Empire State Of Mind: 3-Part Mixed Choral Octavo

This arrangement captures the anthem quality of the original while making it singable for mixed voices across skill levels. The arrangement by Tim Davis and Adam Anders respects the hip-hop DNA of the piece while giving your choir genuine musical architecture to invest in. Your singers will recognize the song immediately, but the three-part writing creates real harmonic interest rather than just layering voices on a unison melody.

Confident and celebratory. The piece carries the swagger and brass-driven energy of the original track while trading the hip-hop production for vocal harmonies that feel earned rather than imposed. Singing it creates a sense of collective pride, like your choir is claiming space in the room.

Directors looking to program contemporary music that students care about and that doesn't sacrifice musical substance. This works for high school and community choirs, especially those seeking pieces that engage confident singers while remaining accessible to developing voices.

• Nail the rhythmic pocket. This song lives in its groove; work the rhythm section and vocal parts together until the timing feels inevitable, not rigid.
• Layer the dynamics with intent. The arrangement builds through repetition, so shape each section's dynamic arc separately before blending them.
• Emphasize clarity on the text, especially at faster passages. The lyrics carry the identity of the piece, so crisp consonants and intentional phrasing serve the song better than lyrical smoothness.
• Balance the harmonic parts by ear rather than by volume. In three-part mixed voicing, the middle voice often gets buried; check that all three lines sing with equal presence.

Consider placing this on a concert alongside other contemporary pieces to create a set that reflects your singers' actual musical lives. It also works as a strong closer or second-to-last selection, where the audience energy and familiarity of the source material can provide a satisfying finale without requiring a traditional finale piece.

• Rhythmic precision in syncopated figures and hip-hop inflected syncopation
• Three-part voicing balance and blend in mixed ensembles
• Text clarity and intentional phrasing in contemporary repertoire
• Understanding contemporary music arrangements and their relationship to original recordings
• Ensemble cohesion when learning popular music with strong brand recognition