Amy Gordon Music

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What Child Is This? is a traditional English Christmas Carol composed in
  the 1800s. This arrangement, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista and Nova Vocal
  Ensemble, fuses the melody and lyrics of "What Child is This" with
  motives and harmonies found in "Carol of the Bells", a Ukrainian
  carol. Each voice has a chance to sing the various motives drawn from
  "Carol of the Bells", making this a fun choral piece that combines
  two beloved Christmas carols.

What Child Is This

SATB Octavo

Ruminations &amp; Affirmations was commissioned by Jackson Thomas for a culminating doctoral study at the University of Kansas centered on the pedagogy of minimalist vocal techniques. The piece is inspired by elements of Minimalism, as well as the composer's personal experiences with anxiety and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The first half, Ruminations, features an incessant motor and an "obsessive thought" in the piano that keeps restarting, followed by frantic intrusive worries sung by the choir. The Ruminations section climaxes into a slowly building wall of anxiety featuring counting and various obsessive thoughts from which the singers may choose. This gives way to the choir taking a breath, holding it, and slowly exhaling along with the slowing motor in the piano, resting on B Major.

The second half, Affirmations, begins in the calmer Parallel E Major with a slower, more peaceful motor in the Piano. The choir then sings meditative observations based on their senses, which is adapted from the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique, often used to calm an anxious mind (it asks the person to name 5 things they can see, 4 things they can feel, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste). The idea is to gently bring one's consciousness back into the present and immediate physical world. The section concludes with the choir singing repeating affirmations, often used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety and OCD.

This piece would fit well in any concert, particularly on themes of mental health, awareness, and advocacy.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from anxiety or OCD, know that help is available. Reach out to a licensed professional or one of many resources available, such as the International OCD Foundation (https://iocdf.org/) to be connected to someone who can help.

Ruminations and Affirmations

When Hearts Overflow, commissioned by Kelly Ann Self and the Orange Coast College Chorale, sets the beautiful poem by Kelly Ann Self. The text is a reminder that we can overcome pain and hardship if we unite, both figuratively and literally, in singing. The musical texture alternates between legato vocal lines accompanied by flowing piano arpeggios and punchier vocal statements supported by contrapuntal piano dialogue, acting as a metaphor for continuously finding joy amidst difficult times.

This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice ensemble and would fit well in any concert about mental health.

When Hearts Overflow

SAB Octavo

I Celebrate Life (the second and last movement of the Light Cycle suite),
  commissioned by Jennifer Gaderlund for the Graham Middle School Choirs, sets
  the beautiful poem by Rhoda Gordon, the composer's late grandmother, for SATB
  (orig. SSA) Choir and Piano. The piece opens with an excited yet hushed
  ostinato in the Piano. The choir sings the first four lines of the poem by
  repeating the beginning line and adding the next line until it is complete,
  utilizing the modern technique of additive processes popular in Minimalism.
  In the more pensive middle section, the ostinato transforms into a more
  poignant texture as the Choir "realizes the joy of being through seeing
  the glorious creation" that they are a part of. The ostinato then speeds
  up and returns to the hushed excitement heard in the opening. The piece
  concludes with the Choir building up to the most important line of the text:
  "The most powerful light to celebrate by is love."
    
    This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice ensemble.

I Celebrate Life

This up-tempo arrangement of Joy to the World, commissioned by Jonathan
  Bautista and dedicated to Nova Vocal Ensemble, features lively rhythms,
  playful dialogue between the voices, and a fresh reharmonization of this
  beloved carol. Most of the melodic, rhythmic, and motivic counterpoint is
  adapted from another beloved carol, Deck the Halls.
    
    
    
    This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of
  Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.

Joy to the World

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What Child Is This

Ruminations and Affirmations

When Hearts Overflow

I Celebrate Life

Joy to the World