THE MASTER CHORALE OF TAMPA BAY
Recognized as the premier choral ensemble in
Tampa Bay and praised by music critics from both
the Tampa Bay Times and The Tampa Tribune as
“one of the country’s finest choirs,” “an amazing
instrument,” and a “cultural treasure,” The Master
Chorale of Tampa Bay has consistently delivered
some of the most profoundly moving music
performances in the area.
The Master Chorale, under the direction of Brett
Karlin, Artistic Director, is an auditioned, highly
select 150-voice volunteer chorus embracing a
broad representation of singers from the entire
Tampa Bay area. The Master Chorale serves Tampa
Bay and west central Florida with a mission to
advance the art of choral music by performing great
works of the past, commissioning and performing
new literature, and sharing the joy and power of
choral music with new and existing audiences and
singers.
BRETT KARLIN
Artistic Director of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay
THE FLORIDA OR 38 CHESTRA | 2018-2019
With internationally distributed recordings and
important commissions from renowned choral
composers, the Master Chorale is consistently
advancing the choral art form. Since its founding by
Dr. Robert Summer in 1979, the Master Chorale has
produced at least one major choral-orchestral work
each year. These performances include J.S. Bach’s
Passion According to St. Matthew, Beethoven’s Missa
Solemnis, Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Mahler’s
Symphony No. 8, which was performed with the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and
others under the direction of Robert Shaw.
In addition to traditional concerts, the Master
Chorale performs a variety of outreach activities
throughout the Tampa Bay community. The Master
Chorale of Tampa Bay is designated as the principal
chorus of The Florida Orchestra and artist-inresidence
at the University of South Florida College
of the Arts School of Music.
Leading performances
praised as
“intense, richly detailed…
polished and
well-crafted” (Miami
Herald), “finely nuanced
and expressive”
(South Florida
Classical Review),
and “integrating
choral and instrumental
sonorities
with clarity and impact”
(Palm Beach
Arts Paper), Brett
Karlin is quickly establishing himself as a dynamic
conductor of choral-orchestral masterworks. Having
worked with a wide variety of ensembles, Karlin
is a passionate performer of large-scale symphonic
masterpieces, while equally at home with historically
informed performances of distinctive Baroque
repertoire.
As the artistic director of both the Master Chorale
of Tampa Bay and the Master Chorale of South Florida,
Karlin leads over 250 singers through choralorchestral
masterworks and prepares the choirs for
collaborative performances with other artists and
ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Russian
National Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Itzhak
Perlman, Andrea Bocelli, and Kristin Chenoweth,
among many others.
As the new artistic director of the Master Chorale
of Tampa Bay, Karlin will prepare the chorale for
concerts, including those with The Florida Orchestra,
as well as a concert tour to New York City for
the ensemble’s Carnegie Hall debut. Now entering
his sixth season with the Master Chorale of South
Florida, Karlin will conduct the 120-voice chorus,
orchestra, and guest artists through classical
monoliths—Haydn’s Creation, Bernstein’s Chichester
Psalms, and Berlioz’ Te Deum—as well as a commissioned
work by leading American composer,
Dominick Diorio, and lighter fare for a Holiday Pops
program.
Karlin holds a bachelor’s of arts in voice from Florida
State University and master’s of music from the
University of South Florida. An avid lover of music
from the Baroque era and historically informed performance
(HIP), Karlin can be found tuning harpsichords
and listening to J.S. Bach when not working
with ensembles.