(and how to rehearse them efficiently)
Choosing the right repertoire for festival season can make or break your rehearsal process. The best festival pieces challenge students musically while still being achievable within limited rehearsal time — and they reward careful musicianship, blend, tuning, and stylistic awareness.
Below are several classic high school choir pieces that consistently work well for adjudicated festivals, along with practical notes on why they’re effective and how to rehearse them efficiently. Rehearsal-track support is included where available to help streamline note learning and sectionals.
Ave Verum Corpus
— W. A. Mozart
A staple for a reason.
Why it works for festival:
- Transparent texture exposes tuning, balance, and breath control
- Teaches classical phrasing and sustained legato singing
- Ideal for developing mature choral tone in senior ensembles
Teaching focus:
- Unified vowels and vertical tuning
- Breath pacing through long phrases
- Dynamic contrast without tension
Sicut Cervus
— Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
An excellent introduction to Renaissance polyphony.
Why it works for festival:
- Develops independence and listening skills
- Clear imitation helps students understand contrapuntal texture
- Encourages a lighter, more flexible choral tone
Teaching focus:
- Line awareness across parts
- Tuning through harmonic suspension points
- Forward motion without rushing
Cantique de Jean Racine
— Gabriel Fauré
These rehearsal tracks feature individual voice-parts — especially effective for early learning and sectionals.
A beautiful option for expressive, lyrical singing.
Why it works for festival:
- Rich Romantic harmonies challenge tuning and blend
- French text encourages refined diction and colour
- Emotionally rewarding without excessive difficulty
Teaching focus:
- Long-phrase shaping
- Sensitive dynamic control
- Consistent vowel modification across ranges
Hallelujah Chorus
— George Frideric Handel
Bold, energetic, and instantly recognizable.
Why it works for festival:
- Builds stamina and rhythmic precision
- Encourages confident articulation and text clarity
- Works well for larger ensembles
Teaching focus:
- Baroque articulation and lightness
- Rhythmic clarity in fast-moving passages
- Ensemble cutoffs and consonant alignment
Lacrimosa
— W. A. Mozart
A powerful choice for advanced ensembles.
Why it works for festival:
- Expressive depth with clear formal structure
- Excellent for teaching dramatic shaping and harmonic tension
- Encourages emotional commitment alongside technical control
Teaching focus:
- Controlled intensity
- Dynamic layering
- Emotional expression through sound, not force
Why rehearsal tracks matter for festival prep
Festival success isn’t just about repertoire — it’s about how efficiently students learn it. Structured rehearsal tracks allow you to:
- Save rehearsal time on note learning
- Support absences and independent practice
- Strengthen sectionals without over-directing
- Shift rehearsal focus toward musicality and ensemble sound
Used intentionally, rehearsal tracks become a musicianship tool, not a crutch.
Final thoughts
These pieces have stood the test of time because they teach essential choral skills: listening, tuning, blend, style, and expressive singing. When paired with clear rehearsal strategies and purposeful musicianship work, they set students up for confident, successful festival performances.
If you’re looking to streamline your festival prep this year, consider pairing your repertoire choices with targeted rehearsal-track support — your rehearsals (and your students) will thank you.
Before You Go…Free Printables
Want some free printables to make your planning even easier? Check out my other blog post, Must Have Printables for Organizing Your Choir This Year, to access 3 free resources.
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