Acts.2

New life has been brought into this traditional American tune with a bluegrass-inspired style, jaunty syncopations, and an upbeat tempo. This flexible arrangement is great for changing voices!

Jackson effectively intersperses sonorous polyphonic passages for full choir with spoken text and murmuring ostinato motifs in free time.

This rich arrangement of the second movement of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto for wordless a cappella voices was written for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen. Chilcott artfully reimagines a

Commissioned by the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, this short work sets the Eucharistic hymn by Thomas Aquinas. It starts with an expressive, rhythmic soprano line, and finishes with a calm,

This dramatic setting of a 5th-century Ambrosian hymn perfectly epitomises the jubilation of the text. Rhythmically complex and involving some tricky melismatic passages, it is particularly suited to

Setting words by Chief Dan George, this optimistic work reminds us that there is still beauty to be found in times of trouble and that difficult days will not last forever. This sensitive setting uses

Alice is inspired by the Lewis Carroll story Alice in Wonderland. It is a frolicking journey through the well-known story as seen through the eyes of the talented Sarah Quartel. Scored for

This uplifting piece includes a text inspired by Julian of Norwich, with additions by the composer. The intertwining independent vocal lines are beautifully combined with a soaring violin part and flowing

The delicate melody befitting this familiar text gains gentle momentum by a continual movement in the keyboard. A quintessential piece for spring from renowned composer John Rutter.

This beautiful setting of an anonymous medieval text follows a brokenhearted lover into the woods. Beautifully sculpted melodic lines and engaging harmonies fluctuate between major and minor keys. Supported

This work was inspired by the Radcliffe Ladies' Choir and their motto, "Friendship through singing." The lilting vocal lines are underpinned by a delicate piano part, and the opening performance direction

With a text by the composer, this is a beautiful piece about optimism, companionship, and the belief that "all will be well." Todd's gentle melodies are supported by a delicate, pulsing piano accompaniment

Skempton's setting of the text from the Book of Revelation is reflective rather than ferocious, and trusts in the power of understatement.

For alto and tenor soloists, SATB chorus, and organ. Both the texts, an anonymous one from the 14th century and one attributed to Pope Clement XI, are prayers. Very simple choral sections, using sustained

This atmospheric setting of the celebrated poem by the Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes captures the sense of comfort and security while listening to rainfall. The ebb and flow, careful phrasing,

This imaginative setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem encourages the use of evocative bird and wind noises to capture the text's natural imagery. With a rhythmic a cappella texture, this selection