6 Best Choir Music For High School Competitions That Adjudicators Love

You’re sitting in a high school auditorium, program in hand, listening to your teen’s choir pour their hearts out on stage. They sound amazing to you, but so does the next choir, and the one after that. You find yourself wondering, "How on earth do the judges decide?" The secret often lies in the music itself—a strategic choice by the director to showcase the choir’s specific talents in a way that adjudicators are trained to recognize and reward.

Selecting Repertoire That Highlights Strengths

Ever feel like the songs your child’s choir director chooses are a bit of a mystery? There’s a thoughtful strategy at play, much like a coach designing plays for a team’s star players. A winning competition program isn’t about picking the three "hardest" songs; it’s about selecting a balanced set of pieces that makes this specific group of singers shine. A director knows if their strength is in their powerful tenor section, their unified soprano sound, or their ability to convey deep emotion.

The goal is to create a mini-concert that demonstrates versatility and mastery. This usually involves a varied program: perhaps a rhythmically intense piece, a slow and expressive one, and something with modern, complex harmonies. This variety tells adjudicators that the choir is well-rounded and musically intelligent. The director’s choices are a vote of confidence in your child and their peers, selecting music that sets them up for success by playing to their collective strengths.

Lauridsen’s "O Magnum Mysterium" for Blend

You might hear a piece that is so perfectly in tune, it sounds less like 50 individual high schoolers and more like one, single, shimmering instrument. That incredible unity is called blend, and Morten Lauridsen’s "O Magnum Mysterium" is the ultimate test. It’s a piece that sounds deceptively simple but is incredibly difficult to perform well, making it a favorite for adjudicators to evaluate a choir’s fundamental skill.

The piece is built on slow-moving, sustained chords that require immense vocal control, listening skills, and perfectly matched vowel sounds from every singer. There is nowhere to hide. Judges listen intently for intonation (singing perfectly in tune) and a seamless vocal texture. When a choir nails this piece, it tells adjudicators that they have mastered the foundational skill of listening and functioning as a true ensemble, earning them immense respect.

Gjeilo’s "Ubi Caritas" for Modern Sonority

If your teen is practicing music that sounds more like a sweeping film score than a traditional hymn, they might be singing something by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. His setting of "Ubi Caritas" has become a modern staple in competitive programming because it showcases a choir’s ability to navigate sophisticated, contemporary sounds. It’s lush, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant.

This piece is famous for its rich, dense harmonies and "cluster chords," where notes are packed closely together to create a beautiful, complex wash of sound. For adjudicators, this isn’t just a pretty song. It’s a test of the choir’s musical maturity and their ear for complex tuning. Successfully performing a piece like this proves the ensemble can handle the harmonic language of the 21st century, demonstrating a high level of musicianship.

Whitacre’s "The Seal Lullaby" for Storytelling

Sometimes a performance gives you goosebumps, not just because the singing is beautiful, but because you feel like you’ve just been told a complete, heartfelt story. That’s the magic of musical storytelling, and Eric Whitacre’s "The Seal Lullaby" is a masterclass in it. Based on a tender poem by Rudyard Kipling, the music itself paints a vivid picture of a mother seal rocking her pup to sleep amidst the waves.

Adjudicators look for so much more than correct notes and rhythms; they want to see an emotional connection to the text. With this piece, they are listening for expressive phrasing, dynamic contrast that builds and releases tension, and a genuine sensitivity to the narrative. A choir that performs "The Seal Lullaby" effectively shows that they are not just singers, but true artists who can communicate meaning and emotion.

Orbán’s "Daemon Irrepit Callidus" for Energy

After a set of beautiful, lyrical pieces, a choir might suddenly launch into something fast, fiery, and full of rhythmic intensity. György Orbán’s "Daemon Irrepit Callidus" is a showstopper that grabs an audience’s attention and demonstrates pure technical prowess. It’s a percussive, exciting piece that requires laser-like focus and boundless energy from every single singer.

This piece is a high-risk, high-reward choice. Adjudicators listen for impeccable rhythmic precision—can the choir handle the driving tempo and complex patterns without falling apart? They focus on crisp, unified diction, which is especially challenging at this speed. When a choir pulls this off, it’s an electrifying moment that proves they have the discipline and technical chops to handle even the most demanding repertoire.

Gawthrop’s "Sing Me to Heaven" for Vocal Lines

Have you ever listened closely and noticed how each section of the choir—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—has its own distinct, beautiful melody? Daniel E. Gawthrop’s "Sing Me to Heaven" is beloved because it showcases this very thing: the independence and beauty of each individual vocal line. It’s a piece that relies on the strength of the entire ensemble, not just a soaring soprano melody.

This is what makes it such a smart choice for a well-balanced choir. Adjudicators use it to assess the depth of talent across the entire group. They can clearly hear if the tenor section is confident, if the altos are providing a rich and steady foundation, and if the basses have a resonant tone. A great performance of this piece tells the judges that this isn’t just a choir with one or two star singers; it’s a truly solid ensemble from top to bottom.

Runestad’s "I Will Lift Mine Eyes" for Impact

The final piece in a competition set is often chosen for maximum emotional impact—the one that leaves the audience breathless right before the applause. Jake Runestad’s "I Will Lift Mine Eyes" is a piece that delivers that unforgettable moment. It builds from a place of quiet, hopeful introspection to an absolutely massive, powerful climax that can fill an entire concert hall with sound.

What adjudicators are listening for here is control. Can the choir manage that enormous dynamic range, growing from a whisper to a fortissimo without sacrificing their tone or intonation? The emotional arc of the piece is everything. A choir that can successfully navigate this journey demonstrates incredible maturity, breath support, and the ability to work together to create a truly moving and memorable musical experience.

Preparing Your Choir for Adjudication Success

Seeing the sheet music on your kitchen counter, you might wonder how those black dots on a page become a polished, award-winning performance. The journey is about so much more than just learning notes. It’s weeks and months of developing advanced vocal technique, understanding the history and meaning of the text, and learning to breathe and phrase as one unified entity. This is where the deepest learning happens.

As a parent, your role in this is simpler and more important than you might think. Your job isn’t to be a music critic, but a steadfast supporter. Getting them to rehearsal on time, encouraging them to practice, and most of all, being an enthusiastic face in the crowd means the world. The feedback from adjudicators is a valuable tool for growth, but it’s your unwavering support of the process that helps your child develop the resilience and discipline that will serve them long after the competition is over.

In the end, while a trophy is a wonderful validation of hard work, the true prize is the journey itself. The teamwork, artistic sensitivity, and pursuit of excellence learned in a high-level choir are skills that build confident, collaborative, and resilient young adults. That is a victory that lasts a lifetime.