Videos

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers: If I Were Bird

Listen as the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, led by Melanie DeMore, take you on a journey from sea to sky in this rendition of “If I Were Bird.” Featured on the ensemble’s new album, How to Hold On, this song and the accompanying tracks on the record were written by DeMore to be nourishment for the soul in a chaotic world. Start your day with this uplifting performance, recorded at the flagship studios of Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Enjoy!

Find out more about the album!

“If I Were Bird”
Composed by Melanie DeMore
Performed by the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers led by Melanie DeMore
Recorded 2025, in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, Minnesota.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Lyrics:
”If I Were Bird, If I were sky
Then in a dream I’d surely fly
Beyond the sun, then to the moon
If I were bird

If I were whale, If I were sea
My song would sing eternity
From oceans deep to earthen core
If I were whale

If I were tree, If I were grove
My roots would grow throughout the world
Connecting all both far and wide
If I were tree”

—Melanie DeMore

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Latest Videos Episodes

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers: If I Were Bird

Listen as the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, led by Melanie DeMore, take you on a journey from sea to sky in this rendition of “If I Were Bird”, recorded at the flagship studios of Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Enjoy!

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Melanie DeMore on 'Blessed Be' with VocalEssence

Congratulations to VocalEssence for the release of their latest album, ‘How to Hold On,’ available today! To celebrate, listen as composer, vocal activist and conductor Melanie DeMore talks about how blessed she is to sing and feel connected to other human beings.

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers: Blessed Be

Congratulations to VocalEssence for the release of their latest album, ‘How to Hold On,’ available today! Enjoy as conductor Philip Brunelle leads the group in a performance of one of the pieces featured on the album, “Blessed Be” by composer Melanie DeMore.

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