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The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor invites you on a journey, with Music Director Ben Cohen as your guide.

From Renaissance motets to Broadway hits, all the way to original compositions, this special chamber choir aims to share with our audience a fascinating array of vocal music from many ages.

The VAE’s 2011-12 Season

November 5, 2011
Awake! Arise!
8pm; Stamps Auditiorium,1226 Murfin Ave., Ann Arbor

Just as the late fall doldrums lull us to a drowsy torpor, the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor bids you to "Awake! Arise!" with a choral music program of both energy and beauty. J.S. Bach's immortal Cantata No. 140, "Wachet auf" (Sleepers Wake) fills our hall with its power and glory, while Thomas Morley's madrigal "Arise, Awake, Awake!" is lilting and inviting. Ronald Perera's "Why I Wake Early" embodies poet Mary Oliver's verse in vivid melodies and musical place settings in such sections as "Morning at Great Pond", "I Looked Up" and "White Night". Wilensky's "Uri Tsiyon" bids us wake with a rhythmic clarion call.
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January 14th, 2012
Angst and Consolation
7:30pm; First Unitarian and Universalist Church of Ann Arbor, 4001 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., Ann Arbor

In "Angst and Consolation", the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor explores those eternal opposites and complements - pain and joy - and how several composers in different eras have expressed these recurring themes of the human condition. The Renaissance Magnificat of Hieronymous Praetorius is contrasted with a very different Magnificat by modern Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Ola Gjeilo, a contemporary rising star among choral composers, combines celebratory Latin text with themes from Nordic folk songs in his "Prelude". Works by Rautavaara and Tomas Luis de Victoria round out this a cappella program showcasing a wide range of the choral art. Returning VAE audience members, be sure to note the new venue and the earlier starting time.
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February 25th, 2012
Pops Dinner Gala: Heroes and Villains
5:30pm; Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Blvd., Ann Arbor

VAE's annual gala dinner concert and fundraiser looks at those extremes of human character -- heroism and villainy --  through music of the musical stage, pop, TV and movies, and a bit of classical. Between parts of a 3-course dinner, guests will be entertained by soloists, small groups and the entire ensemble. Complimentary glass of wine, cash bar, silent auction, coffee bar. Please note: ALL TICKETS ARE IN ADVANCE, NO SALES AT THE DOOR. Deadline for buying your ticket is Saturday, February 18 at 5pm.

IMPORTANT:  If you buy your ticket online, in order to complete your reservation you will need to have seating assigned by Roxy Diederich, our event coordinator.   After buying your ticket, contact Roxy at (734) 302-1555 or at roxymeggers [at] gmail.com to finalize your arrangements.  Please tell her if there are others in your party with whom you would like to be seated. NOTE: Seats are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is to your advantage to call early for best seating.

Parties of Ten or More: Discount tickets are available for parties of ten or more. In order to buy discount group tickets, do not purchase tickets online but rather contact Roxy Diederich directly, as noted above -- or work through a VAE member.

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May 19th, 2012
I Hate, I Love
8pm; Stamps Auditiorium,1226 Murfin Ave., Ann Arbor


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Previous Seasons

2010-11

November 6, 2010
C'EST LA V.A.E.
8pm; St Thomas Church, 530 Elizabeth St, Ann Arbor

From the intricately sassy harmonies of Poulenc to the astonishing quadruple canon at the fifth in Mouton's Nesciens Mater to the lyric melodies of the composer of Moulin Rouge, this concert will bring you the music of French composers from late Renaissance motets to French film music, all in the reverberant acoustic of St Thomas. Charpentier's Requiem is a gem, seldom performed.

December 18th, 2010
SUDDEN BREATH: VAE WITH THE MCBQ
8pm; Genesis of Ann Arbor Sanctuary; 2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor

For the second consecutive year, VAE welcomes the Motor City Brass Quintet for another collaborative venture that will feature great choral and brass motets, carols and Sephardic music from across the centuries.

February 19th, 2011
ALL OF ME
5:30pm; Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Blvd., Ann Arbor

Following on the heels of Night and Day, last year's highly successful dinner concert, VAE returns with All of Me, a cabaret of Broadway and Hollywood songs about body parts.

May 7th, 2011
DOWN IN THE VALLEY
8pm; Mendelssohn Theater, 911 N University Ave, Ann Arbor

Our final concert of the season will feature American choral gems; a staging of Kurt Weill's one-act folk opera Down In The Valley with members of the local dance troupe, People Dancing; an appearance by the Greenhills School High School choir; and a commission for VAE by composer Dwayne Milburn (current director of the U.S. Army Chorus) dedicated to former VAE singer Kamilah Neighbors, who died in 2010 at the age of 33. A multi-layered, rich and beautiful event.