The Treasure: Contemporary Choral Music

Ešenvalds writes choral music that sounds both modern and singable. The piece demands musicality and attention to texture without requiring your singers to navigate excessive dissonance or extreme technical demands, making it ideal for serious amateur and semi-professional choirs seeking substantive contemporary repertoire.

The Treasure unfolds with lyrical warmth and introspection, drawing listeners into a reflective soundscape. Ešenvalds's harmonic language feels both familiar and gently expansive, creating moments of quiet beauty that linger long after the final note.

This work suits intermediate to advanced choral ensembles with solid intonation and the ability to sustain long phrases. It appeals to directors seeking contemporary choral literature that appeals to concert audiences while remaining accessible to singers without extensive modern music experience.

• Balance the parts carefully; contemporary writing often distributes melodic material across the ensemble rather than concentrating it in one voice.
• Pay attention to dynamic shaping within phrases. Ešenvalds typically uses subtle shifts in volume to create forward momentum.
• Allow time in rehearsal for singers to internalize the harmonic language before adding expressive details.
• Consider the piece's overall arc when pacing rehearsals. Understanding where the work builds and where it recedes helps singers commit to the journey.

This eight-page work works well as a centerpiece in a contemporary choral concert or as the anchor piece in a program pairing Baltic-inspired music with standard repertoire. Its modest length makes it a strong choice for festivals or competitions where you want to present serious modern music without overwhelming your concert structure.

• Sustaining long melodic lines with consistent breath support and phrasing
• Balancing independent lines within a homogeneous choral blend
• Responding to subtle dynamic and textural shifts in contemporary harmonic language
• Developing intonation security in non-traditional harmonic contexts