Harmony's Never Too Late: Choral SoundPax

Flaherty and arranger Mark Hayes have created something rare: a contemporary pop anthem with genuine substance. The piece balances infectious musicality with meaningful text about acceptance and community, giving singers something substantive to perform rather than simply executing pop gestures. Three full voicings and flexible four-part scoring mean this works for choirs of varying sizes and configurations, while the robust piano, bass, and drum accompaniment feels current and energizing without demanding specialized instrumentation.

The music radiates optimism and strength without sentimentality. Flaherty's gift for memorable melody combines with a pop sensibility that feels energizing and contemporary, while Ahrens's text anchors everything in genuine emotion about acceptance and belonging. This is a piece that makes singers feel the significance of what they're performing.

This works beautifully for community choirs, educational ensembles, and church choirs seeking repertoire that speaks to modern values while maintaining musical integrity. Any four-part group can perform it effectively, whether you're working with treble, lower, or mixed voices.

• Balance the three choral voicings so that all parts remain audible; the pop accompaniment can easily overshadow lighter upper voices if the ensemble doesn't anchor the sound with confident singing throughout.
• Let the rhythm section breathe and drive the piece; these parts are written to propel the music forward, so avoid pulling back the tempo or tightening the groove.
• Shape the text as carefully as you would in a traditional choral work, even though the style is contemporary. Flaherty's partnership with Ahrens means the language about harmony and acceptance carries weight and deserves clear diction and emotional intention.

Consider this for a season-opening or season-closing concert where you want to establish an inclusive, forward-looking tone for your ensemble. It pairs well alongside both traditional and contemporary repertoire and works equally effectively as a concert opener or as part of a thematic program about community, identity, or social values.

• Singing contemporary pop styles with proper diction and phrasing
• Balancing multiple choral voicings in a dense harmonic texture
• Working with a rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) as an accompaniment ensemble
• Interpreting text that carries social and emotional meaning