Theme from New York, New York: Choral SoundPax

Mark Hayes has captured the swagger and sophistication of the original without losing the melody that makes this tune stick in your singers' heads for weeks. The inclusion of that famous kick line gives your choir a genuine theatrical moment—not just a piece to sing, but a full performance experience that audiences genuinely love. This arrangement hits the sweet spot between being accessible enough for most choirs and having enough style and sophistication to feel genuinely professional.

Sophisticated yet swinging, with the kind of urbane energy that only this particular song can deliver. The arrangement pulses with jazz inflections and clever voiced harmonies that feel modern and fresh, even as the melody itself carries the timeless confidence of Sinatra crooning about New York in the 1940s.

Choirs in high schools, colleges, and community programs that want a showstopping opener or closer with genuine crowd appeal. This works equally well for choirs building a jazz or American songbook program and for those looking for a single strong secular piece that lets singers experience musical theater style.

• Shape the phrasing around the lyrical contour rather than the bar lines; this song lives in the space between strict time and a conversational swagger.
• Emphasize the rhythmic snap in the sections marked with syncopation—that syncopated precision is what gives the jazz idiom its character.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to lock the groove, but ensure your singers aren't rushing into phrases; let the melody breathe slightly ahead of the beat where marked.
• Choreograph or stage the kick line section deliberately; even a simple formation change adds visual energy that matches the musical excitement.

Open a concert with this to set a high-energy, upbeat tone immediately, or place it strategically in the second half to give audiences a moment of pure fun after heavier repertoire. The theatrical kick line finish makes it an ideal finale to a lighter set or a pops concert; it's the kind of piece that leaves the audience genuinely happy.

• Jazz articulation and swing rhythm
• Singing syncopated melodic and harmonic lines with precision
• Blending jazz-inflected harmony while maintaining independent voice parts
• Interpreting stylistic markings specific to jazz and American songbook music
• Connecting choreography or movement to musical phrasing and energy