Key Chorale’s Upcoming Educational Outreach Performances

February 7, 2024 – Sarasota

Key Chorale’s 9^th annual presentation of “Tomorrow’s Voices Today,” a unique collaborative choral festival featuring Key Chorale and Sarasota County high school choir students takes place on February 20^th at Riverview High Performing Arts Center. Each year, Maestro Caulkins inspires music making at the highest levels, planting seeds that will ripen throughout these students’ lives with an eclectic program from classics to contemporary. This year, the choirs from Booker High School, Riverview High School, and Sarasota High School will join the voices of Key Chorale to create a festival chorus of over 200 voices of all ages.

Led by directors Alexander Zickafoose, David Verdoni, and Kirby Sanders and the choirs of Booker, Riverview, and Sarasota High Schools, respectively, will perform some of their favorites from this season as well as performing with Key Chorale. As Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins states, “When I visit these schools I am consistently inspired by the quality of instructions and music-making in our schools. What I hope to impart is the great joy and reward that comes when we strive for great artistry.”  

Each high school choir will perform on their own and then join with Key Chorale to perform By Night by Elaine Hagenberg, Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) by Z. Randall Stroope, and Ave Maria by Ola Gjeilo.

“For this season’s festival music, I have chosen to focus on contemporary pieces which have a dramatic impact and will resonate with the students,” said Maestro Caulkins. “Hagenberg’s By Night describes a young woman who discovers a bold new world. It will be sung by the sopranos and altos and is cinematic in its music and storytelling. The tenors and basses will be featured on Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), a showstopping and visceral work that immediately grabs you. And all voices will combine for only the second performance worldwide of Ola Gjeilo’s Ave Maria which premiered in 2022.”

The Festival Choir will be joined by Sarasota Conservatory faculty, students and guests who will provide instrumental accompaniment for the festival choir pieces. In order to make the “Tomorrow’s Voices Today” concert collaboration accessible to all, Key Chorale has a ticket price of just $10 to allow the entire community to celebrate choral music together.

Then, on March 4th at Westcoast Black Theatre Mainstage, Key Chorale’s Student Scholars will present classical and musical theater selections demonstrating the culmination of their studies with voice teachers and masterclasses with guest artists. The Key Chorale Student Scholar Program is designed to prepare gifted juniors and seniors for college-level success in music. Student Scholars sing a full performance season with Key Chorale as well as part of several other performance opportunities and master classes held throughout the season. All experiences are made available at no cost to the selected participants.

“This is really a culmination and a celebration of the work they have done with their private voice lessons during the year, said Maestro Caulkins. “It is always incredible to witness the musical growth and maturity these students show off at this event.”

Come support and cheer our musicians of tomorrow while enjoying great music along with bubbly and light bites.

Performances takes place:
Tomorrow’s Voices Today: High School Choral Festival
Tuesday, February 20^th at 7:30 PM

Riverview High Performing Arts Center

Tickets $10

Tomorrow’s Voices Tonight, Student Scholar Soirée

Monday, March 4^th at 5:30 PM
Westcoast Black Theatre Mainstage

Tickets $25

For more information or to purchase tickets to either event, please visit www.keychorale.org or call 941-552-8768.