Once You (feat. Suzie Collier): Piano Vocal

Collier's compositional voice rewards careful study. This piece gives singers and pianists a genuine contemporary work that demands musicality and harmonic awareness without sacrificing accessibility. It's the kind of material that stretches young musicians' ears while remaining genuinely singable.

The piece inhabits a space between introspection and architectural precision. Collier's harmonies create moments of gentle surprise; the overall emotional terrain feels intimate despite its harmonic complexity. Singing this feels like thinking in color rather than following a predetermined path.

Advanced high school singers and college-level pianists looking for contemporary repertoire that respects their intelligence. This works equally well for private lesson study or ensemble performance contexts where musical sophistication matters more than volume.

• Honor the harmonic density by voicing chords clearly at the piano. Collier's progressions often work against listener expectations; let that tension breathe rather than rushing through it.
• Shape the vocal line with attention to both lyrical intent and intervallic relationships. These aren't conventional melodies, so purposeful phrasing becomes your primary tool for coherence.
• Coordinate dynamic gestures between voice and piano so neither element drowns the other. Balance shifts as harmonic weight redistributes throughout the form.

Feature this as a solo performance on a recital pairing classical and contemporary work, or build a concert segment around inventive artists working across genre boundaries. Its 10-page score makes it substantial enough for a focused performance piece without overwhelming a typical program.

• Reading non-functional harmony and chromatic voice leading
• Interpreting contemporary notational practices
• Balancing lyrical expression with harmonic complexity
• Sight-singing with wide intervallic leaps and unexpected resolutions
• Collaborative listening between vocalist and accompanist