We Wish You a Merry Christmas: Choral Octavo SoundTrax CD

Lantz takes a tune your singers know by heart and strips away every predictable expectation. The contemporary chord language and rhythmic drive give this carol the energy of a pop hit, making it genuinely exciting for modern choirs rather than merely serviceable. This is the kind of familiar text that actually justifies a fresh arrangement because the musical treatment transforms the whole experience.

Playful, urbane, and energized. The infectious rhythms pull the carol into the present moment, while the close jazz voicings create sophisticated harmonic color. This arrangement makes a familiar text feel like a discovery.

Jazz choirs and show choirs ready to program something that honors the carol's cultural place while rejecting nostalgia. It also works well for any ensemble with strong rhythmic training and comfort reading contemporary harmonies.

• Lean into the rhythmic precision of the arrangement. These syncopated figures won't land naturally for choirs accustomed to traditional carols, so lock the pulse early and use the recorded accompaniment as your timing anchor.
• Pay attention to the voice leading in the jazz voicings. Lantz doesn't voice these chords in predictable ways, and singers need to hear where their line sits within the overall sonority before they can blend confidently.
• If you plan to use movement and staging, build it into early rehearsals so singers aren't discovering both the music and the choreography simultaneously. The rhythmic energy invites physicality, but it has to enhance rather than distract from vocal execution.
• Commit to the contemporary sound world. Half-hearted singing of jazz chords and syncopated rhythms will feel awkward. Give your singers permission to embrace the groove.

Reserve this for a concert slot where contemporary repertoire and seasonal music overlap naturally, such as a holiday concert featuring multiple musical styles or a spring concert closing with a celebratory number. It pairs well alongside other jazz or pop-influenced arrangements and lifts the energy in the final moments of a program.

• Singing close jazz voicings with pitch accuracy and blend
• Reading and executing syncopated rhythms across multiple voice parts
• Responding to rhythmic precision and groove-oriented pulse
• Interpreting contemporary choral arranging conventions