On May 3, a multigenerational musical experience will be held at Venice Performing Arts Center with Sarasota County Schools alongside Key Chorale for Tomorrow’s Voices Today. The sixth annual collaboration will feature 100 students from Pine View, Venice and Booker High, picked by their schools to perform both separately and with 100 members of Key Chorale.

Featuring classics such as “Jubilate Deo” by Mozart and traditional South African folk songs like “Nda wana,” Joseph Caulkins, the conductor of Tomorrow’s Voices Today, selects music based off the students’ experience and to expose them to new works. “We generally choose one piece that is more of a masterwork, like a piece from Mozart,” says Caulkins, “then we try to do something they would not necessarily do with their choir at high school.”

One song that holds singular purpose in Caulkins’ mind is “Please Stay” by Jake Runestad, because of the message too often ignored. Addressing the problem of teen suicide, the composer incorporated comments associated with teen suicide and wove them into the piece. “Teen suicide is something people are thinking about, but we don’t talk about it,” Caulkins says. “It makes it more isolated.” The piece was performed last year and was brought back because of the impact it had on the audience and performers.

When the idea of Tomorrow’s Voices Today was just a seed, the message integrated in the music was not the only focus Caulkin envisioned for the event. Caulkin’s idea for the Tomorrow’s Voices Today is to show students a different opportunity after performing in a high school choir. “When you are a student there are going to be moments and experiences you have,” Caulkin says. “We hope that this is one of those moments where kids will see a whole different world of music.”

Tomorrow’s Voices Today comes to Venice Performing Arts Center for its annual performance on May 3 at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale.