​Outreach & Education

Youth Initiative - Going Digital

Our education program inspires, educates, and engages thousands of Tampa Bay Area students every year for free, and it's being expanded to a virtual platform with enormous possibilities.
Master Chorale serves as a resource, connecting interested students to choral education opportunities in the Tampa Bay community.

The Master Chorale firmly believes that providing free experiences for students by artists who live where they live is an investment in the community and future generations of musicians and music lovers. Normally we would be in the process of planning our in-classroom presentations and day-time concerts for students, but COVID-19 has put a damper on traditional music performance and learning, especially singing.

In a normal season, The Master Chorale’s Youth Initiative volunteer artists spend two full days visiting numerous elementary schools in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties with dynamic presentations including music theory fundamentals, vocal pedagogy and interactive exercises with the artists. Two day-time free concerts for students would also be produced in venues like the historic Tampa Theatre in downtown Tampa, and the Palladium Theater and Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. The concerts begin with a fun and interactive lesson in concert attendance etiquette, “guided tours” of each piece, and opportunities to learn new music and sing along with the artists. for students in venues like the historic Tampa Theatre in downtown Tampa, and the Palladium Theater and Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. In-school presentations and day-time performances include “guided tours” of each piece, and students have the chance to sing along with the artists.

While we look forward to working with students in their classrooms and in the concert halls again in the future, we are excited to be collaborating with music supervisors and teachers from Pinellas and Hillsborough County Public Schools to create and curate new pre-produced and live video lessons designed to align with Florida Music Education Standards and support our local primary and secondary public school choral music curriculum throughout the academic year. These digital programs will be coordinated by Artistic Director, Brett Karlin, and will be accessible for free by any educator or student with an internet connection. We hope that these programs will continue to be a part of our educational offerings well into the future and after the COVID-19 crisis has passed.

Conductors Apprentice Program

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The Master Chorale funds a graduate assistantship in the area of Choral Conducting within the USF School of Music, when available. This student has the opportunity to serve as the Assistant Conductor for The Master Chorale, receives private conducting lessons, and learns the administrative duties of a music director.  
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Conductors Apprentice Program Participants
2019-2021        Luis Fabián González Nieves
2016-2017        Kevin Trapasso - Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of South Florida and Chorus Teacher at Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School
​2015-2016        James D. Cain
2013-2015        Raymund Ocampo - Music Faculty and Director of Choral Activities at the Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon 
2013-2015        Christopher M. Hathaway - Director of Choral Studies at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
2010-2013        Brett Karlin - Artistic Director Designate for The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and Artistic Director for The Master Chorale of South Florida
2008-2010        Kari Elgamal (Hamada) - Currently teaching music in Sarasota, FL
2007-2008        Melissa Bumbach - Currently teaching music in Rapid City, South Dakota
2006-2007        Matthew Caine - Minister of Music and Worship at Myers Park Baptist, Charlotte, North Carolina
2006-2007        Amber Kim
2004-2006        Dean Luethi - Director of the School of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Washington State University
2002-2004        Shawn Pendry - Vocal Music Staff at Lavilla School of the Arts - Jacksonville, FL