Stand Strong (arr. Jonathan Comisar): SSA Choral Octavo

The piece radiates quiet strength and conviction. There's an undercurrent of affirmation throughout, grounded in the text's message while remaining musically sophisticated.

Choirs with solid intonation and a willingness to engage with contemporary Jewish choral music. The SSA voicing makes this accessible for high school and community choirs, while the musical content rewards more experienced ensembles.

• Establish the emotional tone from the opening phrase; this piece requires singers to commit to the text and its meaning, not just the notes
• Pay attention to the harmonic language in the SSA writing. Comisar often uses close voicing that can blur if vowels shift between sections
• Let the arrangement breathe between phrases rather than pushing through them mechanically

This works beautifully on programs celebrating cultural or interfaith themes, or as a centerpiece in a concert exploring contemporary Jewish composers. Its moderate length makes it ideal for concerts that blend traditional and modern repertoire.

• Singing with conviction and emotional presence
• Blending and balancing in close-voiced harmonies
• Engaging with contemporary harmonic language
• Connecting textual meaning to musical interpretation