Proud (arr. Greg Gilpin): SATB Choral Octavo

Greg Gilpin's arrangement captures the emotional directness of the original while opening it up for four-part voices. The piece avoids oversaccharification, instead letting the lyrical content and melodic strength speak for themselves, which means your singers will connect to the material rather than perform around it.

The piece carries warmth and sincerity without sentimentality. There's a buoyancy to the harmonic progression that lifts the message, creating the feeling of affirmation rather than resignation or complaint.

This arrangement serves choirs looking for modern concert repertoire with emotional substance. It works equally well for festival programming and concert closers, and the moderate difficulty makes it accessible to intermediate and advanced community choirs.

• Resist the urge to add too much stylistic inflection early in rehearsal. Start with clean, straight tone so ensemble members can lock onto the melodic contours and harmonic movement.
• Work the alto and tenor lines separately during early rehearsals. These parts carry important harmonic information and will anchor the sopranos and basses when parts come together.
• Shape phrases around the text's natural emphasis points. The lyrics have conversational weight, so let them guide your dynamic and tempo choices rather than imposing a predetermined interpretation.

Consider pairing this with other contemporary secular works to create a concert set that reflects modern songwriting. The 11-page length and moderate difficulty make it a solid anchor for a mixed program, standing confidently alongside both classical and other pop-influenced arrangements.

• Balancing independent melodic lines while maintaining ensemble cohesion
• Interpreting contemporary text with musical intention
• Blending diverse harmonic textures across four voices
• Sustaining resonant tone within gospel-influenced harmonic language