"Chorus Angelorum" for Double SATB Choir by Keane Southard

"Chorus Angelorum" for Double SATB Choir (2026) by Keane Southard. Commissioned and premiered by Te Deum, Matthew Christopher Shepard, conductor, at Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS, on May 23, 2026. Program notes: "Chorus Angelorum" for Double SATB Choir, the second composition of mine as Composer-in-Residence with Te Deum (Matthew Christopher Shepard, conductor,) was begun in January 2026 and completed in early March of the same year. Written for their Memorial Day concerts that year, I decided to revisit the “In Paradisum” text that I had set two years prior in my "Requiem for Animals" (and famously set in the requiems of Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Duruflé) because I was particularly drawn to the imagery of the “Choir of Angels” (“Chorus Angelorum” in Latin) welcoming the departed souls into heaven. I set out to write the most angelic and comforting music I could, and hit on the idea of dividing the singers into two choirs who sing swelling chords that overlap with each other. I pared down and adapted the text a bit to focus it more on the angels themselves: Chorus Angelorum May flights of angels welcome you into paradise. May choirs of angels voice your arrival and may they grant you eternal rest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What about commissioning Keane to compose something new? Follow this link to learn more about commissioning and how you can help bring Keane’s next work to life!: https://keanesouthard.com/commissioning Or perhaps you are a budding composer yourself? Keane teaches composition, so sign up for a free trial lesson here: https://keanesouthard.com/composition...