For some, dedicating one’s life to one’s art is a choice deliberately made when the proverbial path of life meets its fork in the road. For the rarer few, the opposite occurs: it’s as if the artform does the choosing, and, in return, the soul surrenders.
Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, who serves as the artistic and executive director of Albany Pro Musica as well as the choir’s conductor, is one of those few.
“I often feel like music chose me,” says Flores-Caraballo. A minister’s son, he grew up immersed in the music of the church. By age 10, he had learned to play the organ and was performing for the congregation. By age 12, he was already becoming a leader, conducting the church’s choir—of adults.
“It was a way-too-early start,” Flores-Caraballo says with gentle humor. “But it was an important experience, because when you’re hands-on with music so early, there’s so much you gain from that.”
His early introduction to music prepared him for all that would come: attending the Conservatory of Music in his native Puerto Rico, pursuing graduate studies in both conducting and the organ at University of Illinois, earning a doctoral degree in choral conducting and sacred music, and then going on to lead prize-winning choral programs in Puerto Rico and across the mainland United States.
His most recent outpost before the Capital Region? Vero Beach, FL, where, over the course of a decade, he founded and directed three auditioned community choral groups before he and his wife made the conscious choice to start a new chapter in the Northeast.
“In the Northeast, there’s a great history and tradition of people valuing education and music,” he says. “That was, to me, an important factor. And then, of course, once I learned about the wonderful journey and trajectory of Albany Pro Musica, I thought,‘That’s where I need to be.’”
That decision was made 11 years ago, and, in the time since, Flores-Caraballo has built upon Albany Pro Musica’s esteemed legacy, bringing it into the spotlight as one of the nation’s best choirs by embracing challenge, innovation, and education—and leading with a sense of reverence and gratitude for his singers.
“They take time from their busy lives not only to work hard in rehearsals for several concerts a year, but they also need to put in a lot of time at home because of the high expectations,” he says. Most of the singers are finding this time while also juggling demanding, full-time careers.
“As someone who dedicates his life to the choral art—to see this kind of passion from your singers is heartwarming,” he says. “I feel a sense of gratitude when I am in front of this group of devoted, talented singers. Many of them could have a career as a soloist, and they choose to be in a choir, to be part of a larger community, to produce uplifting programs for this place we call home. So that is, to me, the highest motivation of being here.”
While following the music has taken Flores-Caraballo across the country, he remains struck by the sense of community and civic engagement that is so especially vibrant throughout the Capital Region.
“It is also very humbling and inspiring to see members of this community who volunteer their time and their gifts—I’m talking of their talents and their treasure—to support an organization for no other reason than saying,‘We love the choral
arts. We love the performing arts. We want to be part of this,’” says Flores-Caraballo. “I even have some important donors who never come to a concert. They’re members of the business community, and they tell me, ‘Music is not my thing. However, I see what you’re doing. I know how important this is for this community. We would not be a vibrant community without the arts, and I want you to succeed.’This community was the first time I encountered that.”
This season, which marks Albany Pro Musica’s 45th, will kick off in July with performances at the University of Albany and Skidmore College as part of the Pro Musica International Choral Festival, which is being hosted this year by UAlbany. Then, on August 7 and 14, the chorus will join the Philadelphia Orchestra for special performances of Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Verdi’s Requiem, respectively, at SPAC.
For Flores-Caraballo, music is at its most powerful when it has meaning. That’s why he set the intention for most of this year’s season to focus on one of our time’s most important issues: the protection of our planet.
“Music is powerful, no doubt, but when when you put together a narrative—a message of something you want to communicate—then it becomes twice as powerful,” he says. “And that’s what we try to do. We try to have evocative programs. We have to look at the issues around us, and we try to connect in a deeply personal way with our audience. And that’s what we expect to do once again.”
