Welcome to the Choir is a quirky, fun concert piece for a cappella SATB choir written in 2013 by UK composer Chris Lawry and commissioned by Parkrose High School PHS Choir, Lesley Bossert and the Parkrose Educational Foundation. It received its US/World premier by the choir in April 2014 and the UK premiere, by the Harlequin Chamber Choir, in May 2014.The piece is a fantastic, descriptive, concert opener, and is dedicated to the past, present and future students of Parkrose 'may your singing serve as a healing element to the realities of life, giving you lifelong friendships and show you the importance of beauty in our lives through music'.The piece features descriptive elements from each section of the choir, 'bass line on beat' 'tenor rhythm off beat' 'soprano melody' alto harmonies, homophony, polyphony, melismatic singing, a great show piece to introduce the choir at concerts and shows. Much can also be made of the theatrical elements of the piece (at the conductor's discretion).The recording is a temporary computerised fix until the commissioning choir have finalised their recording of the piece later in 2014 (words below), sounds odd computerised but sounds incredible live! WORDS:[Basses] Let's start with the bass line. On beat. (repeated)[Tenors] and add in a tenor rhythm. Off beat. (")[Sopranos] Now for soprano melody; beautiful melody, soprano melody.[Altos] But don't forget the altos who can turn a melody, into harmony (S A) Melody and Harmony.STOP![All] We sing in homophony, ah! Homophony, ah! From minor to major, and changing the key...To sing in polyphony, polyphony, melismatic polyphony.Welcome to the choir! (x5)..................The recording is by the Izhevsk Choir conducted by Lev Nakariakov.

Song List: A Babe Was Born A Blood Red Rose Reminds Us Still A Garden You Once Made A God of Surprises, Beyond Expectation A Man Lay Beaten, Left for Dead A Rabbi Sat Against a Wall A Woman Stood Accused Ain't No Grave All People Need a Home As at Pentecost You Came As Children, We May learn to Love As Colors in the Sky Beside the Great Cathedrals Can You See Christ Can You See the Living Christ Chill of the Nightfall Each Seeking Faith Is Seeking Light Elijah Bowed Down on the Earth Fair Wind and the Sky Is Clear God, Help the Weary Travelers God, Help Your Church to Learn God, You Are Like a Place Remembered Guide My Canoe, Spirit Wind He Is The Way He Will Never Let Go My Hand Hope of the Earth I Saw an Angel in the Road I Will Not Always Walk This Earth In Every Changing State of Mind In the Stillness of This Hour Jesus, Live in Us Jesus Lives! Jesus, Partner, Lover, Friend Jesus, We Come to the Table Justice Like a River Lead Us to Still Waters Let Flow Our Tears in Grief for This Lilies Of The Field Look: Such Horror, Torn, then Tortured Mother, Child, and Birthing Spirit Much Brighter than a Thousand Suns My Child Is a Flower New Every Morning Is Your Grace No Obvious Angels Our God Is a Rock Our Life in the Spirit Out of Joy and Out of Need Peace Child Planter of Gardens, Sender of Rain Prayer Is the Cry of the Heart Remember the Rock that Bore You Samuel, Samuel, I Am Calling Startle Us with Joy The Earth Is Like a Burning Bush The Grass Will Green Again The Road to Capernaum The Saints of Old Cry Out There Is No Smell Like Fresh-Baked Bread This Hurt Is Not the Final Word True Union Is a Gift of God We Are People, Made by God We Are Your Children We Are Your People We Give You Thanks for Every Faith When Human Life Is Bought and Sold When I See the Rain With the People We Have You Give Rest to All Who Come to You You Set Your Seal upon Each Heart You Walk This Earth