Embraceable You: Concert Band Conductor Score

Warren Barker's orchestration captures the sweetness of this Gershwin standard without overshadowing the melody, making it an ideal feature for a capable soloist. The Grade 4 scoring gives your ensemble a chance to support something genuinely famous, and audiences light up the moment the tune enters. It's the kind of concert moment that reminds people why they came.

Warmth and intimacy in the midst of full orchestration. The melody floats with natural grace over lush harmonic support, evoking the elegance of 1930s Broadway while remaining approachable and emotionally direct.

Bands with a capable vocal soloist or a strong E-flat or B-flat player who can carry a lyrical, sustained melodic line. This works beautifully for programs that mix concert band standards with accessible popular music that audiences recognize and love.

• Balance the ensemble accompaniment carefully during the soloist's entrance; this is their moment, and the band should sit comfortably underneath rather than compete for attention.
• Shape the melody with the soloist through gentle phrase arches, avoiding the trap of treating it as a parade march despite the concert band setting.
• Let the tempo breathe slightly at cadential moments to let the lyrical quality come through; Gershwin's harmonies reward a touch of rubato.
• Check that your woodwind voicings in the inner parts are clearly voiced; they provide harmonic color that makes this arrangement sing.

Place this early in a concert to set a sophisticated tone, or use it as a palate cleanser between heavier contemporary works. It pairs well on programs that feature American songbook material or that aim to reach audiences beyond the typical concert band crowd.

• Accompanying a solo voice or instrument with ensemble sensitivity
• Sustaining harmonic color across multiple phrases
• Balancing lyrical expression within a large ensemble texture
• Playing with transparency in inner parts while maintaining full sound