Opening Up (from Waitress The Musical) (arr. Mac Huff): SAB Choral Octavo

Mac Huff's arrangement captures the vulnerability at the heart of "Opening Up" while making it genuinely singable for SAB ensembles. The arc of the song follows Jenna's emotional journey from guarded to open, and this setting preserves that dramatic tension without demanding soloistic prowess from your singers. It's the kind of piece that reminds students why they joined choir in the first place.

"Opening Up" has an intimate, confessional quality that draws listeners into a private moment. The piece moves with quiet intensity, building from hesitation toward something closer to hope, and the arrangement honors that emotional arc with gentle textural shifts and moments of surprising warmth.

Directors building pop and musical theater programming for developing choirs will find this piece both accessible and artistically substantial. The SAB voicing works for middle school through early high school ensembles, and the 18-page score gives you room to work dramatically with the arrangement without fighting overly complex writing.

• Let the vulnerability show in your voices. This isn't about technical perfection; it's about honest phrasing and allowing breath points to feel natural rather than metronomic.
• Balance the parts carefully in the moments where the arrangement thickens. The soprano and alto lines need definition, but they should support rather than overshadow the melody.
• Consider the text painting in Bareilles' lyrics. Words like "opening" and "walls" have physical resonance; singers should feel the emotional weight of these moments rather than sing through them.

This works beautifully as a standalone showcase piece or as part of a Broadway-themed concert where it can anchor a program emotionally. The contemporary pop sensibility also makes it an excellent choice for a concert pairing art songs with musical theater, showing students how storytelling transcends genre.

• Sustaining musical line through dynamic shifts
• Blending pop and choral tone qualities
• Text expression and emotional authenticity in performance
• Part independence in SAB voicing with varied rhythmic figures
• Phrasing across longer phrases without metronomic subdivision