CHOIRWORKS

CHOIRWORKS is organizing an Easter concert on Sunday, April 13th (the week before Easter this year). We’ll be recording the event to share online on Good Friday, April 18th.

VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION: In conjunction with this event, we’re inviting choirs, soloists, and other musical ensembles worldwide to celebrate the Savior in the “Let Your Hearts Rejoice” online music festival. The entire Choirworks sacred music library is available freely for the use for any choirs or other musicians interested in participating (you’re also welcome to use other arrangements or compositions relating to the theme as well). To participate:

Browse Choirworks sacred music library, and send a request to mryantaylor@gmail.com with the subject Easter Festival Music for a free copy of the score for your group or individual use.
Record and/or video your performance (may be a live performance or recorded separately).
Send a link to the audio or video file to be included on the Choirworks YouTube channel, or upload it to your own YouTube channel with the hashtag #LetYourHeartsRejoice and send the link.
Links should be submitted to mryantaylor@gmail.com with the subject #LetYourHeartsRejoice on or by Sunday April 13th for inclusion on the playlist, which will be released on Good Friday, April 18th.

LIVE PARTICIPATION: The location for the live concert on the 13th is TBD (Utah County or Salt Lake County, UT). To participate in the live event:

CHOIRWORKS ENSEMBLE: Experienced choral singers, the choir will have a minimum of 8 and maximum of 20 participants (balanced SATB voicing). If you are interested in participating, please send an unedited video demonstrating your best voice as well as a list of choirs you’ve participated with and/or musical experience, as well as your rehearsal availability to mryantaylor@gmail.com with the subject EASTER CHOIR before February 17th. Rehearsals will be held either Wednesday or Thursday evenings, or Sunday afternoons in American Fork (north Utah County), depending on best times for choir members. First rehearsal will be the week of February 23rd. All participating choir members will receive a gift bag at the concert with homemade maple-spice pecans, a Cinemark gift card, and Young Living essential oils as a token of our appreciation.
SOLOISTS or OTHER ENSEMBLES: If you’re interested in participating as a soloist (bring your own accompanist), or with your own ensemble (trio, choral, instrumental, etc.), please send a link to an acoustic performance video and the names of the song/s you’d like to be considered for inclusion to mryantaylor@gmail.com with the subject EASTER SOLO or EASTER ENSEMBLE.

We’d love for you to be part of this uplifting celebration of Easter through music! Whether you participate virtually or in person, we look forward to sharing in the joy of this season with you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,
M. Ryan Taylor

A Christmas Carol: The Musical Experience – Audio Drama Podcast

Gather around the fireplace or the tree and be the first to hear A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE, an audio drama podcast with new original songs by M. Ryan Taylor at carol.fablelight.org

Starring, in alphabetical order:

Alyssa Aramaki as MRS. CRATCHIT
Amanda VandenAkker as THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
Annalyce Chandler as CAROLINE and FRED’S WIFE
Ben Burnett as MERCHANT #2, YOUNG HUSBAND, and spoken FRED
Bryan Johnson as EBENEZER SCROOGE
Clara Hurtado Lee as BELLE
Daniel Sorokine as A YOUNG CAROLER, and PETER CRATCHIT
Gavin Ward as BOY, MESSENGER BOY, and YOUNG SCROOGE
Josh Oelrich as BOB CRATCHIT
M. Ryan Taylor as CHRISTMAS PRESENT, FEZZIWIG, GENTLEMAN, MERCHANT #1, and sung FRED
Melanee Phillips in the CHORUS
Michael Young as THE EXCHANGE CLERK, JACOB MARLEY, and OLD JOE
Rachel Carr as LITTLE FAN, THE SERVANT and TINY TIM
Taavi Taylor in the CHORUS
& Vivian Mathias as THE CHARWOMAN, and MRS. FEZZIWIG

Celebrate the “wrapping-up” and delivery of a two-year long labor of love for me and my family, first in adapting the novella to the script, writing the original songs, orchestrating and recording the music, recording audio vocal demos for the future cast, finding wonderful actors, recording them in studio, editing it all together and finally releasing it into the world. We hope you love Dickens’ classic as much as we do.

SCROOGE (He’s a Tight-Fisted Hand at the Grindstone): TTBB acapella

An alternate version of Scrooge (He’s a Tight-fisted Hand at the Grindstone) for TTBB Acapella quartet or men’s choir (may be performed with the same minus track as the solo version, if desired). Music is available to purchase here with a license to make as many copies as need for your choir or ensemble for $20 (the better deal) or at Sheet Music Plus for $2.99 a copy (minimum 10).

From A Christmas Carol: The Musical Experience, there is also a solo version of this song as well. Visit carol.fablelight.org for sheet music, minus tracks, and script.

A Christmas Carol: The Musical Experience

A scalable, interactive musical that can be performed either with a full cast, costumes and sets in traditional spaces, or by groups as small as 3-5 performers (playing multiple rolls) with minimal props in audience intimate settings (black box, libraries, dinner theatre, etc.). Visit carol.fablelight.org for sheet music, minus tracks, and script. If you’re interested in choral voicings/arrangements of any of the 15 original songs for your choir, please contact me: ryan@choirworks.com (I love working with choirs).

The Passionate Shepherd & The Nymph’s Reply

This cheeky quodlibet (or partner song) was crafted from Christopher Marlowe’s famous poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh. The music includes optional chords for Renaissance Guitar, which was tuned the same as a modern GCEA ukulele (an 8-string ukulele would be a passable substitute if no period instrument is available).

Get the sheet music on Sheet Music Plus:

Also available on Sheet Music Direct:

Glad Tidings (Romans 10:13-15)

A setting of a passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans:

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:13-15, King James Version

Away in a Manger Instrumental Duets

Beautiful Savior, My Light for 4 Flutes

Beautiful Savior, My Light (Sheet Music Direct) : An arrangement of Beautiful Savior | Jesus Savior | The Lord is My Light for 4 standard flutes.

Carol of the Bells for Solo Desk Bells

Carol of the Bells, arranged for solo desk bells (A3 to E5), is available on Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct (includes diagram for my bell setup). Get your own set of Desk Bells on Amazon.

This arrangement may also be played by two-octave hand chimes, hand bells, tone bars, boomwhackers, etc. in an ensemble. Other solo instruments that might use this arrangement include vibraphone and carillon.