The sequins on the maestro’s coat and top hat sparkle as he walks into the spotlight of the Big Top. The audience chatters excitedly over the spectacle that awaits them.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!” he hollers in a vibrant, magnetic voice. “May I present to you, Cirque des Voix!”

Maestro Joseph Caulkins, artistic director of Sarasota’s Key Chorale, is known for his creativity and a knack for finding unknown musical masterpieces. Along with Pedro Reis founded Cirque des Voix, a circus arts ensemble that performs alongside a hundred-person choir and a live orchestra. Their shows challenge stereotypes and defy expectations, combining orchestral works with some of the finest circus acts in the world.

Alexis Ligon is a video production intern at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. She is a student at Amherst College majoring in anthropology, music, and ethnographic film.