News and Notices

26/27 · STATE PREMIERE A new experiment for 2026: one state, one choir. I’ve just finished Odes of Love, and something unexpected happened: it didn’t feel like the kind of piece that should be released the usual way. It’s about what’s singular, fleeting, and real. About the kind of presence that only exists once, if […]

I wrote this for a school wide Values Ed unit, taught it to my choir and they sang it numerous times over a period of several years on all sorts of occasions. It’s catchy, not very hard to teach (even by rote), musically rewarding and inspiring. You’ll hear my junior school choir of about 40 […]

This is super fun. It’s not every day that we welcome a new composer to the Graphite family! Welcome to Marques L. A. Garrett, our newest voice in the Graphite kaleidoscope! New songs: “Go Down, Moses” | “Veni, Sancte Spiritus“ Photo credits: Michele Stapleton/Office for the Arts at Harvard; Justin S. Robinson “I always start […]

Featuring the catalogs of Ellen Gilson Voth & Timothy C. Takach Both Ellen and Tim are deeply inspired by the humans at the center of choral work. Along with a glance at their catalogs, today we also highlight two new options: New instrumentation for Ellen’s “Across the empty square“ New piece by Tim: “You Created […]

New Year, New Sounds Hot off the presses! Our composers have many new pieces to share with you. The Circus-Day Parade, by Timothy HoekmanSATB, piano, cornet in Bb | Difficulty: 2The poem wonderfully captures the children’s excitement when the circus comes to town. V’higad’ta L’vincha (And You Shall Tell Your Child…) (Full Score and Parts), […]

In this week’s episode of The Choral Director’s Toolbox, host Dr. William Baker explores the powerful role that ritual and tradition play in shaping the identity, continuity, and emotional life of a choral ensemble.  Through personal reflection and long-standing practices of the Festival Singers, he illustrates how shared traditions create belonging, reinforce values, and inspire renewed commitment […]