Winter Holiday Rep Ideas from our Repertoire & Resource Coordinators
Youth - Adrian Maclin
Coming soon
Children/Community Youth - Mary Biddlecombe
Amy Bernon – studied composition with Martin Bresnick, Robert Carl, Jacob Druckman, and Libby Larsen among others. Amy has taught music at The Taft School in Watertown, CT and at the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, MA. She is the founding director of the Alamanda Women’s Choir and former director of the Litchfield County Children’s Choir. | My students are working on this piece right now. I’m trying to go back to basics for a bit while we learn to sing again. This piece works on legato line, text stress, observing rests, holding notes for their full duration, a little bit of divisi but mostly unison singing. They’re finding their voices again with this piece which is exactly what I need right now. My students who are singing this piece are in 5 – 8th grades. |
Victor C. Johnson – Victor C. Johnson, a native of Dallas, Texas, is the School Choral Editor for SING!, the educational publishing division of Choristers Guild. A prolific composer and arranger, he has over 350 choral works, vocal solo books, and keyboard collections currently in print. | I have taught several different voicings of this piece over the years. Students love to sing it and audiences enjoy its beauty as well. Teachable tools are legato line, dynamics, foreign language and pure vowels. |
Jim Papoulis – New York City-based Jim Papoulis composes, orchestrates, and conducts music for dance, film, ensembles, and choirs. His compositions are known for exploring new modes of musical communication by honoring and connecting classical and traditional forms with non-Western sounds. Jim’s distinct and ever-evolving approach unites classical with contemporary sounds, world rhythms, R&B, and voices, while combining live instruments with current composing and recording technology. | We learned this piece virtually last spring. We were able too come together to sing for 2 rehearsals and in that time, the students demonstrated such complete knowledge of this piece! It lends itself well to simple choralography to facilitate learning, there is clapping, singing in Spanish as well as in English. The students loved singing it and looked forward to it each week. Parents said their children were singing it all the time! It has a wonderful message about making a difference. My students were in 2nd – 4th grades. |
Jr. High/Middle School Choirs - Elicia Garcia Curry
“Dona Nobis Pacem” by Mary Lynn Lightfoot //www.jwpepper.com/Dona-Nobis-Pacem/1963586.item#.YXBwntnMLfU Mary Lynn Lightfoot has a background in teaching in both public and private schools. She received a BME from Truman State University. She now serves at the Founding Editor of the new educational choral line for Choristers Guild: Sing! Distinctive Choral Music for Classroom, Concert and Festival. | This selection is great for any time of year. I have programmed it for fall festivals or concerts earlier in the year with 7th and 8th grade treble (SSA) or spring semester with 6th grade treble singers (Two-part). Harmonies are well supported by a beautiful piano accompaniment and the piece is always well received by students and audience members alike. |
“Clap and Sing, Join Together!” by Victor C. Johnson //www.jwpepper.com/Clap-and-Sing%2C-Join-Together%21/10810588.item#.YXBwWtnMLfU Victor C. Johnson is a native of Dallas, TX an attended University of Texas at Arlington where he majored music education with an emphasis in organ. He served as the choral director at Ft. Worth Academy of Fine Arts for 18 years. He also served as the Artistic Director for the Children’s Choir of Texas. | I programmed this piece for my community Children’s Chorale (grades 3-8, Treble voices) fall concert. In just ten rehearsals, they were able to bring this piece together. This piece is mostly unison with some harmony throughout which allows for great pacing when teaching the selection. Student LOVED the addition of the claps. |
“African Noel” by Victor C. Johnson | I’ve programmed this piece in the past for our annual Winter Concert with my 8th grade SATB choir. The students loved the percussion with this selection and connected with the rhythmic drive. The way the parts are layered make this a great piece for young singers to perform and experience success. This piece works well for SATB choirs with limited ranges. |
High School Choirs - Trey Jacobs
Ave Maria Composer – Javier Busto JWPepper # 1980366 | This is a gorgeous setting of the Ave Maria text. It is very accessible for a mixed high school choir. Although a piano part is written, I have always performed this piece without accompaniment. There is some divisi in the Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts, but is very manageable for an intermediate to advanced choir. Busto’s use of dynamics creates the drama in the piece and allows for great expressivity. |
Desh (An Indian Raga) Arranged by Ethan Sperry JWPepper # 10030083 | Desh is an exciting piece that is a wonderful introduction to Indian music. Ethan Sperry’s arrangement uses a traditional Raga or particular scale as well as rhythmic solfege, where the rhythm is spoken on particular syllables. The piece begins slowly as a lullaby and moves to a faster tempo in cut time using a melody that is traditionally used as a game to teach children this particular scale. This piece is for an advanced mixed choir. The meter changes and interval leaps are a challenge. However, once it falls into place, it is thrilling. My students loved singing Desh. |
Gloria Fanfare Composer – Jeffery L. Ames JWPepper # 10090797 | Gloria Fanfare is an exciting piece that I used to open our Winter Concert two years ago. This piece is composed by our very own, Dr. Jeffery Ames, from Belmont University, and former TN ACDA President. Gloria Fanfare is composed for SATB divisi Chorus, Keyboard, Treble Descant, 2 Trumpets with optional Brass and Percussion. The piece opens with all voices singing unaccompanied on an A major triad. The tenors and basses sing a 4-part rhythmic ostinato while the sopranos and altos sing a gorgeous melodic line above. Dr. Ames interweaves the Latin text “Gloria in excelsis” with an English text of invitation. When I performed this piece, I used every singer in my program. I did not use the trumpets with my high school choirs. However, Dr. Ames has set this piece for TTBB Choir as well, and I conducted that version with the Turtle Creek Chorale and used the trumpets and percussion. I had a trumpet fanfare composed and positioned trumpets on both sides of the hall in a Herald Trumpet fashion leading into “Gloria Fanfare.” |
TTBB Choirs - Alan Stevens
Victor C. Johnson – Dallas based composer and organist. He is very prolific and composes outstanding sacred and secular works.
| This is a very accessible piece that can be done by high school tenors/basses or collegiate and community choirs. It has optional divisi in the bass/baritone – making it a good option for younger groups with less low voices. My college group loved the legato melody over the rhythmic piano, and the oboe part adds a beautiful harmonic element (it could be performed on any C instrument if oboe is not available). It’s a wonderful piece that can be used for a variety of TB ensembles. I encourage conductors to check out all of Victor’s large catalog of music!
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Jacob Narverud – currently a full time composer based in Kansas. Known for an eclectic compositional style.
| I commissioned this piece from Jake in 2020 for the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus. (Jake is one of the nicest humans on the planet!) The text is a beautiful poem by Robert Bode about how lonely and isolated we all feel at times – cut off by darkness from each other. We all need to be a “patch of light” to illuminate the connections between us. The light helps us to overcome the darkness, hate, and differences in each of us to build a “new song without hate and fear.” It is a powerful piece that perfectly blends together classical choral singing with pop/rock styles. High school students will LOVE this piece – and even though this recommendation is TTBB, he has voiced it for all choral ensemble types.
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Craig Courtney – currently on faculty at Capital University
| This is a stunningly beautiful piece for TB choir (although it is available for SATB and SSAA). It is for a more advanced ensemble, collegiate or community. The text is Christmas, but not so direct as to be unusable in a more secular concert. The piece builds to a powerful climax and finishes with a gentle ending that will melt your singers and your audience. If you can add the optional string quartet, it’s even better. I have done this piece multiple times, and my choirs request to do it again and again. It’s always a winner for both the choir and the audience.
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SSAA Choirs - Angela Tipps
Rosephanye Powell (composer, conductor, and professor of voice at Auburn University) | This piece teaches itself! Starting in unison, then building to four parts, it’s the perfect concert opener. The contrasting B section provides opportunity to work on diction and crispness of tone, and the rhythmic piano part reinforces the energy of the whole piece. |
Sarah Quartel (Canadian composer and educator who writes fresh texts and music, especially for treble voices) | Sarah Quartel has a gift for writing texts and tunes that inspire singers. The soaring melodies and gentle suspensions of this piece are simply magical to rehearse and perform. The words provide hope in the changes that come in life, and the piano part is just beautiful. An excellent transition piece from more serious to lighter music within the concert. |
Vijay Singh (professor at Central Washington University; composes in a variety of genres, from traditional to jazz) | The text is the Gloria from the Ordinary of the Mass, so it’s not specifically Christmas and therefore extremely versatile. It’s two-part, can be used by SA or TB voices (or both), and appropriate from high school to collegiate or community choruses. Excellent processional possibilities as it is unaccompanied. Easy to put together. |
World Music - Dave Ragland
Coming soon.
Contemporary & Commercial Choirs - Daniel Massey
By Nadine McKinnor and Donny Hathaway SATB Arr. Paul Langford | “This Christmas”, made famous by soul singer, Donny Hathaway, and arranged here by Paul Langford is a fun holiday piece that your students will love to rehearse and perform! You may need a strong tenor section as they carry the famous melody during the chorus. A great idea for rehearsing this piece is to separate students into quartets and have each group sing a section individually. This will encourage singers to figure out their own methods of tuning each chord throughout the piece. Feel free to add in some fp crescendos for some extra flair wherever you see fit too! After a little hard work, this piece is sure to turn into something that is sure to put a smile on the faces of everyone in your audience! |
by Milton Delugg and Willie Stein Made famous by Nat King Cole Arr. Deke Sharon | If you’ve been wanting to challenge your basses, here’s the piece for your group! The jazzy walking bass line is easily the most difficult part of the arrangement, but the work will be well-worth the effort once you see how big of a hit this arrangement is with your audiences. The solo throughout the piece is a nice stylistic departure from the typical contemporary/commercial repertoire, and it’s easily dividable into multiple solo opportunities for your singers. This Nat King Cole classic just seems to transcend time, and Deke Sharon does the piece justice with this arrangement. |
By Naughty Boy Feat. Beyonce And Arrow Benjamin Arr. Jon Smith SSAA w divisi
| This incredibly dynamic piece was written for my a cappella group, Key Of She, a few years ago and truly is an incredible work of art. Jon Smith does a wonderful job with the “build up”, and your audience members will be sure to love this piece as ours did! As with a lot of contemporary/commercial pop a cappella music, there are many parts to learn, and it requires some strong vocal independence. I remember starting rehearsals with the bridge section so my singers could experience the sheer energy of that final chord shift before the chorus. I knew they’d be able to experience immediate success with this section and get an idea of what this piece had to offer. “Runnin’” was typically an opener for our set because of its high energy and our confidence in performing it, and that’s why it remains one of our greatest hits! |
Collegiate Choirs - Thomas Lerew
Sing We Now of Christmas Noël Nouvelet tune Arr. James E. Clemens (b.1966)
| This is a lively unaccompanied concert opener of a popular traditional Christmas tune. The selection’s straight strophic form easily yields itself to “chunking” over the course of several rehearsals. Similarly, the arranger often sets counter melodies that are easily rehearsed separately from the theme as duets or trios of voice parts. The piece bears limited divisi making it accessible to smaller choirs. |
Composer: Claude Le Jeune (1528-1600) | Revecy’ is a challenging 5-part chanson. The tessitura of some voice parts would allow both male and female voices to sing some of the inner parts of the score. Though scored unaccompanied, performance practice allows for optional non-traditional accompaniment forces such as lute and recorder that can play along with the voices or replace the voices in some refrains adding variety to this spirited strophic composition. Your singers will enjoy its buoyant, rhythmic drive and the creative combinations of voices and optional instrumentation. |
I Lift Up Mine Eyes to the Hills Composer: Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) (unavailable at JWPepper) —
| “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes to the Hills” is an accessible, yet powerful three-movement, 18-minute ‘cantata’ for SATB choir and tenor soloist. Both orchestral and a sophisticated piano reduction accompaniment are available. The texts come from Psalms 121, 13, and 23. Each psalm sets a sharp contrast in mood. Hailstork’s beautiful use of text painting, creative use of rhythm in setting the texts, and robust vocal style will captive both the students as they prepare the music and audiences in performance. |
Lifelong Choirs - Robert King
South African Freedom song Arr. Anders Nyberg SATB a cappella | Singers love to sing it. Audiences love to hear it It is a quick teach.
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arr. Iris Levine SATB a cappella | The infectious rhythm and melodies creates an almost self-propulsion. The ranges are accessible and the energy of the writing promotes better tone because the singers move the breathing apparatus with more vigor. It’s basically a lot of fun, and good music with a solid text. |
Sally Albrecht SSAB a cappella | Layers and repetition make this workable for that choir that has only a handful of Tenor Basses, with an accessible part for sopranos |
Of the Father’s Love Begotten(Divinum Mysterium) 13th c. Plainsong chant arr. by Paul Wolgemuth SATB a cappella | If approached with an understanding of the natural rise and fall of the chant melody, this piece is one of the greatest in elevating the musicality of a group. Works with Jr. High through Adult. |
The Word Was God Rosephanye Powell | Makes developing singers/talent sound impressive. Good writing with enough repetition to be taught quickly. |
Music & Worship - Matthew Phelps
I Heard the Voice of Jesus SayRichard Shephard
Richard Shephard was a prolific British composer, educator, and Director of Development and Chamberlain of York Minster. He recently passed away in February.
| This piece is excellent for all types of church choirs, especially those that need opportunities to improve singing without accompaniment. It is a well-constructed melody, and part writing makes it accessible but not simple. The middle verse can be sung by a soloist or the entire soprano section at the director’s discretion. The text is useable for multiple occasions.
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Mark Miller
Mark Miller is Assistant Professor of Church Music at Drew Theological Seminary and one of the most prolific church music composers working today.
| This piece is not “new,” but I always come back to it. Good settings of Advent texts can be challenging to find—and if your church tries to hold on to Advent through the season like West End, that can make finding choral music challenging. With its SAB voicing, Miller’s setting can work for multiple types of choirs—especially smaller adult choirs and youth choirs. The setting is beautiful with a melodic gospel sense. It is pleasing in all ways—easy to rehearse and enjoyable to perform.
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Amy Beach
Amy Beach (1867-1944) is recognized as one of the first notable American woman composers.
| Amy Beach wrote scores of sacred choral music throughout her life, but few pieces specifically for Christmas. The other two pieces are “Constant Christmas” and “Bethlehem.” (“Bethlehem” is also available on IMSLP, but “Constant Christmas” is not. All three are out of print and in the public domain) For SATB choir and organ, “Peace on Earth” is an original setting of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” The first section is slow and expressive. The concluding section is exciting, with Beach painting the picture of the new heaven and earth. The middle section is a beautiful duet for soprano and alto—a hallmark of her style. The piece is moderately challenging, and you need fine soloists for the middle section. The challenge is worth it, though, especially if you would like a new take on a familiar text and have soloists you’d like to feature. |
Community Choirs - John Orr
There Is No Rose – Connor Koppin Connor J. Koppin is an award-winning composer and conductor with published titles among several publishers. | The Knoxville Chamber Chorale has returned to this piece several times over the last few years as both and audience and ensemble favorite. The macaronic text, elegant harmonies and satisfying vocal lines are a joy to sing and conduct. The piece has several moments that require careful chord balancing to be most effective, but each voice part gets a sweet spot within the piece to really shine. |
Fürchtet euch nicht – Johann Michael Bach The score is free on CPDL | This work by J. M. Bach is for 8 part double choir that can be used in multiple configurations, two quartets, quartet/large ensemble, small ensemble/large ensemble, or two equal ensembles. It can be done antiphonally or together. It is equally effective unaccompanied, or accompanied by continuo, and/or instrumental doubling. In the second section of the work, both groups join forces in standard SATB. After the division and imitation of the first section, the entrance of the unified sopranos on the chorale tune can be quite stunning. All voice parts have interesting vocal lines and opportunities for artistic beauty using the text for phrase shape. The German text is based on Luke 2:10-11 |
A Merry Olde Christmas – Gary Fry Available from the composer for purchase or rental | I have used this work a couple of times as a concert opener. To be most effective, this work requires the orchestral accompaniment. Originally commissioned for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the parts are advanced for the orchestra, but intermediate for the chorus. This work is best for a large community or combined choirs type of concert to balance the orchestra, but sets a festive, welcoming tone for a evening of holiday music. |