Sing to the Lord All the Earth: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

Ešenvalds writes with an instinctive understanding of how voices move through space and time. The collection feels both contemporary and timeless, with the kind of harmonic sophistication that rewards repeated rehearsal without ever becoming inaccessible to student singers. These pieces sit at a sweet spot for choirs looking to program meaningful sacred music that audiences genuinely want to hear.

These choral works possess a transcendent quality, with warmth and spiritual depth that emerges through carefully considered harmonic color rather than technical display. The writing feels spacious and reflective, inviting singers and listeners into a contemplative musical space that feels both intimate and universal.

This collection serves choirs of intermediate to advanced ability, including high school select choirs, college choirs, community choirs, and church ensembles seeking contemporary sacred repertoire that challenges musicianship without requiring extensive virtuosity. Directors looking for work that pairs well with both traditional and modern programming will find strong material here.

• Pay close attention to vowel consistency across voice parts, especially in sustained chords where Ešenvalds's extended harmonic language can blur if diction slips. Unified resonance strengthens the luminous quality of the writing.
• Shape phrases with long-line thinking rather than beat-by-beat conducting. Ešenvalds often uses gradual dynamic shifts and harmonic movement to drive forward momentum, so allow the music to breathe across larger musical gestures.
• Balance the blend carefully in moments of close voicing. The interplay between parts is compositionally intentional, and precise ensemble balance reveals the harmonic sophistication without sounding thick or muddy.

Program this alongside classical or Renaissance sacred music to create a concert that bridges centuries of choral tradition, or pair with other contemporary composers writing in a spiritual vein to demonstrate the breadth of modern choral expression. It also works beautifully as the centerpiece of a service of lessons and carols or interfaith concert celebrating texts of faith and hope.

• Intonation control in extended and chromatic harmonic contexts
• Blend and balance in close-voiced writing across four or more parts
• Interpretive phrasing and long-line structure in sacred texts
• Understanding of contemporary choral sonorities and color