It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas (arr. Jo Annemans): SSMAA Choral Octavo

Jo Annemans strips this holiday standard down to essential elegance with SSMAA voicing, creating a piece that sings beautifully without requiring impossible ranges. The arrangement respects the song's gentle sophistication while remaining accessible enough for mixed choirs with limited soprano depth.

Intimate and contemporary, like opening your front door on a winter evening with soft lights and live music playing nearby. The arrangement breathes with the ease of a great vocal group, never pushing but always present.

Choirs seeking a sophisticated holiday selection that avoids oversaturation and demands genuine musicianship from singers. This works equally well for secular ensembles, community groups, and school choirs aiming for something beyond traditional carols.

• Balance the melody across your soprano and alto lines; this voicing requires careful blending between the two upper voices to avoid one overwhelming the other.
• Shape the harmonic motion with subtle dynamic swells rather than sudden changes. These jazz-inflected chords reward soft pressure and vocal warmth.
• Let the ensemble breathe together at natural phrase breaks. Bublé's phrasing style relies on space and air to land his phrasing choices effectively.

Pair this with one traditional carol and a contemporary secular piece to create a compelling holiday set that speaks to modern audiences. An eleven-page selection of this caliber works beautifully as a closer or second-half opener, giving audiences a moment to settle into a more relaxed musical space.

• Blending soprano and alto lines in tight harmonic writing
• Phrasing within a jazz-influenced harmonic language
• Maintaining consistent tone across syllables in legit vocal style
• Balancing independence and unison within a five-part texture