Hooray for Hollywood: Choral SoundPax

Andy Beck's arrangement cracks the code on what makes this tune work for choirs: it's celebratory without being oversimplified, and the full instrumental palette (complete with mallets and synth) transforms a concert into a genuine production moment. Directors get a piece that sings beautifully, moves with theatrical confidence, and gives singers genuine ownership of a beloved standard.

Opening onto a stage flooded with marquee lights. The arrangement sparkles with jazz harmonies and propulsive rhythms, capturing the swagger and romance of Old Hollywood while keeping genuine musicality front and center. Your singers will feel like they're stepping into a 1930s film production.

This works for intermediate to advanced high school or college choirs ready to engage with theater-style performance. It's equally valuable for community choirs and show choirs seeking a showstopper with genuine musical depth beneath the flash.

• Balance the vocal line against the ensemble sound; the instrumental arrangement is full enough to bury the choir if tempos drag or dynamics blur.
• Use the movement and staging suggestions to build energy across the arrangement; this piece rewards physical commitment from your singers.
• Lock the rhythm section (mallets and percussion) early in rehearsal so the harmonic foundation sits solidly before layering in the vocal parts.

Anchor a movie-themed concert or use it as an opener that sets a sophisticated, entertainment-forward tone for the evening. The movement and staging elements make it work equally well in pops concerts or as a bridge between classical and contemporary programming.

• Singing over a full jazz-inflected harmonic palette
• Rhythmic precision in syncopated passages
• Stage blocking and choreography integration
• Balancing blend with clear diction in an ensemble sound
• Working confidently with recorded accompaniment