The Art Of Being: SSA Choral Octavo

The piece inhabits a reflective, contemporary concert idiom. It asks singers to sit with quiet introspection while maintaining musical engagement, creating a performance that feels genuine rather than ornamental.

This octavo serves SSA and SSAA choirs preparing for concerts or festivals. It works well for upper-level high school groups and community choirs seeking repertoire that's vocally accessible but artistically substantive.

• Balance the harmonic texture by listening for the inner voices during sectional rehearsals; these lines carry as much weight as the melody and deserve equal attention from your singers.
• Establish a consistent vowel sound across the three parts, particularly in unison moments, so the choir sounds unified rather than stratified.
• Shape phrases through dynamic gradation rather than sudden shifts; let the text drive the musical contour organically.

Slot this into the second half of a mixed concert program to provide a contemplative moment between more energetic selections. Its moderate length makes it an ideal pairing with a longer choral work or as the centerpiece of a thematic concert exploring identity and human experience.

• Balancing inner harmony lines with the soprano melody
• Sustaining through longer phrases without sacrificing tone quality
• Interpreting contemporary choral writing with artistic ownership
• Blending three-part and four-part textures seamlessly