Sprint, The Sweet Spring for SSS Soli, SSSAAA Choir and Water-Tuned Glasses: Choral Octavo, Voice

The integration of water-tuned glasses creates an otherworldly sonic landscape that elevates this beyond typical spring-themed choral writing. Ešenvalds trusts his singers with genuine musical independence across the six vocal lines, making each section feel essential rather than decorative.

Spring arrives in layers of sound, bright and shimmering. The water glasses add a sense of renewal and flowing water, while the choral writing unfolds with architectural grace, creating moments of surprising intimacy within the larger ensemble texture.

Advanced high school and college choirs with access to percussionists who can handle the water glasses and singers who can navigate the six-part writing with independence. Directors programming concert works that showcase technical sophistication and are willing to embrace unconventional instrumentation.

• Balance the soli passages carefully against the full choir; the soloists should sing with projection but never sound strained or separated from the ensemble.
• Tune the water glasses beforehand and protect them from temperature fluctuations during rehearsal and performance, as even slight warming will affect pitch.
• Let the choir sit with the harmonic language in unaccompanied passages before layering in the glass parts; this builds confidence and locks intonation.
• Emphasize legit singing through the sustained sections; the sustained quality of tone will make the water glass effects shimmer rather than clash.

Feature this on a chamber or contemporary music concert where its distinctive instrumentation becomes an asset rather than a curiosity. The eight-page length makes it suitable as a centerpiece work that justifies its own concert context or as part of a thematic program exploring seasonal imagery.

• Reading six-part choral writing with independent voice leading
• Sustaining pure vowels through extended phrases
• Balancing blend across SSAA voicing with soli sections
• Ensemble coordination with non-traditional pitched percussion
• Tuning and intonation across wider intervallic ranges