Thunder (arr. Neil Pelkmans): SSSAA Choral Octavo

Neil Pelkmans has crafted an arrangement that preserves the propulsive drive of the original while giving your singers real work to do across five distinct parts. The SSSAA voicing sits naturally for developing singers and creates a bright, contemporary sound that audiences recognize immediately. This is the rare pop arrangement that challenges your ensemble musically without requiring impossible ranges or rhythmic complexity.

Explosive and propulsive, with a driving beat that makes you want to move. The arrangement captures that moment of personal breakthrough and determination the lyrics celebrate, building from introspective verses into a soaring, almost defiant chorus that your singers will feel in their bodies as much as their voices.

High school choirs looking for contemporary repertoire that commands attention from audiences and students alike, plus college ensembles interested in exploring pop music within a choral context. This works equally well for festival settings, pops concerts, or as a crowd favorite at competitions where variety matters.

• Lock the rhythm section (sopranos on the main line) into a steady pulse from day one; the arrangement's power depends on precision, not interpretive flexibility.
• Emphasize the dynamic contrast between verses and the chorus; Pelkmans builds intensity deliberately, and those peaks land harder when you've honored the quieter moments.
• Balance the three soprano parts carefully so no single line dominates the texture; blend them as a unified sound rather than three separate voices.
• Record yourself regularly during rehearsal so singers can hear how their individual parts fit into the whole arrangement.

Open a spring or fall concert with this to set an energetic tone, or use it as your finale to send the audience out on a high. It pairs beautifully alongside other contemporary pop arrangements or serves as a bridge between a classical first half and a lighter second half of your program.

• Rhythmic precision in syncopated pop idioms
• Part independence while maintaining ensemble cohesion in homophonic textures
• Dynamic control across a five-part voicing
• Connecting to contemporary music and its vocal demands
• Sustaining intensity and projection across longer phrases