Wild Music

No lion sleeps tonight

Art is a mirror: it reflects who we are, one way or another, for better or for worse. This includes the contradictions and complexities of human nature: Good/Bad; Love/Hate; Pain/Pleasure; Sorrow/Gladness; Control/WILD.

Today we’re going to explore untamed, bold, and courageous choral music. These works will enable your choir to explore all kinds of expressive space: physical, dramatic, musical, emotional, and topical.

Hurricane (SATB) by Katerina Gimon
SATB (div) with optional Cello and/or Percussion; also for SSAA
Difficulty: 4
Graphic notation, multimedia, and dramatic performance: Accented rhythms and body percussion contribute to its sense of brimming chaotic energy. This standalone movement can be performed a cappella or with cello and/or percussion.

Scroll down to find a stunning video of “Hurricane”!

Over and Over by Jennifer Lucy Cook
SSAA with TBB and/or Synth
Difficulty: 3 | practice tracks available!
Optional synthesizer: Popular and traditional music combine! Canonic and catchy, this song is easy to learn. When life gets monotonous from social media, news, or other forms of boredom, “we” can come together as a communal “I” and unite in a single musical expression.

Solsticio (Solstice) by Homar Sánchez Díaz
SATB div. choir, TTBB soloists and prehispanic Percussion
Difficulty: 5
Prehispanic seed shaker; Aztec slit drum; bass drum; flute; ocarina: This song will instantly invade your blood stream with its intense soundscape and toe-tapping rhythms. Flute, ocarina, and percussion immediately evoke the historic cultures of Mexica, Maya, Toltec, and other Mesoamerican peoples.

From Wilderness: A Meditation on the Pacific Crest Trail by Jeffrey Derus
SATB, Soloists, Crystal Singing Bowls & Cello
Difficulty: 5
Cello obligato, crystal singing bowls: A concert-length work and meditation on the transformative experience of traveling the Pacific Crest Trail. As you travel up the west coast from Campo, California to Manning Park, British Columbia, you will hear a wash of sounds that allows for reflection on the sacredness of nature, on the inspiring texts, and on yourself.

howl by Joshua Shank
SATB a cappella
Difficulty: 4
Fierce poetry: Humanity cries out with a primal roar, expressed here through Shank’s interpretation of Ginsburg’s powerful and prophetic poem: “Everybody’s holy! Everywhere is holy! Everything is holy!”

Crown of Flames by Saunder Choi
SSSAAATTTBBB a cappella
Difficulty: 5
12-part-divisi, wordless chorus/vocal orchestration, extended vocal techniques: Inspired by the pressing issue of climate change and the haunting reality of Southern California’s seasonal infernos, “Crown of Flames” offers a powerful metaphor for resilience and hope. This stirring work will ignite hearts and minds with its message of strength rising from the ashes.

Helios (cycle) by Timothy C. Takach
SATB a cappella
Difficulty: 4
Multimedia/projection: Positioned at the nexus of science, faith and humanity, “Helios” is impressive, engaging, and a beautiful addition to the canon of a cappella masterworks. Takach has crafted a wonderful narrative of control and chaos, exploring that which is within our control, that which is not, and showing that we have the power to change our trajectory.

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“Hurricane”

Performed & commissioned by Myriad Ensemble (Artistic Director, Elise Naccarato)
Music composed by Katerina Gimon
Poetry by Lauren Peat
Cello, Kendra Grittani
Percussion, Jamie Drake

Our Contributing Editor

Jonathan Campbell, BA, MSM, DMA, currently serves as Director of Music at Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka, MN., and is a Contributing Editor for Graphite Publishing. His music publishers include Augsburg Fortress, Concordia, Morningstar, GIA, Sacred Music Press, and Falls House. He won first prize in the Morningside Choral Composition Contest and was also awarded a Faith Partner’s Residency with the American Composer’s Forum. Jonathan has served many churches, conducted the Chorale of the Honors Choirs S.E. MN for eight years, and has served on the faculties of Winona State University, Augsburg University, and Pomona College.