Let The River Run: Choral Instrumental Pak
By Carly Simon / Arranged by Kirby Shaw
Item: 35-PK00167002
$56.00
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Description
"Let the River Run" is an Academy Award winning song by Carly Simon which was first featured in the film "Working Girl." Duration: ca. 3:05.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00167002
More about this title
About the Composer: Carly Simon
Carly Simon established herself as a songwriter and performer with remarkable emotional intelligence and craft. Her ability to weave personal narrative into universally resonant melodies made her a defining voice in 1980s popular music, and her composition "Let the River Run" earned her the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989, cementing her status as a songwriter of genuine artistic depth.
Why we love this
Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures the aspirational energy of Simon's Academy Award winner while making it accessible for mixed choral ensembles. The pop/rock sensibility stays intact without sacrificing the song's emotional core, giving your singers material that feels contemporary and singable in the same breath.
What to expect
Optimistic and propulsive without being heavy handed. The arrangement honors the song's cinematic roots while channeling the kind of uplifting determination that makes the melody so memorable. There's an earnest quality here, unironic and grounded in genuine musicality.
Who it's for
Choirs looking to program accessible pop repertoire with genuine artistic merit will find this arrangement a natural fit. The combo voicing keeps instrumentation manageable while the three-minute duration and recognizable melody make it an effective concert inclusion for audiences of all backgrounds.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the melodic line so the hopeful character of the opening stays audible even as accompaniment thickens; resist the urge to let rhythm section energy obscure the vocal narrative.
- Shape the phrase "Let the river run" as a refrain that builds incrementally each time it returns rather than repeating it identically; small dynamic adjustments across repetitions create forward motion.
- Engage the combo voicing as partners rather than background; the instrumental group is essential to the arrangement's character, so rehearse them as integral to the overall sound from the start.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a second-half opener when you want to shift energy and mood, or as a finale if your concert benefits from a contemporary, forward-looking conclusion. Pair it with other film or pop-influenced work to build thematic coherence, or use it to bridge more classical material and contemporary styles within the same program.
Skills your students will build
- Singing sustained melodic lines over rhythmic instrumental accompaniment
- Ensemble balance between vocal and instrumental forces
- Interpretation of pop/rock style within choral context
- Responding to combo instrumentation cues in real time