It’s my annual tradition to publish my repertoire list for my ensembles. Here’s this year’s Rockford Aces repertoire. The Aces endeavor to sing in as many musical styles as possible each year, with no discrimination except quality of music.
We had maybe the biggest Aces Concert ever, our fifteenth anniversary reunion with sixteen pieces (one a 4-movement suite) sung by the group, three sung with the Aces and around 25 alumni, and four pieces sung by the RAMChoir, which is a multi-generational y’all come TTBB choir (parents, fellow students, school staff, community members). That concert comprised almost all of our repertoire for the year, minus the three pieces we sang for the Holiday Concert in December. For my repertoire list this year I’m providing it in Aces Concert Order, with repertoire we didn’t sing for the concert at the end.
I’ve provided links to audio/video and the publisher information wherever available.
National Anthem (Arr. Jed Scott) – manuscript
Primary. My arrangement of the National Anthem for TTBB voices. We sang it multiple times during the year at school events.
Some Nights (fun., arr. Andy Beck) – Alfred
Intermediate. It’s rangy but not difficult to sing, and a great high-energy opener. This year, I invited members of our state-champion Rockford Bands drum line to join us, playing the snare and bass drum parts provided in the score. Thrilling!
In The Still Of The Night (Fred Parris, Arr. Ed Lojeski)
Primary/Intermediate. An a cappella standard. We usually take this down a half-step to E from the original key of F. It makes it more accessible for baritone soloists, less rangy for the tenor 1s, and is just generally a slightly brighter key to match the song.
Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (Bobby Troup, arr. Four Freshmen) – UNC Jazz Press
Intermediate. I programmed this piece because it’s a nice bridge into singing jazz harmony, and just such a beautiful arrangement and story. Kirby Shaw’s arrangement at UNC is for SATB, but you can adjust the key for TTBB, based on the Four Freshmen original. We’ve recorded this for our next album.
Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston, Arr. Avery Nienhuis) – manuscript
Primary. My first ever student arrangement to end up in an Aces Concert. Avery wrote it straightforwardly, so it’s easy to learn and fun to sing with lots of room for many soloists. We’ve recorded this for our next album.
Two Coins (Dispatch) – manuscript/rote
Primary. An Aces standard, always well-loved. We featured it as part of our Aces alumni set, because every Ace knows it.
Frobisher Bay (James Gordon, arr. Diane Loomer) –
Intermediate/Advanced. The length – 5 1/2 – 6 minutes – is what takes this from intermediate to advanced…it takes stamina. But it’s a powerful story and a gorgeous arrangement, where the orchestration choices really help tell the story. We’ve recorded it twice already, and I’ve already had multiple requests to program it next year by current members. Doing this with 40 or so Aces onstage from 2008-current was one of the most thrilling moments of the concert for me.
Good Old A Cappella (Carter/Nevada, Arr. Deke Sharon/Anne Raugh) – Hal Leonard
Primary. This is part of the early a cappella songbooks published by Deke Sharon, and later picked up by Hal Leonard. It’s a serviceable, straightforward arrangement. Like many in this era, there are editing errors and other things to fix along the way, but it’s not hard to see what they meant to write, and the arrangement works well. It has the advantage of being strictly 4-part, so it could be sung by a quartet. This was our third piece together with the alumni.
Tantsulaul (Veljo Tormis) – GIA
Intermediate. Estonian, fast, and slightly silly. It’s a “flat-footed waltz” about a dancer I liked to compare to Lord Weaselton from Frozen. We’ve recorded this for our next album.
Let The Bullgine Run (Sea Shanty, Arr. Alice Parker) – Kjos
Intermediate. I actually don’t know, maybe advanced just for memory. Keeping track of the verses and where the 3/4 bars sneak in was a challenge all year for the Aces, but worth it for a rollicking arrangement that they had fun singing and acting out. We’ve recorded this for our next album.
I Can’ Tarry (Spiritual, Arr. Stacey V. Gibbs) – manuscript
Intermediate. A great new TTBB Spiritual arrangement by the great Michigan arranger and composer Stacey V. Gibbs. It was commissioned by the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium in 2019, and were performed it in 2020 before shutdown. It was time to bring it back this year, and we’ve recorded this for our next album.
Brothers, Sing on (Edvard Grieg, ed. Howard D. McKinney) – Alfred
Intermediate. A Glee Club standard, and a perfect opener for our RAMChoir set. It’s powerful, compelling, and fun to sing.
Psalm of Life Canon (Jed Scott) – manuscript
Primary. This short canon is set to the last stanza of Longfellow’s Psalm of Life, which was also the stanza my father used to wake me up if I missed my alarm clock. (As his father did for him…). (RAMChoir)
Dúlamán (Michael McGlynn) – self-published
Intermediate. It’s easier than it looks on the page, it’s super-fun to sing, and there’s not that much Gaelic to learn. Unless you’re the soloist, of course! Truly worth the effort to sing this piece. (RAMChoir)
Paul Simon Medley (Paul Simon, Arr. Jed Scott) – MANUSCRIPT
Primary. Only a few measures of music to learn for each of the songs in the medley – Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes and You Can Call Me Al. The 3-part horn line that opens “You Can Call Me Al” is our standard sound check phrase. (RAMChoir)
Don’t Stop The Music (from Pitch Perfect, Arr. Boyer/Bram/Sharon)
Intermediate. This was the Aces’ request at the very end of the year to round out our sets. It’s quite straightforward to learn, has fun lines to sing and great solo opportunities.
Sh-Boom (Arr. Anne Raugh) – Hal Leonard
Another from the early Sharon/Raugh archives, also in need of some editing. But high school students right now are the perfect age to sing this song, because it comes from the Cars soundtrack – a formative musical experiences for many. It’s fun to sing, and with a few edits is very fun to sing. We’ve recorded this for our next album.
Everything (Michael Bublé, Arr. Jed Scott) – MANUSCRIPT
Intermediate. Another blast from the past for the Aces to sing, this great Bublé tune works super well for a cappella, and the Aces had fun learning and singing it. We recorded it on our first album and some of the soloists from that recording were in the audience with us!
A Camaraderie Ensemble Suite (Anders Edenroth) – MANUSCRIPT
Advanced. The biggest highlight of the year for me was getting to commission, learn, and premiere this brand new 4-part suite from the brilliant Anders Edenroth. His writing is so clear and fun to sing. It was hard (as many as 8-part divisi, with lots of crunchy chords!) but fit the group so well and they loved singing it. It speaks to the experiences of singing in groups like the Aces, and derives its text from a survey of alums and current Aces. The third movement, Brimful, is something we’ll be singing every year from now on, as an Aces Standard. I can’t wait for you to hear our recording.
Stand By Me (Ben E. King, Arr. Jed Scott) – MANUSCRIPT
Intermediate. We always close our concerts with this Ben E. King standard, with our alums joining us onstage.
The Longest Time (Billy Joel, Arr. Roger Emerson)
Intermediate. The Aces sing this faithful transcription every year.
All About You (Spongebob Squarepants) – MANUSCRIPT
For a special request, we put together a quick version of this birthday song from Spongebob Squarepants.
Christmas Medley (Various, Arr. Richard Gregory) – MANUSCRIPT
Advanced. An arrangement I wish I had written. We sing it every year, and I love our personal version that includes an interpolation of “Longest Time.” We actually did sing this as an encore at the Aces Concert, surprising all the alums who were already onstage.
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear (Edmund Sears, Arr. Barbershop Harmony Society)
Intermediate. It’s sometimes nice to include a little Barbershop in the repertoire, even though it’s not my favorite. Their collection of Christmas classics is a nice book to pull from. The arrangements are solid but not too difficult, and strophic for easier learning. I did add a little extra-taggy tag to this arrangement, to up the Barbershoppiness.
Silver Bells – MANUSCRIPT
Intermediate. One of my favorite arrangements, and specifically requested for a callback by our 4-year Aces member.