Suggestions for Choral Adjudications Thursday, January 24, 2013
The beginning of 2013 is a perfect opportunity to look back at what your students have learned so far this school year, and to look forward to the new and exciting musical challenges you will present to them in the coming months. As you prepare for your upcoming concerts, festivals or adjudicated events, Stanton’s School Choral Music staff would like to recommend these repertoire choices, carefully chosen from many new and classic publications as “the best of the best!”
For advanced SATB groups, Richard Burchard’s O Vos Omnes featured rich tone color and thick harmonic writing for a cappella divisi voices. The Tiger by Lauren Bernofsky is an exciting choice for developing groups – an energetic, inventive and rhythmically vibrant work, your choir will explore the full spectrum of dynamics, technique and emotional expressiveness. Feature a lovely folksong setting with Song of the River, arranged by Mark Patterson, or a classic choral standard such as Felix Mendelssohn’s charming Mailied.
Capable treble choirs will excel with Johannes Brahms’ Die Mainacht, a lush and expressive setting of a beautiful text, and younger groups can work on part-singing and ensemble skills with the expressive I lift my eyes by Bob Chilcott or I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, a pensive setting of a William Wordsworth text. Michelle Roueche’s arrangement of Shout All Over God’s Heaven is another strong choice for advanced groups – it’s a perfect encore or program closer!
The classic Robert Shaw/Alice Parker arrangement of Saints Bound for Heaven is nicely adapted for a cappella men’s voices – a great choice for accomplished ensembles – or try John Farmer’s madrigal Fair Phyllis. For younger choirs, Regina Coeli by Dan Davison offers a dramatic setting of the classic Latin text, or try the expressive beauty of Victor Johnson’s Where Dwells the Soul of My Love?
Click here for all of our suggestions for select pieces for adjudicated events – while we have specifically geared these selections to be appropriate for Ohio Music Education Association events, this quality repertoire is sure to be successful on any spring concert or other event as well! For even more recommendations, please contact us.