This exclusive collection brings together 12 of Nico Muhly?s sacred works for mixed-voice choir. These vivacious fresh and dramatic pieces will make an impact whether in the church or in the concert hall and range from the intimate Lord keep us modest when we claim to the effervescent Bright Star Carol alongside service music such as Muhly?s Third Service. All are accessible to learn and offer choirs a new slant on contemporary choral music at its very best.  'Choral music has always been at the emotional core of my musical output. Even when I?m writing large-scale orchestral works (or indeed chamber music) I alwaysfind myself returning to techniques and textures I?ve greedily stolen from centuries of music from Tye to Howells early and recent. I try to design my own choral music primarily for use in worship where the measure of the success of the piece is if it helps guide the listeners? ears upwards and elsewhere as sacred architecture and the various rituals of the church themselves are meant to do. The specificity of music heard only in certain seasons is for me an important and thrilling element of the choral tradition: a Beethoven Symphony is welcome at any point in the year but an anthem for Candlemas works only then at a certain time of day and on a certain day of the year. With this functional spirit at the heart of the compositional process I hope that the music collected here makes equal sense in a concert setting. These works range from ordinaries of the mass to hymns to motets and represent a decade and a half of output.' - Nico Muhly

Festive fare for a Christmas of close harmony-The Boosey & Hawkes Concerts For Choirs series is an innovative approach to concert planning for choirs. Each volume contains a wealth of material to help the choral director assemble a concert programme - all from one volume. The anthology draws on the vast Boosey & Hawkes archive and also includes many specially-composed or newly-arranged pieces. The information included at the end of each book will give the choral director invaluable material for brief concert announcements or program notes. Christmas In Blue is a collection of familiar and not-so-familiar festive songs brought together by Nigel Short former member of the King's Singersand conductor of Tenebrae. His own new arrangements join those by Christopher Norton (Microjazz) Karl Jenkins Will Todd Geoff Richards Carol Canning (a former member of the Swingle Singers) and Ward Swingle himself.

Director Stageright and Music Director Highnote are busy leading the final rehearsals for the annual Christmas pageant and holding a few last-minute auditions. Will they be able to find just the right trio to play the three wise men? Will Harold and the Angel Choir make their entrances on time? Appropriate for both schools and churches, the score of this simple-to-stage production features traditional carols and occasionally invites the audience to sing along! Works well with performers of any age. / Choeur