About the Key Chorale
Key Chorale just completed its 26th season of bringing great choral music to audiences in southwest Florida. Located in Sarasota, the chorale was founded in 1985 by Ann Stephenson-Moe, Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of the Redeemer and Don B. Ryno, Minister of Music at St. Boniface Church.
It delighted the audience at its opening concert on March 3, 1985 with a performance of Handel’s rarely heard Israel in Egypt. The chorale is comprised of 110 voices with a professional base of section leaders and core singers. Key Chorale has collaborated with other arts groups such as the Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Ballet, Circus Sarasota and Sarasota Young Voices to bring celebrated musical works to the community.
For 21 years, Daniel Moe was the Artistic Director and Conductor of the chorale. Referred to as the “Dean of Choral Conductors” by the New Yorker magazine, Dr. Moe previously conducted the internationally renowned Oberlin College Choir. He announced his intention to retire in October 2005, which allowed the chorale to conduct a nationwide search for a new artistic director. Dr. Moe’s last concert was April 30, 2007 with a glorious performance of Verdi’s acclaimed Requiem. His tenure with Key Chorale established a standard of choral excellence that has been continued by Joseph Caulkins.
Collaborating with the Sarasota Orchestra under the baton of Leif Bjaland, the chorale has performed such magnificent works as The Creation, Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Poulenc’s Gloria. It also has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin presenting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. To celebrate its 25th season, Key Chorale performed Three Days by the Sea (commissioned for its 20th anniversary) along with a work commissioned for this special occasion by Dale Warland, Invocations: Prayers for the Earth and performed in the presence of the composer.
This recently completed season was a resounding success with two critically acclaimed sold out performances of Annelies. This piece, an oratorio inspired by the diaries of Anne Frank, was composed by James Whitbourn provided the audience with a message of hope and inspiration. Later in the season, the chorale collaborated with Circus Sarasota to present, Cirque des Voix, an explosion of dramatic choral music paired to visual artistry of circus performers. Both performances thrilled audiences in this unique creative collaboration.
Key Chorale has taken its music to Europe on several occasions. In 2001, the chorale toured Prague, Vienna and Budapest performing Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass along with selected American music. More recently, in 2009, the chorale completed a successful tour of France and Italy in collaboration with the Southwest Florida Symphony Chorus of Fort Myers. Capacity audiences enthusiastically received a program of American music. The chorale is returning to Europe in July 2012 where it will perform in Ireland and Scotland with venues located in Dublin and Edinburgh and other cities.
Through the years, Key Chorale has released several recordings that reflect the diversity of its repertoire. Opening the 2010-11, the chorale launched a spectacular new CD featuring music performed from its 25th Anniversary Concert including the world premiere of Dale Warland’s Invocations: Prayers for the Earth, its 20th Anniversary commission of Three Days by the Sea by Gwyneth Walker, and various selections of Eric Whitacre, Bonia Shur, and Daniel Moe.
