Via Nova Chorale finds a new way following its merger with Choral Artists

If you’re a fan of choral music, you’ve got options in Sarasota. But if you’re a snowbird or a newcomer, you might not know what they are because the names have changed.

Key Chorale remains Sarasota’s largest choral group, with about 100 singers. Led by Joseph Caulkins, it will present nearly a dozen performances in the 2025-26 season, some in tandem with other arts groups.

The second largest group is called Via Nova Chorale. In June it merged with Choral Artists of Sarasota, following the retirement of Joseph Holt as artistic director after 16 years.

Via Nova Chorale was previously known as Musica Sacra but changed its name after Steven Philips was named artistic director in 2024. With the recent merger, Via Nova Chorale now has about 50 singers. It will perform four concerts this season, which it has dubbed “Finding a new way together.” (Via Nova means “new way” in Italian.)

Following the reorganization of Sarasota’s choral music scene, there are two main organizations led by men whose first names are Joseph and Steven. This is a great relief to those who had trouble keeping track of the two men called Joe who led Key Chorale and Choral Artists. Some newbies confused the two groups themselves.

The first concert of Via Nova’s 2025-26 season is called “Living This Moment in Time.” With music by Handel, Jerome Kern and Bob Dylan, the eclectic program aims to inspire the audience to respect the past, embrace the present and envision a compassionate future.

To Phillips, who is deeply rooted in religious tradition, these are not hollow platitudes.

Finding a home at First Presbyterian Church

All of Via Nova’s concerts this season will take place at First Presbyterian Church, where Phillips is director of music, a position he has held for nearly a decade.

Having access to First Presbyterian as a performance and rehearsal venue is a godsend for Via Nova since it avoids the need to rent spaces. However, it must be acknowledged that Choral Artists’ programs, some of which were patriotic in nature, attracted a full house, especially at the Sarasota Opera House.

Earlier in his wide-ranging career, Holt served as principal pianist for 20 years at the U.S. Army Chorus in Washington, D.C., which performs for U.S. Presidents, military officials and political leaders from around the world. This musical pedigree helped Choral Artists attract a fan base among active military personnel and veterans in the Sarasota area.

By contrast, Phillips has an ecclesiastical background. He grew up in a small Georgia town near Savannah and learned to play music by ear. He earned an undergraduate degree in organ, beginning at Florida State and finishing at Covenant College, a Presbyterian institution. “When organ is your major, you do a lot of church music,” Phillips explains.

He is also a skilled improviser, which grew out of learning to play music by ear instead of sight reading. Later in his life, Phillips earned two master’s degrees — one in choral conducting and one in religious studies. “I considered being a minister but my best gifts are in music,” he says.

During his musical studies, Phillips discovered jazz and fell in love. With its tradition of improvisation, it allowed him to branch out from religious music and become more experimental in his musical pursuits. “I’m a late bloomer in a way,” he says.

Phillips’ background and beliefs are reflected in Via Nova’s mission statement: “We exist to inspire new ways to be together as one human family with the power of music.”

Preserving the legacy of Choral Artists is something that Phillips takes very seriously. Part of the merger involved taking possession and responsibility for 46 years of recordings and hard copies of music stored in a warehouse off Bee Ridge Road. Fortunately for Phillips, there was excess space at First Presbyterian Church on Oak Street for the musical archives.

“In order to accomplish the merger, we had to take on more expense and store the recordings of 46 years of excellent choral music. That was the one thing that meant a lot to Joe (Holt),” Phillips says.

Phillips acknowledges the loss of Choral Artists’ name recognition, but hopes to build Via Nova’s brand among music aficionados as well as those looking for spiritual inspiration in a troubled, confusing world. He doesn’t want the choir’s church home base to deter music lovers turned off by organized religion.

“This isn’t a Presbyterian organization,” explains Phillips. “We’re open-ended in our quest of making the world better.”

This mixed bag of political and spiritual beliefs is best reflected in Via Nova’s May 1, 2026 encore performance of last year’s Jazz Mass for a New Humanity. The program juxtaposes Judeo-Christian texts with sacred scripts from other traditions as well as poetry by Maya Angelou, Wendell Berry and others.

Besides Via Nova’s chorus of 50, the concert features a jazz ensemble and vocalist Maicy Powell, whom Phillips first discovered at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.

Another encore performance is Via Nova’s Celtic Christmas concert, now in its 10th year. This year’s program is presented jointly with First Presbyterian Church Choir and The Lubben Brothers Band, the multitalented triplets whose mind-blowing command of genres and instruments has generated quite a following.

Of course, no Celtic concert would be complete without the sounds of a piper. Kevin Wiegand is happy to oblige.