Michael Kaulkin is active as a composer and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. His choral, orchestral and chamber works have been performed around the world, and his music has been described as “exceptionally beautiful on all counts.”
RECORDINGS
String Quartet No. 1 (“City Walks”) will appear on THROUGHLINES, a new album of contemporary chamber music from the Juventas New Music Ensemble, due out May 1, 2026 on Navona Records. Juventas will also perform the piece at the album release concert in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 2.
Available on major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, TIDAL, and Deezer, in Dolby Atmos where supported.
My arrangement of Tumbalalayka (SATB, c. 2’30”) has been performed in the US, Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Romania and other countries around the world. It is included on French vocal quartet Quatour Aesthesis’ 2022 CD O Do Not Move.
One of the most performed and beloved Yiddish folksongs. This choral setting employs the use of instrument-like sounds imitating the strumming of the balalayka, a Russian folk instrument similar to a guitar.
HIGHLIGHTS
Cycle of Friends
Soprano solo, SATB chorus, and chamber orchestra ・25’
Cycle of Friends is a lush, emotional journey through five texts taken from such diverse sources as Tang Dynasty poets Li Po & Meng Haoran, Sappho and Emily Dickinson, each dealing in its own way with the universal theme of friendship. Premiered by the Music Group of Philadelphia in 1996, the entire work can be heard via the link below.
American Standard
clarinet & piano ・9’
American Standard, a lyrical and macabre recital showpiece for clarinet and piano, is included on the U.K. label Clarinet Classics release “TIME PIECES: 60 Years of American Music” featuring clarinettist Peter Furniss and pianist David Leiher-Jones.
Most This Amazing
SATB choir, 2 pianos, & percussion ・11’30”
Newly revised in 2026, Most This Amazing is a colorful, pulse-driven setting of E. E. Cummings’ poem “i thank You God for most this amazing” – suited for strong high school, university, or community ensembles.
PERFORMANCES
(world premiere)
Collegium Choir San Francisco, CA
(world premiere)
San Rafael, CA
Westwood, MA
(East Coast premiere)
Vocalise Treble Voice Choir San Francisco, CA
for clarinet and piano