Joseph Caulkins is feeling no sense of a let down after a “personally and professionally exciting” 40th season as artistic director of Key Chorale. In fact, he has just signed on for another 10 years.
“Every year, the chorus gets better, and something about this past year, they were excited about the repertoire,” said Caulkins, who joined Key Chorale in 2007. “It brought the best out of them and it made me think about planning this new season. I have to think about what more this ensemble can do.”
For season 41, there will be more masterworks than in years past, as well as continued collaboration with other arts organizations that help expand the chorus’ reach and the kinds of work it can perform.
“I love what I do,” he said. “I love this music and want to share it with as many people as possible. Maybe it was the anniversary or maybe it was the work, but it’s exciting that more people came to hear us this past year. This new season isn’t a letdown as much as it is a continuation of the anniversary. It’s not like we’re doing a whole lot less.”
Most programs in the anniversary season sold more tickets than comparable concerts the year before. Attendance for Cirque des Voix, for example, the collaboration with the Circus Arts Conservatory, was up by more than 500 patrons. Caulkins and Marketing Director Trish Ivey said a new ticketing system may have helped make it easier for people to purchase tickets.
In announcing Caulkins’ new contract extension, Key Chorale also said it is adding four new vocalists to its professional core: tenor Erick Crow, soprano Heather Weiskerger, baritone Stephen Lusmann and soprano Emmy Grate.
Caulkins has planned 11 different programs, seven of them with a full orchestra, featuring primarily musicians with the Sarasota Orchestra. But the new season’s production of Cirque des Voix launches a three-year agreement for musical accompaniment from The Venice Symphony. Key Chorale has performed numerous concerts with the symphony over the years and will return for its annual holiday concert “Sounds of the Season.”
Programs include the season-opener Sept. 27 of “Coronation,” a collection of pieces tied to royalty, featuring music performed at royal coronations from King George II in 1727 to King Charles III in 2023. In February, it will perform its official Masterwork concert of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” which brings musical life to major moments from the Old Testament.
Key Chorale features 110 singers, 23 of them paid and the rest volunteers. Caulkins also oversees the Key Chorale Chamber Singers, who will be featured throughout the season, including the “Radiance” concert on April 18 which will be performed as a multi-sensory experience lit with hundreds of candles, and the “Opus 1700” programs in January featuring works by Handel and Bach in two concerts.
Caulkins said the ensemble has changed about 10% each year, and auditions are held in May and August. “We always have room for a handful of singers,” he said. “We ask them to prepare one short piece that shows off their voice and have them sing some scales and do really easy sight reading exercises, and they learn a little excerpt from Handel’s Messiah.”
Every singer has to re-audition every four years. “It keeps the organization at its best,” he said.
In addition to the performances, Key Chorale has gained recognition and support for its Off-Key Chorale, la program for those living with Parkinson’s in a partnership with Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s and the Where are My Keys? Chorale for those living with memory loss. This year, it is working to help other choruses launch senior enrichment programs with its Come Together Choir initiative. Key Chorale is creating music materials that will be available for sale to other groups around the country.
It could mean significant income for the chorus to support its own programs.
Key Chorale’s 2025-26 season
‘Coronation’: 4 p.m. Sept. 27, featuring music used at royal coronations over the last 300 years, featuring guest soprano Mary Wilson. Church of the Palms.
Perfect Pitch Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. Nov. 3. Key Chorale honors Michael Crosby, President and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory at its annual luncheon to raise funds for its education programs. Ora Ballroom.
‘Joy & Wonder’: 4 p.m. Nov. 30, a holiday-themed showcase featuring Key Chorale and the Sarasota Ballet Studio Company that will feature the world premiere dance of “Missa Carolae” by English composer James Whitbourn and Ola Gjeilo’s “Dreamweaver.” Sarasota Opera House.
‘Sounds of the Season’: Dec. 18-21. Key Chorale joins The Venice Symphony for an annual holiday concert of favorite carols and seasonal tunes. Venice Performing Arts Center.
‘Opus 1700: Handel – The Rest of the Story’: 7 p.m. Jan. 23. A partnership with Church of the Redeemer opens with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, along with The Trumpet Shall Sound” and the finale of Worthy is the Lamb” performed by the Key Chorale Chamber singers and a cast of soloists. Conducted by Sam Nelson. Church of the Redeemer.
‘Opus 1700: Bach’: 1:30 p.m. Jan. 24. Caulkins conducts Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor, which he describes as the composer’s most towering achievement. Church of the Redeemer.
‘Mendelssohn’s Elijah’: 4 p.m. Feb. 7. In this Masterwork concert, the chorus performs Felix Mendelssohn’s major work that sets dramatic moments from the Old Testament to music. It features soloists Jamal Sarikoki, Olivia Vote, David Tayloe and Jessica Beebe. Church of the Palms.
‘Tomorrow’s Voices Tonight’: March 2. An evening of cocktails, light bites and performances by Key Chorale’s Student Scholars performing classical and musical theater selections. Westcoast Black Theatre.
‘Cirque des Voix’: March 13-15. Under the big top, Key Chorale and The Venice Symphony provide the music as they perform with artists selected by the Circus Arts Conservatory. Nathan Benderson Park.
‘GenSRQ’: 6 p.m. March 29. The Circus Arts Conservatory and key Chorale join together for a program with more than 200 young voices and Sailor Circus students performing in the Sailor Circus Arena.
‘Radiance’: 8 p.m. April 18. Key Chorale Chamber Singers sing music by Faure, Paulus, Gjeilo and Esenvalds while illuminated by hundreds of candles and joined by violin and cello soloists. First Congregational Church.
‘One Light, Many Voices’: 4 p.m. May 3. Jamal Sarikoki leads more than 150 voices from Key Chorale and the choirs of First United Methodist Church and Church of the Redeemer, along brass quintet, timpani and organ. They perform musical settings of the Psalms, Old Testament and poetry by Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Rutter, Morten Lauridsen and more.
Tickets
For more information about all Key Chorale programs: 941-552-8768; keychorale.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Key Chorale leaders extends contract and plans major concerts in 2025-26
Reporting by Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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