Eriks Ešenvalds - Selected Songs for Mixed Choir, Volume 3: SSATTBB Choir

This collection gathers pieces that have proven themselves in rehearsals and performances across dozens of ensembles and seasons. Ešenvalds writes for SSATTBB with genuine architectural clarity; the six voices never feel crowded, and divisi passages emerge naturally from the harmonic language rather than as added complexity.

Intimate without being fragile. These songs often feel like overheard conversations or remembered moments; the writing is direct and human-scaled, yet the harmonic language creates depth and nuance that rewards repeated listening. Ešenvalds does not strain for profundity, and that restraint is exactly what makes the pieces moving.

Ensembles with solid four-part foundation skills who are ready to work with six independent lines. This collection serves both concert programming and repertoire-building for groups that have moved beyond SSA and SATB standards.

• Allow the suspended and added-note harmonies to ring fully; these chords reward singers who listen inward and adjust tuning moment to moment rather than locking into vertical alignment immediately.
• Shape phrases by the arc of text rather than by barlines. Ešenvalds often conceals his structural points beneath lyrical surfaces, so attend to where the harmonic motion actually resolves.
• Balance the six parts by ear in rehearsal rather than by dynamic marking alone. The scoring creates natural hierarchy when voices are placed acoustically with intention.

Mixed in among works from the Romantic and early modern repertoire, these pieces work as a bridge for audiences; they feel contemporary but are built on familiar harmonic and melodic principles. Consider pairing selections from this volume with a thematic program (text-based, seasonal, or emotional) rather than mixing them throughout a concert of disparate styles.

• Singing independent melodic lines within six-part texture
• Tuning suspended and altered chords without external reference
• Following phrasing shaped by text rather than meter
• Balancing six voices with acoustic awareness rather than dynamic alone
• Reading SSATTBB layout and managing divisi passages