A Gaelic Blessing is a simple and catchy piece by Craig McLeish. This piece will be particularly useful for school, junior and community choirs, and a tuneful introduction to singing simple contrapuntal lines. The second soprano part repeats the tune at bar 33 and should dominate here - the first sopranos and altos should support appropriately. Ease and beauty of tone should be of paramount importance throughout. An inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers, the Novello New Choral Series offers pieces for all types of choirs, including sacred and secular works from simple, four-part settings to more expansive, yet accessible, repertoire in an exciting variety of styles. Craig McLeish began his musical life as a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral under Barry Rose. He began composing at the age of ten and his preces and responses for four trebles are still in the repertoire. After a degree at York University he returned to London to study at the Guildhall and sang again at St Paul's as a tenor. At the time he also arranged and copied music for West End shows such as Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, and played bass guitar for various groups. This led to a spell in the cult pop band 'Fat and Frantic', who shaved the top 100 twice with the whimsical anthem Last night my wife hoovered my head. He also worked as musical assistant for David Heneker (Half a Sixpence) and David Fanshawe (African Sanctus). In 1992 Craig became director of the Methodist Association of Youth Clubs Orchestra and Singers, performing concerts throughout the UK and becoming involved in a number of recordings and BBC broadcasts. During this time he arranged more than 250 orchestral scores ranging from Queen to Calamity Jane, Stravinsky and Stevie Wonder. Alongside this he began arranging and writing songs for children's collections (Big Blue Planet, Love Shone Down) and producing recordings and string arrangements for various artists (Sheila Walsh, Kim Hill, Matt Redman). He is also well known as a conductor and arranger for Songs of Praise. Recently Craig has collaborated with composer Tolga Kashif writing orchestrations for the RPO's Seo Taiji Symphony, the Classic FM chart-topping CD by saxophonist Tyler Rix, and the Genesis Suite which was premiered at the Barbican. He has been musical director of Young Voices UK for 13 years, bringing large school choirs together to play with a live band and solo artists, and currently conducts the Milton Keynes Community Choir, Hart and Soul Community Choir and the Milton Keynes Youth Choir. / Choeur SSA

Here is the famous Psalm 33 motet by Lodovico Grossi da Viadana adapted for younger ensembles. This composition is written in the typical Renaissance style of motets (a cappella sacred works) and madrigals (a cappella secularworks). Available separately: SSA 3-Part Mixed. Duration: ca. 2:10.

Evocation to a Friend was commissioned for the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral on behalf of Befrienders International (now Befrienders Worldwide). The text is by David Race and explores themes of friendship and hope. The music grows in intensity over a cyclic harmonic pattern with repeating melodic fragments arranged across the four voices creating a hypnotic effect. After a bleak and reflective interlude in the middle the music unwinds to a peaceful conclusion.The Novello New Choral Series is an inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers offering pieces for all types of choirs including sacred and secularworks from simple four-part settings to more expansive yet accessible repertoire in an exciting variety of styles. This collection is perfect for choirs looking to broaden their repertoire and explore some of the best new music around.Timothy Noon (b.1974) is Director of Music at Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland New Zealand. He received his musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral and subsequently as Organ Scholar at Christ Church Oxford. Following appointments at St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin and Canterbury Cathedral he became Organist and Master of the Choristers at St David’s Cathedral Pembrokeshire and then Director of Music at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral before moving to his present position in 2011. Timothy Noon - Evocation To A Friend by musicroom

Simple elegant and useful for all age levels this setting of the traditional Irish Blessing is a perfect closing selection for concert festival or graduation. A lovely work for sacred use as well.Available separately: SATB SSA 3-Part Mixed 2-Part PianoTrax CD. Duration: ca. 2:30.

Simple elegant and useful for all age levels this setting of the traditional Irish Blessing is a perfect closing selection for concert festival or graduation. A lovely work for sacred use as well.Available separately: SATB SSA 3-Part Mixed 2-Part PianoTrax CD. Duration: ca. 2:30.

A selection of nine works by Tomkins including his seven Penitential Psalms which comprise a fine and coherent set. Edited by Ivan Moody this is part of a series of short volumes each devoted to a single composer or appropriate group of composers thoroughly exploring the unlimited resources of Renaissance sacred polyphony.

Uses: Lent Holy WeekScripture: I Corinthians 1:18Rediscover the beauty of this Shawnee Select offering recently added to the Simply Sacred Series. It calls us to return to the cross fora renewal of our spirits. There is a profound simplicity in this message in song and the easy part writing enables choirs of every size to enjoy its tender appeal. Meditative. Available separately: SATB SAB. Duration: ca. 2:49.

This buoyant sacred work will be an excellent and accessible work for contest festival and sacred concert performance with a rhythmic and lively refrain contrasted with a somewhat more lyrical section.

The Jesus Gift. One of the most successful Christmas anthems of our time is caressed with sincere respect in this new version. A shimmering orchestration adorns and weaves sonic support through this sacred nocturne. The lyrics speak simply with gentle innocence to remind us of Jesus, the most graceful of gifts. This arrangement is a must-do choral moment for candlelight Christmas gatherings and would be a stunning selection for your concert venues. Magnificent! Score and Parts (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, perc 1-3, hp, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a digital download.

The words for this are an ancient prayer from the Southwestern United States. They speak of the earth as a sacred and holy place that is worthy of our love and respect.'The prayer challenges us as temporary residents of the land to be diligent stewards on behalf of our children.' And as we have come to expect Mark Sirett's choral writing is intricate and rewarding.

One of our most popular sacred octavosThis is a joyful song for any occasionAdapted from Zephaniah 3:14 17 & Psalm 34:2 4