MINNEAPOLIS–ST. PAUL, MN — On October 20, 2025, VocalEssence, one of the nation’s premier choral music organizations, officially announced the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors. The incoming cohort brings a diverse matrix of expertise spanning executive arts administration, organizational development, K–12 public education, cross-cultural composition, and interdisciplinary performance art.
As VocalEssence enters its 57th year of operation, these strategic additions reflect a deliberate effort to strengthen the organization’s governance, broaden its philanthropic network, and enhance its civic engagement across the Twin Cities metropolitan area and beyond.
Executive Overview: Strengthening Governance in a Changing Arts Landscape
Founded in 1968 by Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence has evolved from a local choral ensemble into an internationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Operating with a dual mandate of artistic innovation and community education, the organization encompasses professional and community vocal ensembles, educational outreach programs serving thousands of regional students, and advocacy initiatives dedicated to commissioning new choral works.
The addition of five distinguished directors comes at a pivotal juncture for legacy performing arts institutions nationwide. Nonprofit arts boards are increasingly tasked with navigating complex economic shifts, evolving audience demographics, and the necessity for sustainable financial stewardship.
At VocalEssence, members of the Board of Directors serve as primary legal and fiduciary stewards, setting organizational policy, providing financial oversight, and acting as institutional ambassadors. The recruitment of this new class highlights a governance strategy focused on cross-sector synthesis—linking classical performing arts with public education, digital media, business strategy, and multi-disciplinary creative execution.
Detailed Chronology and Profiles of the New Directors
The newly appointed board members bring distinct professional track records that intersect with VocalEssence’s operational, educational, and artistic verticals.
Ryan French: Executive Arts Administration and Capital Strategy
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| RYAN FRENCH |
| Managing Director, Children's Theatre Company | MBA, Univ. of Minn. |
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+--> Extensive background in major campaign development & advancement
+--> Former roles: Univ. of St. Thomas, Walker Art Center, SPCO
+--> Strategic focus: Governance, fiscal management, institutional growthRyan French currently serves as the Managing Director of the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis, the nation’s largest theater for young audiences. In this role, French holds broad operational authority over all non-artistic functions, managing development, marketing and communications, finance, audience services, educational programming, human resources, facilities, and legal affairs.
Prior to joining CTC, French built an extensive career in higher education advancement and cultural administration:
- University of St. Thomas: Served as Associate Vice President of Advancement and Campaign Director, leading major capital and development campaigns in St. Paul.
- Walker Art Center: Held executive oversight as Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) & University of Minnesota: Served in senior administrative leadership capacities.
French holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Olaf College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with concentrations in marketing and nonprofit management from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. His background bridges deep musical literacy with rigorous corporate and philanthropic strategy.
Novelli Jurado: Cross-Cultural Composition, Digital Media, and Entrepreneurship
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| NOVELLI JURADO |
| Founder & Executive Producer, Novart Media | Award-Winning Composer |
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+--> 3-time VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Composer-in-Residence
+--> International collaborations: Milton Nascimento, Lang Lang
+--> Strategic focus: Digital content strategy, Hispanic civic engagementNovelli Jurado brings over a quarter-century of experience as an international composer, audio engineer, and media entrepreneur. Jurado’s relationship with VocalEssence spans more than a decade, having served three separate tenures (2012, 2014, and 2017) as Composer-in-Residence for VocalEssence’s flagship ¡Cantaré! initiative—a program bringing Mexican composers into Twin Cities, Rochester, and Chicago classrooms.
Jurado’s artistic and business footprint includes:
- Global Collaborations & Classical Works: International tours with Brazilian jazz icon Milton Nascimento, recording projects with pianist Lang Lang, and participating in the Aspen Music Festival’s classical recording program with Grammy-winning producer Jack Renner.
- Multimedia Scoring: Composed the score for Attractio (2015), the first Latin American video game distributed globally by Bandai Namco for PlayStation and Steam.
- Entrepreneurship & Board Service: Founder and Executive Producer of Novart Media, a minority-owned creative digital agency serving corporate, government, and nonprofit clients including the Small Business Administration (SBA) and VocalEssence. He has served on the board of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Mexico since 2013 and co-founded the Lanzilotti Concert Choir in Mexico City.
Jurado’s deep personal connection to VocalEssence includes his 2016 civil marriage to his wife, Michelle, which was officiated by founder Philip Brunelle.
Lori Ledoux: K–12 Educational Leadership and Community Engagement
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| LORI LEDOUX |
| K-12 Arts Content Lead, Minneapolis Public Schools | Ed.S., Lic. |
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+--> 16 years of district-level arts education leadership
+--> Developer of teaching artist partnerships & curriculum access
+--> Strategic focus: Educational alignment, youth access, public strategyLori Ledoux joins the board with sixteen years of dedicated service within Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), where she serves as the district’s K–12 Arts Content Lead. In this role, Ledoux oversees curriculum design, professional development, and instructional support for specialized educators across dance, theater, music, visual arts, and media arts.
Ledoux’s administrative career has been defined by creating equity-focused community partnerships, connecting public school students with professional teaching artists, and broadening arts access across urban school districts.
Her academic credentials and community service background include:
- Education: Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities; Master of Teaching and K–12 Dance Licensure from Minnesota State University, Mankato; Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) with K–12 Principal Licensure.
- Civic Engagement: Active community volunteer serving as a licensed volunteer Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the City of Waconia.
Dr. Kristin Morris: Organizational Development, Strategy, and Diversity
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| DR. KRISTIN MORRIS |
| Principal Consultant, Genesis Consulting Services | Ed.D., Capella |
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+--> 20+ years in organizational development & executive coaching
+--> Faculty, M.A. in Organizational Learning, St. Catherine Univ.
+--> Strategic focus: Equity & belonging, performance improvement, governanceDr. Kristin Morris is an expert in performance improvement, organizational design, and leadership strategy. As the founder and Principal Consultant of Genesis Consulting Services, LLC, Dr. Morris brings more than two decades of experience advising corporate, educational, and nonprofit entities on strategic planning, executive performance, and institutional culture.
Her extensive background in board governance and higher education includes:
- Academic Appointments: Adjunct faculty member at St. Catherine University, teaching leadership development within the Master of Arts in Organizational Learning program.
- Governance Roles: Executive Leadership Council member for the National Small Business Association (NSBA); Board Director for Capella University’s School of Public Health; Board Member for the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Alumni Society.
- Recognitions: Recipient of the 2023 CEHD Alumni Award of Excellence, named a 2023 Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Women in Business Honoree, and recognized in the 2023–2024 edition of Marquis Who’s Who in America.
Dr. Morris holds a B.S. and M.Ed. in Human Resource Development and Adult Education from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, and an Ed.D. in Performance Improvement Leadership from Capella University.
Eve Schulte: Interdisciplinary Arts Leadership and Executive Management
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| EVE SCHULTE |
| Arts Administrator, Choreographer, Educator | B.A., Univ. of Minn. |
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+--> Executive Director (2020–2025) & Artistic Associate, James Sewell Ballet
+--> Faculty, Dept. of Theatre Arts & Dance, Univ. of Minnesota
+--> Strategic focus: Cross-disciplinary artistic collaboration, executive transitionsEve Schulte is a prominent Minneapolis-based dance artist, educator, and arts executive. Her career bridges high-level executive management with performance and choreographic commissions for regional arts institutions.
Her professional leadership record includes:
- Executive Administration: Served as Executive Director (2020–2025) and Artistic Associate (2017–2020) at James Sewell Ballet, successfully guiding the organization through major operational shifts, pandemic-era programming pivots, and executive sunsetting strategies.
- Choreography & Interdisciplinary Performance: Created works commissioned by and featured alongside the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus. Her work Any Offered None earned a Minnesota Sage Award nomination in 2016.
- Pedagogy: Faculty member in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota since 2017, leading advanced ballet courses, alongside international instructional tours in over 30 Minnesota communities and internationally across Europe and Canada.
Schulte holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Structural Synthesis of the Board Expansion
The strategic value of this newly seated class lies in how their combined domain expertise addresses key areas of modern arts administration.
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| VOCALESSENCE BOARD MATRIX (2025) |
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| DOMAIN EXPERTISE | DIRECTORS DRIVING STRATEGY |
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| Executive Arts Mgmt | Ryan French, Eve Schulte |
| K-12 Arts Education | Lori Ledoux, Dr. Kristin Morris |
| Composition & Production | Novelli Jurado |
| Organizational Dev. / DEI| Dr. Kristin Morris |
| Interdisciplinary Arts | Eve Schulte, Novelli Jurado |
| Strategic Philanthropy | Ryan French, Dr. Kristin Morris |
+--------------------------+----------------------------------------------------+By bringing together high-level administrators from major Twin Cities institutions—such as the Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis Public Schools, and James Sewell Ballet—VocalEssence builds stronger structural ties within the regional arts ecosystem. This inter-institutional connectivity provides critical stability for long-term strategic planning, collaborative programming, and resource sharing.
Official Statements and Institutional Vision
Commenting on the expanding governance team, Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director and Founder of VocalEssence, emphasized the strategic alignment between board composition and community engagement:
"I’m delighted to welcome our new board members to the organization. Our mission is to unite our community in song, and each one of our new board members creates an opportunity we deeply value—to connect with the new voices and new networks that are always growing in the place we’ve called home for more than half a century. Serving on our board is a generous contribution of time, skill, and spirit, and we know these incredible professionals have insights and perspectives that will enhance VocalEssence beyond measure."
Brunelle’s commentary highlights a deliberate institutional priority: ensuring that governance structures evolve alongside the demographics and cultural needs of the surrounding metropolitan area.
Future Outlook: Long-Term Operational and Programmatic Impact
The appointment of these five directors positions VocalEssence to execute several multi-year initiatives designed to extend its reach and ensure long-term stability:
- Expanding Educational Outreach Pipelines: With Lori Ledoux leading arts content at Minneapolis Public Schools and Dr. Kristin Morris specializing in adult learning and organizational strategy, VocalEssence is well-positioned to deepen its youth educational initiatives, including the WITNESS program (celebrating African American contributions to arts and culture) and the ¡Cantaré! Mexican choral residency.
- Accelerating Digital and Multimedia Distribution: Drawing on Novelli Jurado’s background in audio engineering, commercial media, and content strategy, the organization can continue modernizing its digital production, reaching broader national and international audiences.
- Optimizing Financial Stewardship and Development: Ryan French’s experience leading multi-million-dollar advancement campaigns, combined with Eve Schulte’s background in dance company management, provides strong oversight for fundraising, endowment growth, and audience development.
- Fostering Interdisciplinary Artistic Collaborations: The integration of leaders from dance, visual media, and theater opens new avenues for cross-disciplinary performances, blending choral music with other performing arts mediums.
As VocalEssence approaches six decades of continuous operation, this strategic board expansion underscores a commitment to robust institutional governance, fiscal sustainability, and community-centered artistic excellence.
