Freedom (arr. Hazel Hannam): SSAB Choral Octavo

Hazel Hannam's arrangement captures the soaring optimism of the original while crafting a version that sits beautifully in the choir voice. The writing plays to ensemble strengths rather than fighting them, giving singers memorable lines that feel singable from day one while still offering interpretive richness. This is the kind of pop arrangement that makes singers genuinely excited to show up to rehearsal.

This arrangement breathes with the same sense of liberation and joy that defines the original. Singers experience the rush of performing something recognizable and beloved while discovering how much more textural and harmonic complexity lives inside a well-crafted pop arrangement.

Directors seeking contemporary pop repertoire that respects both the source material and choral writing principles will find this a strong choice. It works for mixed ability choirs since the voicing keeps the ranges comfortable while still sounding full and professional.

• Balance the harmonic texture by resisting the urge to push the alto line under the sopranos; those inner harmonies need audibility to work.
• Shape the phrasing in long arcs rather than breaking at natural speech points; the arrangement rewards connected singing across phrases.
• Reference the original recording for the rhythmic pocket, particularly in how the beat sits slightly behind the downbeat in certain sections.

Include this alongside other contemporary pop selections on a concert celebrating music from the last forty years, or pair it with the original recording as part of a unit on arrangement and interpretation. It's energetic enough to anchor a spring concert without needing to build around it.

• Balancing polyphonic texture in pop idioms
• Maintaining rhythmic precision in syncopated pop phrasing
• Sustaining legit vocal production over melodic pop material