True Colours (arr. Craig McLeish): SSAATB Choral Octavo

Craig McLeish's voicing captures the song's emotional core while making it genuinely singable for mixed voices of varying abilities. The arrangement respects Lauper's original intent without requiring soloists or excessive range demands, making it accessible for standard choral sections while preserving the vulnerability that makes the tune so powerful.

The arrangement wraps you in the song's central message of acceptance and self-worth, delivered with the straightforward honesty Lauper brought to the original. There's no irony or novelty here; instead, the piece feels like a genuine communal affirmation, intimate enough for a small choir yet substantial enough to move an audience.

Choirs seeking accessible yet emotionally resonant contemporary material will find this arrangement ideal for mixed ensembles of any size. It works equally well for groups that lean toward traditional repertoire but want to include pop music that earns its place in concert programming.

• Balance the upper voices carefully during the verses; the alto and mezzo lines should sit comfortably beneath the sopranos without pushing for volume, which undermines the song's intimate quality.
• Treat the text naturally as spoken language first, then find the music within it. Cyndi's phrasing often sits slightly behind the beat, so resist the urge to lock rigidly onto every downbeat.
• Shape the dynamic arc across the full form rather than starting at your forte and staying there. The song needs room to build, which means the opening verses must breathe and pull back slightly.
• Unison or near-unison passages benefit from unified vowel shapes; check that all six voices are genuinely on the same vowel sound, not approximating it from different voice registers.

This works beautifully as a closing selection for concerts focused on identity, diversity, or contemporary issues, or as a palate cleanser after heavier classical repertoire in mixed programming. It also serves well in educational contexts exploring how pop songwriting principles translate to choral arranging.

• Sustaining legit legato lines across phrase boundaries in pop music contexts
• Balancing independent voice lines while maintaining textual clarity
• Phrasing contemporary lyrics with conversational naturalness rather than operatic weight
• Blending six-part voicings without one part overwhelming the others