Song Of The Fortune Tellers (from La Traviata) (arr. Melissa Keylock and Jill Friedersdorf): 2-Part Choral Octavo

This arrangement strips away the orchestral density of Verdi's original while keeping the fortune tellers' music intact and dramatically vivid. Two-part voicing opens the door for middle school and developing high school choirs to tackle genuine opera repertoire, and the 11-page length makes it substantial without overwhelming rehearsal time.

Mysterious and theatrical. The piece moves with a hypnotic, almost incantatory quality; singers should feel the supernatural atmosphere Verdi created. There's energy here, but it's controlled and deliberate, never bombastic.

Middle school and early high school choirs ready for legitimate opera music but not yet equipped for complex SAB or SATB voicings. Directors building a concert that introduces students to classical vocal literature without condescension.

• Lean into the character work. Fortune tellers aren't just singing; they're performing a ritual. Coach singers to establish eye contact and physical commitment from their first entrance.
• Balance the accompaniment carefully so it supports rather than drowns the voices. The harmonic movement in Verdi's piece is intricate, and singers need to hear themselves.
• Shape the phrases with vocal line clarity. Two-part writing means every voice carries melodic responsibility, so encourage singers to think horizontally through their phrases rather than note to note.

Pair this with other opera arrangements or excerpts to create a focused unit on how composers write for dramatic effect. It also works beautifully as a contrasting piece in a concert that includes romantic or contemporary selections, offering students exposure to a completely different musical language.

• Reading and performing operatic vocal lines with period-appropriate phrasing
• Balancing harmonic awareness with melodic independence in two-part writing
• Connecting sung text to dramatic character and theatrical intention
• Managing sustained vocal lines and breath control in longer phrases