Earlier this year I began a commission project for Fond du Lac High School in Wisconsin who is celebrating their 20th anniversary of a holiday prism concert titled “Night of Silence.” They asked me compose a finale for the concert, a work that would combine the three different ensembles that perform on the prism concert: orchestra, band, and choir.

After thinking about possible texts and concepts for the work, I eventually had the idea to create a setting of the iconic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” (Well, actually, the title of the poem is “A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore, but we commonly know it by the poem’s opening line, “Twas the Night Before Christmas…”) I was surprised to find relatively few choral settings of this famous poem - there are plenty of versions where the poem is narrated, but few where the words are sung.

The work begins as a sort of lullaby, reflecting the early lines in the poem that speak of everyone being “all tucked in their beds.” But once St. Nick is spotted on the front lawn, the work moves into a blues, with a fun and exciting energy that infuses the rest of the piece. I think it will be fun to perform and to listen to, and I look forward to working with the students as they prepare for the premiere on December 8th!

I also plan to release multiple versions of the piece in 2024: I’m planning to release an SATB + Piano version, an SATB + Orchestra version, an SATB + Band version, and the version that will be premiered in Fond du Lac - SATB + Orchestra (with additional saxophones and euphonium).

More soon!