Key Chorale Inc

As part of Key Chorale’s educational program, “Tomorrow’s Voices Today" is a unique choral festival that incorporates over two hundred singers, from students to octogenarians. In partnership with Sarasota County Public Schools, each season three Sarasota County high school choirs sing in a collaborative concert with individual and combined festival chorus performances. In the weeks leading up to the performance, Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins visits the high schools to work with each choir individually.

Off-Key Chorale is a partnership with the Neuro Challenge Foundation, Inc., Key Chorale and Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota. This choral group meets weekly and is comprised of people living with Parkinson’s, family members, caregivers, and volunteer singers from Key Chorale. Led by Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins, Off-Key Chorale provides an opportunity for Parkinson’s patients to improve and strengthen their voices through singing, and provides a fellowship activity for people whose social opportunities are often limited by this disease.

This choir provides positive and joyful experiences for those living with memory loss and their care partners. WAMK Chorale is a collaboration between Key Chorale, Senior Friendship Centers, and Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the Suncoast . Two eight-week sessions are planned for each year, led by Maestro Caulkins with the assistance of Key Chorale volunteer singers. The group explores the potential of people living with memory loss to experience renewed purpose, learning, friendships, and happiness. Participants find the sessions uplifting, fulfilling and fun as well as an important part of their memory care.

Each semester Mr. Caulkins creates a unique curriculum of vocal exercises, breathing exercises, and musical selections around a theme which concludes with an end of session performance for friends and family.

The Key Chorale Student Scholar Program is designed to prepare gifted juniors and seniors for college-level success in music. This experience is designed for students with an exceptional aptitude for music, who plan to further their musical studies after high school. There is a required minimum high school GPA of 3.0, to encourage academic commitment along with musical commitment. Student Scholars are first recommended by their choir director and then selected through personal interviews and competitive auditions. Student Scholars sing a full performance season with a professional conductor, orchestra and soloists. In addition students receive private voice lessons, concert attire, sheet music, coaching on the business of music, workshops, master classes and a variety of performance opportunities all in preparation for college level music success.