Music Teachers and Mountain Guides
Gaston Rébuffat atop Aiguille du Roc, Chamonix, France Each year, as our season of music comes to a close, I have the great privilege and honor to work with students…
The Power of Choral Music
hat is the true power of choral music? Is it a perfect concert of sublime music that lifts your spirits? Is it that fulfilling moment when months of hard work…
Who Lights the Spark?
If I had to come up with the most important aspect of my work as a conductor you might not immediately guess, it would be the time and energy I…
Temporary Landlords
Rising abruptly from the Glacier du Tour, Aiguille du Chardonnet's spiny backbone delineates the border between France and Switzerland. In 2009 my friend Yves and I set our sites on…
Joseph Caulkins in Rehearsal with Sarasota Key Chorale
Maestro Joseph Caulkins in rehearsal with Key Chorale of Sarasota in preparation for the Sarasota Choral Festival: Shining Night, October 18, 2014 and performances of Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, as…
A Deadly Season in the Alps
Orage – French for thunderstorm. Just one of the new words I've learned as the summer monsoon season in the Alps continues to drop new layers of snow with each…
Summer in France 2014 – A Tale of 3 Cities
As I sit in a charming, Alpine country decor apartment on the east facing slope of a valley just south of the Great St-Bernard Pass, sipping coffee on a rainy…
Caulkins sheds light on Key Chorale's 'Luminosity'
For Key Chorale’s upcoming concert, “Luminosity,” the group commissioned a new work. Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins sat down with The Observer to discuss the new piece. The following are edited…
A Season Finale with a World Premiere!
The excitement is building as Maestro Joseph Caulkins prepares for his Key Chorale season finale that will include the world premiere of Ola Gjeilo's The Lake Isle Part II. The Chorale is thrilled to have the…
"Off-Key" Chorale Performs for Third Year
My third class of the “Off-Key” Chorale, a choir for Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers, just gave their closing concert last week for the Neuro Challenge Foundation. Their joy…