Please Come Home For Christmas (arr. Mark Brymer): SSA Choral Octavo

Mark Brymer's arrangement captures the warmth and soulful character that Cee Lo brings to this holiday classic, making it accessible for SSA choirs without sacrificing musicality. The voicing sits comfortably across ranges while maintaining the song's emotional directness, and the 8-page length keeps rehearsal demands reasonable for holiday programming.

The piece carries genuine tenderness without sentimentality, inviting singers to inhabit a moment of longing and hope. There's an understated elegance in the harmony that feels conversational, as if the choir is sharing a personal wish rather than performing a spectacle.

This arrangement works for intermediate to advanced SSA choirs seeking a contemporary holiday piece that connects with modern audiences. Directors programming holiday concerts will find it bridges traditional repertoire and current musical sensibilities effectively.

• Honor the conversational quality of the opening lines; treat the melody as intimate rather than grand, letting the text come through clearly.
• Balance the upper voices in moments of harmonic texture without letting them overwhelm the fundamental melodic line.
• Shape the final phrase with breath control and dynamic awareness to land the emotional resolution that the arrangement provides.

Position this among your holiday offerings as a bridge between classic carols and contemporary material, or use it as an opener that sets a warmer, more intimate tone for the concert. It pairs well with both traditional arrangements and other modern holiday selections, giving your program textural and stylistic variety.

• Phrasing in contemporary harmonic language
• Balancing clarity of text with sustained singing
• Navigating smooth voice leading across register shifts
• Responding to emotional subtext in arranging choices