Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Karlin.
Hi Brett, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Overview
The power of the human voice, raised in collective song, is one of the oldest traditions of every culture—preserving the past, elevating the present, and inspiring the future. This is the purpose of the Master Chorale of South Florida (MCSF).
Founded in 2003, MCSF is the region’s only large-scale, auditioned chorus, presenting ambitious choral music rarely heard in South Florida and enriching the region’s cultural landscape. Each week from September through May, approximately 120 voices from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties gather under the adept and artful direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Karlin. The chorus earns consistent critical acclaim for powerful, nuanced performances of complex repertoire, executed with a level of excellence that sets the ensemble apart.
These voices—the voices of South Florida—span five generations, and reflect diverse backgrounds and lived experience. Through collaboration, mentorship, and shared purpose, the Chorale transforms individual singers into a collective force. Together, they bring music to life with precision, passion, and artistry, connecting generations, inspiring audiences, and sustaining a living choral tradition that affirms the enduring power of the human voice to shape culture and community.
Our Impact
Our concerts create meaningful experiences for both performers and audiences. Chorus members, local instrumentalists, and guest soloists grow artistically through challenging repertoire, while audiences are moved, inspired, and engaged by the performance.
Sarah, Soprano: Singing since elementary school and a music major in college, Sarah joined the Master Chorale in 2016. Living with epilepsy, she finds singing calms her nerves, sharpens her focus, and gives her strength. Through rehearsals and performances, she has gained technical growth, a deep sense of community, and friendships that enrich her life both on and off stage.
Urban League Students: Students from the Urban League of Broward County’s Young Professionals Network loved music but had never attended a choral concert. A week-long program about Mozart’s life and work prepared them to experience their first Master Chorale performance, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor. With a deeper understanding, they engaged fully with the music, met the conductor, and left inspired by a truly interactive educational experience.
Kaury, Ninth-Grade Cellist: As part of a partnership with Nat King Cole Generation Hope, which provides music education programs to children, Kaury was selected to perform in our American Voices concert. After mentorship and rehearsals with the chorus, he delivered a stunning first paid performance alongside seasoned musicians. The experience gave him confidence, professional growth, and inspiration for his musical future.
Audience Feedback: Survey respondents consistently describe our concerts as moving and inspiring. One attendee at Handel & Mozart in October 2025 shared, “I enjoy seeing the music come alive. Live music has an element of vibrancy no recording can match. There is a connection between the audience and the performers that exists in that moment, and it forms an unforgettable experience.”
Our Programs
Music moves, teaches, and connects. Our programs are built on that belief—designed to present great music, expand access, foster connection, and ensure that choral music continues to be heard, learned, and loved in South Florida.
Masterworks and Modern Voices define our core artistic identity. These large-scale Signature Concerts present repertoire demanding exceptional musical depth, precision, and expressive range, pairing cornerstone works of the choral canon—such as Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy), and Orff’s Carmina Burana—with contemporary works that amplify voices and perspectives historically underrepresented in classical music, including Joel Thompson’s The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed and Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. This commitment to contemporary voices includes commissioning new works by American composers, shaping the future of the choral art form while honoring its past; recent examples include Marques L. A. Garrett, Jake Runestad, and Dominick DiOrio. A hallmark of these concerts is the inclusion of brief introductions by the conductor, guiding audiences through the work’s historical context, emotional arc, and key musical ideas. Frequently cited by audiences in feedback, these remarks make the music accessible to listeners of all backgrounds, including those with little or no prior experience in classical music, while offering seasoned listeners fresh insight.
Education extends our impact by welcoming new audiences to choral music. Our Family Concerts introduce young listeners to live music through engaging, accessible performances that support early arts appreciation. Programs such as Peter & the Wolf, Hallelujah, Handel!, Percussion Playground, and Bach to the Future combine storytelling, movement, and interaction to make classical music inviting and relevant for children and their families. Educational partnerships further expand access, including participation in Broward County Public Schools’ Student Enrichment Through the Arts (SEAS) program and a formal collaboration with the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where a graduate conducting student serves as the Master Chorale’s Assistant Conductor.
Community engagement is woven throughout our work, using music as a catalyst for connection, belonging, and shared experience. Summer Sing offers a free, participatory opportunity for community members to experience choral rehearsal firsthand, welcoming new singers and curious newcomers alike. Comfort & Joy, our annual holiday concert, brings together diverse seasonal traditions through a thoughtfully curated program that blends beloved classics with lesser-known and contemporary works. Concerts for a Cause connect performance with purpose by partnering with other nonprofits to raise awareness and support in our community, with recent collaborations including the Museum of Discovery and Science, Nat King Cole Generation Hope, SunServe’s youth program, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Contracted Performances broaden our reach and support organizational sustainability. Highlights include over a decade of tours with Andrea Bocelli and performances with New World Symphony, such as War Requiem (recently ranked the #1 performance in South Florida Classical Review’s “Top Ten Performances of 2025”) and A Survivor From Warsaw, as well as local community engagements. These opportunities bring exceptional choral music into diverse spaces, deepen artistic partnerships, and strengthen the Chorale’s financial health and long-term stability.
Looking Ahead
Led by an engaged Board of Directors and guided by a three-year strategic planning cycle, decisions are shaped by four consistent priorities: drive artistry, build community, strengthen capacity, and elevate visibility. This ensures that our programming is bold and purposeful, our relationships are deep and lasting, and our organization remains resilient and sustainable.
With every interaction, the Master Chorale brings people together to find their voice and create something meaningful. We welcome all who wish to join us on our journey, by attending a concert, supporting our mission, singing with us, or partnering in this shared work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Brett Karlin, Artistic Director and Conductor
Praised for performances that are “eloquent and deeply felt,” and for leading “another milestone” in South Florida’s choral landscape (South Florida Classical Review), Brett Karlin has established himself as a conductor of remarkable versatility and depth. Under his direction, the Master Chorale of South Florida has been hailed as presenting “one of the most satisfying classical music events…in a decade of South Florida concert going” (Palm Beach ArtsPaper).
Now in his 12th season with the Master Chorale, Karlin continues to shape the ensemble into one of the region’s premier artistic forces. The 2025-2026 season, Power & Passion, brings together majestic works by Handel and Mozart, holiday traditions, collaborations with New World Symphony, a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, and a season finale that blends art and nature in Mass for the Endangered and a world-premiere commission by Marques L. A. Garrett.
Karlin’s work has also achieved national recognition. As Assistant Conductor for Seraphic Fire, he contributed to the Grammy-nominated A Seraphic Fire Christmas and served as Assistant Chorus Master and singer for the ensemble’s recording of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem (London version), which also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance.
Beyond his leadership with the Master Chorale, Karlin has held positions as Artistic Director of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, Music Director of the Broward Symphony Orchestra, and Chorus Master for Florida Grand Opera. He has also guest conducted a wide variety of choral, orchestral, and academic ensembles, including The Symphonia, Lynn Philharmonia, and Seraphic Fire.
“The chorus’ stellar singing was a tribute to director Brett Karlin whose tenure with the ensemble has been transformational.”
— South Florida Classical Review, War Requiem, March 2025
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.masterchoraleofsouthflorida.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masterchoraleofsouthflorida/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masterchoraleofsouthflorida
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@masterchoraleofsouthflorida
Image Credits
Alex Markow
