You Are The New Day (arr. Jacob Narverud): SSA Choral Octavo

Jacob Narverud's SSA voicing captures the luminous quality The King's Singers brought to this piece while crafting it for your singers. The arrangement respects the song's contemporary sensibility without sacrificing harmonic sophistication, making it equally suitable for a concert finale or contest stage.

Bright and forward-looking, this arrangement radiates optimism without saccharine sweetness. The harmonic language feels contemporary while maintaining the lyrical warmth that made the original compelling.

This octavo works well for high school and college SSA choirs seeking modern repertoire with substance. It's particularly valuable for groups that want to perform accessible material without relying on arrangements that trivialize the text or musical content.

• Anchor the piece by establishing clarity in each of the three lines; SSA voicing can blur if singers aren't precise about their individual pitch placement and line independence.
• Let the text shape your phrase directions. The aspirational quality of "you are the new day" demands forward momentum, not static ballad singing.
• Balance accompaniment (if using one) so it supports rather than covers the voices. The vocal line should always command the listener's attention.
• Rehearse vowel unification across sections early. SSA textures benefit enormously from singers matching vowel color in sustained passages.

Position this as a concert centerpiece or closing number where its hopeful message lands emotionally. It also pairs naturally with other modern pop arrangements if you're building a concert section around contemporary songwriting.

• Balancing three independent lines in close harmony
• Sustaining vocal line clarity in block chord textures
• Shaping phrased arcs in contemporary pop settings
• Matching vowel colors across multiple singers on the same line