Someone Like You (from Jekyll Hyde) (arr. Kirby Shaw): TTBB Choral Octavo

Shaw's arrangement captures the emotional immediacy of this Broadway ballad while making it genuinely singable for male voices. The voicing choices stay true to the song's character without sacrificing accessibility, and the seven-page length keeps rehearsal time reasonable relative to the payoff. This is exactly the kind of contemporary arrangement that resonates with singers who might otherwise dismiss choral music as disconnected from their musical lives.

Intimate and conversational, with the vulnerability of someone laying out complicated feelings. The arrangement creates space for introspection before building toward moments of earnest intensity, letting the male voice shine in both the tender and the full-bodied moments.

Mixed male choirs looking for contemporary material that sits comfortably in the middle ground between rock and theater. Groups with experience in TTBB voicing will find the flexibility to drop to TB or TBB sections when needed. College and high school programs building programs that reflect what their singers care about will find this song familiar and emotionally relevant.

• Balance the text intelligently during the storytelling sections; the lyrics carry weight, so clarity matters more than power in the opening phrases.
• Work the dynamic curve deliberately. Shaw's arrangement will pull the group toward climax naturally, but you'll shape the journey between quiet moments and the swells by controlling breath and vowel placement with intention.
• Let the harmonic movement breathe, particularly where voices move to new inversions. This isn't about rushing to the next chord; it's about landing each sonority with purpose before moving forward.

Pair this with other contemporary choral settings to show your audience that the genre encompasses more than folk ballads and standards. It works particularly well in programs exploring emotional storytelling in music, or as a solo selection that demonstrates your ensemble's range and maturity. This is also a strong closing piece for a concert, leaving the audience with something emotionally resonant and immediately recognizable.

• Phrasing and interpretation of contemporary ballad material
• Blending and balance in close TTBB voicing
• Dynamic control and gradient shaping across extended passages
• Text clarity and emotional communication through song
• Flexibility with optional voicing reductions