I think that song would do really well in a small ensemble too, as long as y'all can get the harmony parts down consistently i think 3 or 4 to a part isnt bad at all!
Hoooooooooo boy do i have HS recommendations n_n
- My personal favorite song I have ever sung is Dream of a Blessed Spirit by Dan Hall. I've done both the tenor and bass parts and I'd give the edge to the bass part but the whole song is so good!!! It's sooo good!!
- Northern Lights by Ola Gjeilo is good, fairly technical but about where an upper level HS choir can be for sure
- O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen is easily one of the prettiest songs i have ever heard. It's a bit more technically challenging than the other two butbit is WORTH IT. My choir is putting it together rn and its a bit tough because the song is very emotional and its tough to sing through the tears ;~;
- If you have a really strong Tenor range soloist, take a look at Mata Del Anima Sola by Antonio Estévez. It's a personal favorite that goes very quickly but is otherwise pretty simple
- If you have access to a pretty good pianist and a cello player, Boat On Tai Lake by Reed Criddle is a fun one, especially if you're looking to broaden the language scope of your repertoire
Those are just a few of my favorites but I will legit talk about choir songs all day n_n
Northern Lights remains my favorite choral work that I've ever sung at any level: Gjeilo's brilliant, and the work is just outstanding. I love the way the lines just mesh into the atmosphere of the piece. Was the highlight of my choir's winter concert my junior year of high school. It's neither the most difficult nor the most well-performed piece I've done, but the memories associated with it (all the rehearsals and such, since this was with a small madrigal group, rather than a large ensemble) make it so special.
I've been in organized choir (school and extracurricular) since I was 8 (I'm 22 now: for school, I'm in my 11th year of being in choir in a school setting). Music is one of my top hobbies. I like to play piano here and there, but singing is something I really enjoy. People tell me it's kind of ironic that I've been in choir for as long as I have been, since I don't care much for performances: rather, I enjoy being in choir for the interactions with different people in rehearsal, making friends with fellow singers, and such. I've rarely had a performance that I felt was done "better" than a previous rehearsal, and I've always had a deeper appreciation for music after a performance because I'm personally attached to all the memories and such of a rehearsal. Similarly, I can never relate well to the performers as an audience member because I don't have that knowledge of the rehearsal process leading up to that one performance I got to see.
Some of my favorite pieces are:
Northern Lights - Ola Gjeilo
Ballade to the Moon - Daniel Elder (It's not an overly complicated piece, but it's really heartfelt and beautiful. My clinician for this piece was the editor of it, and he really connected with our group at a personal level).
Sing Me To Heaven - Daniel Gawthrop
Sound Off - Paul Rardin (I've never done this piece, but I've seen it performed and my HS choir director was a section leader for a clinic that performed this piece as well. It's just an entertaining all-men's piece).
Water Night - Eric Whitacre
Cloudburst - Eric Whitacre (Whitacre's not my favorite choral composer, but he's up there, and these are two pieces I've thoroughly enjoyed. I love his use of harmonies and dissonance).
Aftonen - Hugo Alfven
Come to Me My Love - Dello Joio (We performed this piece not long after my favorite and most influential teacher passed away, and I was a mess on stage whenever we performed this, whether for Spring Concert or tour).
I'm probably forgetting a number of pieces, but that's a start.
