The Holiday Season: Choral SoundTrax CD

Mark Hayes's arrangement captures the gloss and swagger of classic 1960s pop production without requiring your singers to oversell the material. The recorded accompaniment lets you hear exactly how the piece should sit rhythmically and texturally, which is invaluable when teaching singers to lock into a groove they might not instinctively understand.

Polished and glamorous, like stepping into a 1960s television special. The arrangement bathes the familiar melody in lush instrumental color while keeping the vocal line front and center, creating something both nostalgic and fresh. There's an unmistakable sense of celebration and ease.

This works for choirs that want to add a sophisticated pop standard to their holiday program, especially groups with solid rhythmic foundation and singers comfortable with jazz phrasing. It's equally at home in a secular holiday concert or a mixed-genre December show that leans into entertainment value.

• Listen through the accompaniment track multiple times before rehearsal. Notice where the arrangement peaks and where it pulls back; your singers will need to feel that dynamic architecture to perform it authentically.
• Keep the swing feel buoyant rather than heavy. Thompson's melody bounces; it shouldn't drag or feel pushed.
• Balance the vocal parts so the melody stays clear even when the instrumental accompaniment gets busy. This arrangement gives the rhythm section real independence.
• Pay attention to any divisi sections. Hayes often splits the ensemble to create layered textures, so blend matters as much as balance.

Position this as a centerpiece or finale for your holiday concert; its star power and recorded accompaniment give it natural presence. It pairs well alongside both traditional carols and contemporary holiday pop, bridging audiences from different musical eras.

• Singing with swing articulation and jazz phrasing
• Maintaining groove against a recorded rhythm section
• Balancing ensemble texture when multiple vocal lines weave around instrumental parts
• Interpreting pop vocal style with sophistication and restraint