaly Medal from the government of Hungary, the Stig Andersson Award for contributions to Swedish music and the Minneapolis Award presented to him by Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton. He has served as choirmaster and organist of Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis for over 40 years.