Concert Music for Concert Choir

Christopher Tin : Astronomy

To Shiver the Sky is an oratorio about the history of flight, and mankind's quest to conquer the heavens. Told through the words of 11 of our greatest astronomers, inventors, visionaries and pilots, it charts our relentless need to explore the universe, defy our earthly bonds, reach for the face of God, and ultimately claim our place among the stars. It is sung in English, Latin, Italian, German, French, Polish, Russian, and Sanskrit. This is the fifth movement of the work entitled, Astronomy.

Composer: Christopher Tin

Shawn Kirchner : Hard Times Come Again No More

A banjo-like piano accompaniment and expressive fiddle stylings lend folk authenticity to this plaintive and moving choral setting of Stephen Foster's classic song Hard Times Come Again No More. the text is set in simplicity and in fullness, by turns, as the expression of the words demand, with individual vocal parts always retaining a naturalness of line that create a rich, harmonic composite when combined with the orther parts.

Arranger: Shawn Kirchner | Composer: Stephen Foster

Christopher Tin : Hope Is the Thing With Feathers

Emily Dickinson's poem on the fragility of nature, as well as our own hand in its destruction, finds a elegiac tone in this original piece from Baba Yetu composer Christopher Tin. Palo Alto High School, Tin's alma mater, commissioned this deeply melodic composition in celebration of their centennial in 2018.

Composer: Christopher Tin

Now available for SATB! Composed to teach three essential music and dance styles: the Cuban son, the Puerto Rican Plena, and the Dominican Merengue. These are each specific in Caribbean music expressions. Movement suggestions to reflect the musical style along with teaching strategies are provided in the insightful page 2 notes.

Composer: Juan Tony Guzman

Shawn Kirchner burst on to the scene with three early American songs from his collection Heavenly Home. Each of the three songs were published separately--Hallelujah, Angel Band, Unclouded Day. Here they are all together as they were originally intended in a real value package. Program as a set or individually.

Arranger: Shawn Kirchner

This is an evocative, folk-like setting of Yeats' poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree. The modal vocal writing is both simple and sophisticated and always expressive of the yearning in Yeats' words.

Composer: Shawn Kirchner

This beautiful text by Canadian poet Bliss Carman speaks to themes of peace, thankfulness and humility. The texture is mostly homophonic with brief sections of divisi to illuminate colors and images in the text. There are short passages for SSA and TBB that add interest in color and texture and also offer opportunity to feature sections.

Composer: Matthew Emery

This folk song arrangement expresses the dispersed Jewish community's hope for reunion next year in Jerusalem. It is comprised of two distinct sections: a newly-composed, sorrowful theme, expressive of unrequited longing, and the traditional folk song itself, lively with excitement and hope.

Arranger: Shawn Kirchner

Here is a collection of three of the most popular spirituals in the repertoire. Down To The River To Pray, Deep River and In That Great Gettin'-up Morning are arranged for success. Numbers 1 & 3 are a cappella while the slow and powerful no. 2 (Deep River) has piano accompaniment. This set of 3 is a real value for your choral budget.

Arranger: Dean Rishel

Now available for TTBB choir, this enduring gospel favorite is set with a straight-forward first verse and chorus. The next two verses combine traditional bluegrass vocal style with counterpoint and fugue, resulting in a crescendo of excitement.

Composer: Shawn Kirchner