2025 First-Time Editors’ Choice Honorees: Choral Composers

First-Time Editors’ Choice Honorees: Choral Composers 

Each year, we’re proud to bring you the very best new music for every ensemble. Our team listens to thousands of selections from a wide range of publishers to identify the highest-quality titles for musicians of all ages. 

Editors’ Choice is a great tool for teachers and directors, but it also represents a major career milestone for aspiring composers and arrangers! For the third year running, we’re featuring composers who’ve had one of their choral pieces chosen for the first time this year. Read on to learn about the honorees and their selected works. 

For more inspiration, check out our first-time Editors’ Choice composers from last year!

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Because You Sang was written to recognize the first women who attended Yale University and the hardships they faced. I wanted to honor these women while also acknowledging past generations of people who have fought for equity and have paved the way for us today. Bayanihan was inspired by the Filipino practice of volunteers in the village moving a neighbor’s house without expecting any favors in return. Today, the spirit of bayanihan is a principle Filipinos stand by; helping anyone in need without expecting anything in return. My mother wrote the text, and I was honored to set it to music. I also incorporate the music for the tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance with bamboo sticks. 

Where to find Arianne

Social Media: mommymaestra41

Website: kaleidoscopevocalensemble.com 

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For Laudate! (Latin meaning “praise”), I wanted to challenge myself to compose a choral work that was outside my comfort zone at the time but still accessible for choirs to perform. In the Bible, the word “praise” is written over 360 times, seemingly structured as a daily reminder to give thanks. This work is intended to be a celebratory song that can be sung any day throughout the year. Laudate! gives every voice part a chance to shine with individual motifs while going through a roller coaster of choral compositional techniques. This piece encapsulates many of the emotions I experienced while singing in choir, and it is my intention for singers in choirs that perform it to experience those same emotions. My hope is to inspire them to create more music in their own lives, whether by singing in a choir, composing, or otherwise.

Where to find Christopher

J.W. Pepper My Score: jwpepper.com/myscore/ChristopherAlexander

Facebook: facebook.com/christopher.alexander.370

X: x.com/CantareWorks

Instagram: instagram.com/cantareworks/

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The text by George Matheson (1882) was a comfort to me at several points when I faced adversity. Beginning each verse by crying out to God, he used rich imagery to invoke a feeling of God’s steadfast love flowing around us and throughout the earth. I crafted the melody to highlight the text, reaching up a fifth in the first phrase in a plaintive cry, then flowing down at the end of each verse to depict God’s love. When I wrote this arrangement, I had started a new position with a choir of seven people who had not sung together in years. Using just two vocal parts and reduced vocal ranges gave them immediate success as an ensemble. I am grateful that this piece will be sung by other musicians, and hope Matheson’s words are as meaningful to them as they are to me.

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I was invited to pull together an ad hoc choir of volunteers from a small church near where I live and perform a few settings of liturgical texts in the context of an Easter Vigil service they were hosting. The O nata lux text featured prominently in the liturgy, and a quick internet search didn’t turn up anything that was both accessible enough for the forces at hand and also rewarding to sing. This setting came together fairly quickly and checked the boxes for what we needed for the service.

Where to find Douglas

Website: douglasbyler.com

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088818743950

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I was lucky enough to be exposed to a variety of music at a young age—everything from classical to show to Bulgarian folk tunes. My goal is to expose children to the music that gave me such joy as a child. This arrangement is based on a childhood favorite of mine. I sought to create the complex imagery of the original spiritual using a simple chordal framework that would be accessible to school-age children while providing a challenge to choirs of all ages.

I studied piano and composition at the Eastman School of Music and choral conducting at Westminster Choir College. My style has been influenced by artists such as Jacob Collier and James Taylor. I envision this piece to be the first in a series designed to expose young singers to music of all genres in a way that both singers and audiences will enjoy. I am also composing a series of solo piano etudes.

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Our lovely garden at home in Scotland became the backdrop to my working day for the long months of the COVID pandemic. As time passed, I developed a deeper connection with every aspect of that scene. Its monthly transformations helped me remain hopeful and became the catalyst for writing Four Seasonal Rounds. This suite of four short pieces uses the cyclical canon form to pay tribute to the comfort and predictability of the annual cycles in nature. I’ve always used rounds as a means to introduce students to harmony singing, and I never fail to be inspired by the excitement they experience when they find themselves suddenly wrapped in part singing. It is my hope that many will experience that same joy when singing this new work. 

Where to find Alan

Website: earnsidemusic.com

Upcoming: Alfred Music will be releasing two of my brand-new pieces for orchestra in 2026. My 2011 feature-length work A Diminished Mass is scheduled for performance at Carnegie Hall in May next year. I will also have new works for orchestra and choir premiered in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in Scotland this December. 

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This arrangement of Praise Him! Praise Him! was born out of a personal search to find obscure hymns not often performed and to give new life to them. As I sat at the piano in the sanctuary one summer day, I was drawn to this hymn I often sang at my church as a child, but I looked at the lyrics and melody now from an ethereal standpoint—specifically focusing on the verbiage of “heavenly portals.” This made the song come alive in an anthemic, regal way to me, and I all I could do was envision strings, horns, piano, pipe organ, and choir fully belting this song, offering praise to our God in joyful song as we focus on the magnitude of his greatness, the sacrifice made at the crucifixion, and His ultimate second coming. 

Where to find Scott

Facebook: Scott Cumberbatch

Instagram/Threads: @CPianoman1

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When writing Jolly Roger, I wanted to provide young tenor-bass singers with a piece that engages their imagination and pushes them beyond the vocal limits they often set for themselves. I wanted a text that students would be singing on their way out of the classroom and a melody that leads a singer to unlock new experiences in their range and resonance. The pirate theme draws from the timeless appeal of adventure stories that captivate young performers, while the music carefully scaffolds technical challenges while staying accessible to beginners. This piece represents my belief that pedagogical music can be both rigorous and genuinely fun—that we can challenge our students while giving them something they actually want to sing.

Where to find Eric

Website: dimarziomusic.com

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558029340652

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I have always loved Holst’s tune for this text, which possesses the latter’s understated, humble beauty. In arranging for brass and percussion, an ensemble often exclusively (and unfairly) associated with loud, grand music, I aimed to capitalize on the simplicity of the original. My hope was to produce an arrangement that flowed naturally from Holst’s tune and did not disturb the text.

Where to find Bryan

Website:bryandunnewald.com

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Take Flight is more than a song; it’s a heartfelt declaration of what’s possible when we choose unity. Cowritten with my dear friend and creative force Franklin Willis, this collaboration is a testament to the power of music to lift, heal, and connect us. Franklin’s powerful lyrics “When we unite, our music takes flight” are matched by a melody I composed with deep emotion, born from years of witnessing brilliance in classrooms, communities, and the work I lead through Community Arts Collective in Nashville. As an educator and artist, I’ve seen firsthand how music ignites potential and transforms lives when people come together with open hearts. This song is a reflection of that truth: that when we sing in harmony, dreams don’t just take root; they soar. Creating this piece with Franklin was pure joy, and I’m honored to share it in the hope that its message of unity will inspire communities for years to come.

Where to find Bryson

Website: brysonfinney.com 

Instagram: @b_finney85

Facebook: @BrysonFinney

Nonprofit website: communityartsco.org Instagram & Facebook: @communityartsco

Upcoming Events: Saturday Soundcheck experience through Community Arts Collective and We Are Nashville Festival, the flagship program of the Community Arts Collective.

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Any time I see a text from Otto Gross pop up, I know it’s a “yes” for me before I even read the question! I was honored to be invited to contribute to Otto and Jayna’s excellent work, and to see the song connect with so many is incredible icing on the cake. 

Where to find Abigail

Website: abigailflowersmusic.com

Upcoming: Release of my jazz album Only a Dream.

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As a composer and teacher, I’m always looking for repertoire that helps students grow. The composer in me seeks to create music that’s accessible and relatable for emerging ensembles. I taught middle school for six years, and during that time, I was constantly looking for ways to have students connect singing with music theory in a meaningful way. My piece A Choir’s Guide to Surviving Music Theory gave me the chance to do just that by writing something fun and performative that also functions as a lesson. We know that kids have an incredible ability to retain content when it’s taught through song and subjects that can be hard to recall often stick better when sung. A Choir’s Guide not only helps students remember key music theory terms but also gives them the chance to teach their audience at the same time. 

Where to find Aaron

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok: @aarongagemusic

Website: aarongagemusic.com

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I’ve Got Joy is a lively, gospel-inspired collaboration I created with my wife Jayna and our close friend Abigail Flowers. Written during a season when I was learning to intentionally choose gratitude, the song became a celebration of the unshakable joy that comes from faith, community, and music. With infectious melodies, rhythmic verses, and engaging body percussion, it’s designed to energize performers and audiences alike. My hope is that it not only lifts spirits in the moment but also inspires people to carry that joy into their everyday lives, no matter the circumstances.

Where to find Otto and Jayna

Linktree: linktr.ee/ogrossii

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Lisa Hoekstra

O Little Town of Bethlehem for SATB Choir

I’m a self-taught composer and very new to publishing. I didn’t expect to meet success easily or quickly in the publishing world, so this has been very motivating and encouraging to me. I look forward to publishing many more sacred anthems!

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I recently retired as Director of Choral Activities at Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro. I have always had an interest in early American hymn tunes because of their strength and vibrancy, and started arranging them for choirs in the hope that a contemporary arrangement would encourage other singers to become as excited about some of the tunes as I was. I was particularly interested in the dialog between preacher and congregation in I Will Arise and Go to Jesus because of the musical possibilities such a dialog encouraged. My hope is that others will feel the same way. 

Where to find Peter

Email: petervandenhonert@gmail.com 

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I wrote Muhona as a simple expression of joy and gratitude. The phrase “Mba zu vera omuhona” means “I love you, Lord,” and it’s something I grew up hearing and feeling in church and community gatherings in Namibia. The words “yelelei” and “hem” are expressions we use, kind of like “hallelujah” and “amen,” and they carry the energy of a shared celebration. I’m always inspired by the music around me, and Muhona comes from that place.

|Nau maire is all about joy and movement. In the Damara language, the words mean “Dance in the light of the Lord. Let us rejoice,” and that’s exactly the feeling I wanted to share: celebration, energy, and community. The Damara language uses pops and clicks, and I love bringing that into choral music. The clicks can be a fun challenge, but they’re such an important part of who we are, and it’s exciting to see singers from around the world learning them. I hope |Nau maire and Muhona give choirs around the world a chance to experience our culture in a meaningful way.

Where to find Cedric

Sion Youth Choir facebook.com/share/1XXg8ynYjA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

TikTok: tiktok.com/@cedrickhowoseb?_t=ZM-8yhjwmVMn02&_r=1

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Carlos Ichter is the Pastor of Music and Worship at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where he has served for 15 years. Only My Best for God was written in honor of Susie Low, who has faithfully served for over 40 years in the children’s choir ministry of Tallowood Baptist. Susie’s email signature is what inspired the piece, which includes the quote, “Only My Best Is Good Enough for God”—a statement that personifies her approach to ministry and life.

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I had the honor to compose this piece for the 300-voice grades 7–10 Boys Honor Choir for the 2025 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, Texas. My initial impulse was to compose something poignant and meaningful. But then I thought about boys age 12–15 and decided to write something they would enjoy. I spent hours studying translations of the old Icelandic texts to be true to the seeress’s vision of Ragnarök: The War of the Gods in Norse legend. The themes and characters are loosely used in Marvel movies and video games and thus familiar to 7th–11th-grade boys. The piece is for fun! It opens with the battle between Jörmungandr (the Midgard Serpent) and Thor and ends when Ragnarök is over and peace returns to Midgard. I was very complimented that the boys loved the piece. To me, pleasing the choir is as important as pleasing the audience. 

Where to find Randall

Email: johnsonguam@icloud.com

Upcoming: Vocal coach for young voices for the Disney musical Dare to Dream; playing trombone with a local brass ensemble; playing saxophone with the Territorial Band; adjudicating choirs in Kobe, Japan.

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We were just starting to come out of COVID when I began to write It May Be. I am also a music educator, and teaching during the pandemic came with many challenges. This piece served as a creative outlet for me, and I frequently return to the text by Tennyson as a reminder that while struggles arise throughout our lives, we must be resilient and remember all the joy and beauty that life can bring. Because it is through struggle that we can become “strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Where to find Brian

Facebook: facebook.com/bjonesmuzick

Upcoming: I am currently a composer in residence at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut, where I have been commissioned to write two pieces for their choirs for the 2025–2026 school year.

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The First Noel has always been one of my favorite holiday songs, and so I thought that I would attempt an arrangement that embodied the enthusiasm and energy I felt as a child singing it. It was really fun to change up the ground rhythm of the song to something that made it just a little different. To the students who will sing this song, I say this: “I hope you enjoy singing this as much as I did writing it!”

Where to find Christopher

Website: chriskamerling.com

Facebook profile: facebook.com/KamerlingComposer

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To Make You Feel My Love is one of many arrangements I’ve been commissioned to write for the King’s Singers. As with all of my KS arrangements, this one is available in the original key and also in a higher key which is suitable for most choirs. My version of Bob Dylan’s iconic song highlights its harmonies by keeping the texture largely homophonic, that is to say all of the parts moving at the same time. When I’m arranging for voices I always take great care over what we jazz musicians call the “voicings” of each chord. I hope that choirs will get a lot of pleasure from learning and performing my arrangement. There are part-learning tracks available from lestrangemusic.com. 

Where to find Alexander

Website: alexanderlestrange.com

Email: info@lestrangemusic.com

Facebook: L’Estrange Music

Instagram:@alexanderlestrangemusic 

X: @ALEstrangeMusic

Upcoming: Wellspring! The Way of Water has just received its world premiere at Wells Cathedral in Somerset, England. The American premiere is set for 2026 in Carnegie Hall. Additionally, I am working on two new arrangements for Voces8.

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Last summer, I began looking for a Latin Christmas text that I could set for my high school choir’s winter concert. When I came across the 14th-century carol Resonet in Laudibus, I decided to write it as a celebratory announcement of the birth of Christ. From medieval Europe to present day, this text has been sung in Catholic and Lutheran traditions and throughout the world at Christmastime. Numerous composers, including Orlando di Lasso and John Mason Neale, have written arrangements and variations on translations of the text. I wanted to experiment with interesting harmonies and to play with the meter to make it as energetic and exciting as the translation of the text indicates. The music is primarily in the Aeolian mode, nodding to its medieval origins, while the mixed meters give it a contemporary feel.

Where to find Scott

Website: scottdlogan.com

Facebook: facebook.com/scottiedog78

Upcoming: I am currently working on three commissions that will be premiered later this year, and I have two new original works that I’ll be premiering with my choirs in October (Do Not Always Fear the Dark) and December (How Many Halls Are There in Christmas?).

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My Editors’ Choice selection was deeply influenced by my love for African rhythms and melodies, which have always been a part of my personal and cultural identity. Growing up surrounded by the vibrant harmonies, intricate rhythms, and soulful storytelling of African music, I developed a deep appreciation for its ability to connect people, evoke emotion, and preserve heritage. This background continues to shape my creative perspective, inspiring me to celebrate and share the richness of African musical traditions with wider audiences. My selection reflects not only my passion for the art form but also my commitment to showcasing its diversity, innovation, and timeless beauty. Through my work, I aim to honour the traditions that shaped me while also embracing new interpretations that keep the music alive for future generations.

Where to find Sydney

Email: masetlhest@gmail.com

Facebook: Sydney Masetlhe

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At The Covenant School where I teach K–12 music, all elementary-age students memorize a variety of poems by Emily Dickinson by heart. When I wrote Notes from Emily for my choristers, I was inspired by their memory work, weaving together several of Emily Dickinson’s poems already beloved by our community. Built into the song are part-singing challenges like descant harmony and round singing that grew my singers as musicians—and it is my hope that they grow yours as well!

Where to find Robin

Website: robinmclaughlincomposer.com

Upcoming: A new musical for churches and Christian schools about the book of Exodus to add to the collection of children’s musicals written by myself and collaborator Abigail Van Patter. 

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My friend Jay Rouse actually brought me this song from the popular CCM group CAIN. I love CAIN’s music because it is fresh and modern. Because they are a trio, it works well with three- and four-part harmony, and Believe on Jesus is no exception. I also love the simple gospel message this song contains.

Where to find Cody

Instagram: @Cody.Mcvey

Facebook: /Cody.Mcvey

Upcoming: I am currently working on a collection of 11 songs for choir and orchestra in partnership with the legendary Mount Paran Church Choir that will be released in late September.

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Music is a big part of traditional South African customs. We sing for everyday life events, whether we’re happy, sad, telling stories, or simply giving life advice to newlyweds—we will sing! Both Indlu yeGagu and Balibele are influenced by the way of life of traditional South African cultures. I grew up hearing all kinds of music that one would consider innate because of how easily we would fall in and create harmonies to melodies on the spot at the tender age of nine, often involving syncopations. I now use the music passed through generations as the basis of my creativity. It seems that lessons and principles have a greater historic and future reach when they are attached to a tune rather than normal speech. 

Where to find Sizwe

Instagram: @sizwe_bm

Facebook: Sizwe Mondlane

Twitter/X: @Sizwe_BM_

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I am a Burmese-American composer, conductor, and educator based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up in Myanmar, my exposure to music was limited, but everything changed when at the age of ten my family immigrated to North Carolina. Mama Wawa was composed in May 2023. The text comes from a traditional Burmese nursery rhyme that I learned as a child and have often used to help teach the Burmese language to young children. As an educator, I aim to create works that are both approachable and meaningful for performers and audiences alike. This piece was written with the hope of introducing the Burmese language to a broader choral community. Burmese is rarely heard in choral music, yet it holds a rich cultural and historical significance. I hope that more composers will begin to explore Burmese texts in their own work and help bring greater visibility to the language. My compositions can be found on J.W. Pepper, ECS Publishing, and Hinshaw Music. I look forward to continuing to write music for youth and middle school choirs. 

Where to find Nyi Nyi

Email: myin.nyinyi@gmail.com

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Vem Kan Segla? was a delight to write. The year that this project came about, my school had two Swedish exchange students who both happened to land in chorus. I wanted to find a way to make sure they felt included, so I asked them if there were any folk songs that reminded them of home. They led me to Vem Kan Segla. It was wonderful to have them in class to help with the pronunciation! 

Where to find Jeremy

Upcoming: I am happy to announce to the world that I am working on a book of warm-ups and rounds aimed at engaging the developing choir.

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I’m a musician based in Springfield, Missouri, where I serve as Artist-in-Residence at Missouri State University with the Choral Studies program. Performing with MSU choirs has taken me to 13 countries across five continents—experiences that continue to shape my work and life. My love for editing began in 2022, when I engraved William Averitt’s Easter: 1906 for Walton Music. It was my first time tackling a full score in Finale, and what began as a daunting task became the start of a passion for engraving and adaptation. For This Joy, Susan LaBarr’s tender celebration of gratitude and life, was originally for SATB voices. In 2025, she invited me to create a treble arrangement, preserving the warmth of the original while crafting textures suited for treble ensembles.

Where to find Parker

Website: parkerpaynemusic.com

Instagram: @prkrpayne

Spotify: Parker Payne

Upcoming: In 2026, I’ll perform with MSU choirs at SWACDA, debut at Carnegie Hall, and tour Australia and New Zealand—with more adaptations on the horizon!

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I wrote Two-Part A Cappella Canons for Treble Choir to fill a need I saw in unaccompanied literature for beginning treble choirs. Canons are the perfect way to get young treble choirs singing in parts. Learning to sing with good tone can be much easier to teach when singing with pure vowels in Latin or Italian. I took familiar canon melodies, gave them Latin or Italian texts, and arranged them in a very straightforward canonic style. I used accessible keys and appropriate ranges for beginning choirs. I hope that these six songs become a part of the tried-and-true library of many choral programs.

Where to find Mary Jane

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562501451587

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I am a McKnight Composer Fellow with the American Composers Forum and was named a “composer who will enrich your life” by The Guardian. In addition to being a composer, I am a performer and teacher of Carnatic (South Indian classical) and Western classical music, so my writing is informed by these pedagogies. In my compositions, I highlight themes such as identity, community, and joy in order to create work that brings people of different backgrounds together.

Heart of Earth is a collaboration with acclaimed Minnesotan poet Laura Purdie Salas, whose fresh and beautiful descriptions of nature inspired me to create this lively clapping tune. My piece Bahaari Baarish draws from melodic and rhythmic elements of Carnatic and Hindustani music to make complex aspects of Indian music available to Western choirs. 

Where to find Shruthi

Website: shruthirajasekar.com

Instagram and X: @shruthimusic

Facebook: facebook.com/shruthirajasekarmusic

Concert Link: vocalessence.org/event/concert-sarojini/

Upcoming: VocalEssence is presenting the North American premiere of my large work Sarojini on October 25, 2025, in Minnesota.

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As a choir director, I’ve often found it challenging to program music for my advanced high school ensembles that truly reflects the diverse traditions of my students. When it came to Hanukkah, the options I encountered often felt either overly simplistic for my singers’ skill level or disconnected from the authentic spirit of the holiday. That gap inspired me to compose new settings of Hanerot Halalu and Maoz Tzur. My goal was to create pieces that celebrated Hanukkah in a way that felt genuine and rooted in tradition while also offering musical depth and challenge worthy of an advanced choir. I wanted my students not only to perform the music but to connect with its cultural and historical meaning—and to enjoy the process of bringing it to life. These works are both a celebration and an invitation: to honor heritage while making great music together.

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I first came across the well-known African song IPharadisi while I was on sabbatical with my wife in South Africa in 2014. The catchy tune immediately appealed to me, and my arrangement emerged quickly thereafter. Returning to South Africa with the Hope College Chapel Choir in 2018, we sang IPharadisi in formal concerts, township churches, schools, and museum lobbies. The text’s simple, universal message crosses racial and religious boundaries and offers a healing message in these turbulent times.

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Winter Moon was written for a very special group of intermediate treble singers. They needed a piece that was appropriate for a winter concert but secular so that all singers could be included in the performance. It was my goal to create an expressive melody with lots of room for musical nuance, to pen a text full of imagery, and to write a supportive yet simple accompaniment.

Songs of Farewell was inspired by many of Laura Farnell’s a cappella pieces for tenor-bass choir. I wrote this set because I felt that there were not enough new a cappella pieces for developing tenor-bass choirs. I wanted the harmonies, form, and intervals to be similar to what students might see in adjudicated sight-reading examples.

Bill Grogan’s Goat was written for my beginning tenor-bass choir for their festival performance. I wanted them to have the chance to perform a fun, upbeat, nonsensical song where each section sang both melody and harmony. This piece is also great for teaching ending consonants, both voiced and unvoiced!

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In 2024, my fifth-grade choir had the immense honor of performing at the Texas Music Educators Association State Convention as an invited elementary group. To help prepare, we had day-long rehearsals throughout the year. At one of those rehearsals, we played a game of Simon Says, and it quickly became a hilarious core-memory moment for the choir. When the end of the year was in sight, I knew I wanted to give my students a gift for all the hard work they did, so I wrote Simon Says for them. They performed it at the end-of-year concert to uproarious laughter and a standing ovation. The piece is a token of my appreciation for them.

Where to find Felipe

Email: felipe.rosales915@gmail.com

Flip and The Combined Effort: @flipandthece

Upcoming: I’m working on expanding Simon Says into a whole choral suite of children’s-game-inspired repertoire. Tag and Hide & Seek are currently being written, so be on the lookout!

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Cantate Hodie was written for middle school or early high school voices as a first experience singing Latin. It harkens back to a Renaissance-dance structure and is very accessible to all groups. A quick learn, its repeated themes and contrasting B section will be stuck in your singers’ heads after rehearsal! Ríu Ríu Chíu has been a favorite carol of mine for years. I try to reach the three H’s in my arrangements: something for the head (make them think and develop skill); the hands (it has to groove); and the heart (make them feel). This arrangement features jazz-inspired harmonies and a driving rhythmic accompaniment to keep your singers and audience engaged.

Where to find Bryan

Email: bryansable79@gmail.com

TikTok: 88keys10fingers

Upcoming: Three new commissions being performed this winter (There Is No Rose of Such Virtue; Suite Dreams; and O Magnum Mysterium). New publication being released in 2026 through Heritage Press.

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The Editors’ Choice selection Cantate Domino sets the well-known psalm Sing unto the Lord a New Song. The lively, syncopated expression of the titular text seeks to capture the joy and energy that comes from singing in a choir. Like many of my choral compositions, the pulsing rhythms of the basses, gradual textural layering, and rising dynamics were inspired by pop and electronic dance music. The second section of the piece conveys a more tranquil, mysterious character, contemplating the majesty of the Lord and his marvelous works (quia mirabilia fecit) through the chordal motion and antiphony between the upper and lower voices. The vigorous rhythms and augmenting texture return with the opening text of praise, building to a rousing conclusion.

Where to find Laura

Instagram: @laurasheils4

X: @LauraSheils

Facebook: Laura Sheils

LinkedIn: Laura Sheils

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I’m thrilled that J.W. Pepper is featuring my arrangement of Wayfaring Stranger—a song I’ve always loved. This particular setting was created for some of the large-scale choral projects I lead through my work with the VOCES8 Foundation. I’ve found it to be a flexible piece that works beautifully in a wide range of settings. As a singer for over 30 years, I care deeply about making vocal lines as singable as possible for all sections of the choir and about sharing the melody across the ensemble. I love the variety of choral textures in this arrangement, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Where to find Paul

Upcoming: I’m delighted to have recently completed my own settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. In addition to being published, both are now available as videos on YouTube and to enjoy on other streaming platforms, released by VOCES8. 

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I am a co-founder and artistic director of the Performing Arts Conservatory in Indianapolis, Indiana. I studied at Kentucky State University and have a B.M. degree from Western Michigan University, an M.M.E. degree from Indiana University–Bloomington, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois–Champaign. I taught at schools and various Midwest universities. Presently, I am a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University. During my time at the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, I was able to publish scores through the Henry Leck Series. I wrote an early version of Innkeeper while in high school. Recently, I teamed up with my high school and university classmate, Stacey Gibbs, to revise it. The collaboration was enjoyable, as we had worked on other works together in the past. Some of my other works include a variety of choral pieces for children’s and adult voices and instrumental works for orchestra and concert bands published through Hal Leonard, Colla Voce, Santa Barbara Music, and Pavane. Unpublished compositions include Kentucky State University Fight Song (vocal and marching band), Peace (cello solo and orchestra), and Run the Race (SSA with accompaniment).

Where to find Robert

Email: drwashington1979@gmail.com

Facebook: Robert Townsend (Robert T. Townsend)

The Performing Arts Conservatory: tpacindy.org

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My piece Dies Irae was written with my choir students in mind. They wanted me to find them a challenging piece, so instead, I decided to write them a piece. I took inspiration from what I knew my current students enjoyed and embedded elements that they could truly explore musically, helping me elevate their music education. The work is a fun one for any secondary school, and my students absolutely loved it. A little about myself: I was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. I hold three master’s degrees in music composition and education. I am an award-winning film composer with work being heard over all major platforms. I have also had opportunities to compose music for the esteemed Carnegie and Disney Halls. In my free time I play and lead worship for my local church and spend time with my family. God bless.

Where to find Matthew

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthew-david-wheeler-8276a890/

YouTube: youtube.com/@matthewdavidwheeler

iTunes: music.apple.com/us/album/cinematic-music-volume-1/1761525581

Other Published Work: Lorenz Heritage Press

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Sonny Willis is a musical director, conductor, and arranger from Greensboro, North Carolina. He is currently the Director of Fine and Performing Arts at Greensboro Day School, where he directs middle and upper school choral music. He was a conductor for the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) for six years, where he trained students ages 8–18. This Little Light of Mine (Let it Shine) was originally arranged for YPC’s School Chorus Program. Since its publication, it has been performed by the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus and the Elementary Festival Honor Choir at South Dakota State University. 

As a child, Sonny grew up playing piano for his church choir. Through this experience, he began to learn traditional gospel piano. His arrangement of This Little Light of Mine is reminiscent of the sounds from his childhood. The harmonies are accessible, and the message is timeless. Children are the future. When they share their light through music, they bring hope to the world.

Where to find Sonny

Email: sonnywillis@greensboroday.org

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