Tampa – Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale, welcomed Joseph Caulkins as their new director in February 2015. But as the group’s summer concert approaches, its members are excited to introduce the native Iowan. Caulkins studied at the University of Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois University and has 30 years’ experience working as an artistic director and conductor.
From 2001 to 2010, Caulkins directed the Southwest Florida Symphony in Fort Myers. Most recently, he was artistic director for Key Chorale in Sarasota.
Caulkins, who lives in Fort Myers, is currently focused on Una Voce’s upcoming performance “I Am Harvey Milk,” words and music by Andrew Lippa.
“I’ve always had a love for music,” Caulkins said. “My family members were musicians growing up, so music was always part of the house. They all had careers in performance, but I’m the only one who went to college and read music. I’m more on the classical side of music, whereas they are more on the popular side.”
Caulkins said he left Iowa because it didn’t offer the opportunity for the arts that are available in other states, like Florida. But Caulkins only arrived in Florida after spending time in Indiana.
“In 2001, the Southwest Florida Symphony posted a national search for a director,” he said. “I was looking for jobs and not having much luck, and a friend of mine told me, ‘Stop trying to pick your job—just apply for everything.’
“I took his advice. I was a machine and started putting together my resume, then I got a call from the symphony offering me an interview. I was scrambling to find out where Fort Myers even was! It (joining the symphony) wasn’t part of the plan but it worked out nicely. And I can’t complain about the weather and the beauty here. “
Caulkins, who is straight, said he was nervous about how a gay chorus would react to a married heterosexual director. But he said his fears were unfounded and the transition has been a smooth one.
“In Una Voce, the guys range from those who don’t read music well but have a great ear to professional musicians who have always read music,” he said. “It takes a good director to work with all skill levels. The challenge is to get the very best out of them every time they’re together. They have made a lot of progress, and to have such progress happen in just a handful of months is exciting. You can see in their faces that they love to hear the sounds they’ve created.”
That love is truly showing, he says, as the group prepares for its presentation of “I Am Harvey Milk” in June in St. Petersburg and in Tampa.
“Lippa wrote this piece commissioned by the five largest gay men’s choruses in the country, and we are one of the first groups allowed to perform it outside of those five groups,” Caulkins said.
“It was quite a process to get that authorization.”
The show encompasses many styles of music, from Broadway to classical, he said. The show focuses on heroes of equality and social justice. The performance piece will not only focus on Milk, but also on a human story.
“What Harvey stood for was equality for all people,” Caulkins said. “His story is a tragic one. But out of tragedy comes a great deal of hope.”
The show will be presented on June 12 at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg and on June 13 at the USF Concert Hall in Tampa.
For tickets to Una Voce’s concerts, visit Una-Voce.org.
