Mark Hayes has composed over 1,750 published works across sacred music, theater, and concert repertoire. A summa cum laude graduate in Piano Performance from Baylor University, he has guest conducted at Lincoln Center, the National Cathedral, and Carnegie Hall, and in 2010 received the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music from Baylor University Center for Christian Music Studies.
Beyond his choral output, Hayes is an accomplished orchestrator, record producer, and passionate composer for solo piano with more than 100 books in print spanning gospel, classical, jazz, and Broadway styles. He conducted the world premiere of his Requiem at Lincoln Center in 2013 and later performed the work at St. Ignatius Basilica in Rome as part of the Vatican-sponsored Festival Pro Musica E Arte Sacra.
Why we love this
Hayes brings a gift for crafting text-driven choral writing that serves the sacred message without sacrificing musicality. The setting feels both accessible to singers and substantive enough to move a congregation, making it equally effective in concert or worship contexts where emotional authenticity matters.
What to expect
The work inhabits a meditative space that acknowledges suffering while pointing toward hope. Hayes's harmonic language is warm and grounded, never cold or overly academic, allowing the profound text to remain the emotional center.
Who it's for
This octavo serves SATB choirs preparing for Easter services or spring concerts. It works equally well for church music programs seeking substantial yet performable sacred literature and for community choirs wanting repertoire with both musical integrity and spiritual resonance.
How to get the most out of it
Balance the inner voices carefully in the opening sections; the alto and tenor lines carry harmonic weight that shouldn't disappear behind the sopranos and basses.
Allow the text's weight to shape your phrasing rather than forcing regular phrase lengths; let the theological content breathe.
Consider the dynamic landscape across all 13 pages and plan climactic moments well in advance with your singers so builds feel purposeful rather than arbitrary.
How to use it
Pair this with other Hayes settings or contemporary sacred works to build a thematic Easter concert that speaks to both liturgical tradition and modern sensibilities. Its 13-page length makes it substantial enough to anchor a first-half program without overwhelming rehearsal time.
Skills your students will build
Singing text-driven choral lines with attention to both harmony and meaning
Balancing four independent vocal lines in sectional writing
Sustaining emotional consistency across longer forms
Responding to harmonic language that shifts color to reflect textual emphasis
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