By GALA Expert
November 17, 2023
Repertoire
Tired of the choral repertoire easily available by the traditional distributors? This page is packed full of resources to help you move beyond the ordinary! Check out the Database tab for a list of choral rep that challenges gender stereotypes as well as Activist Songs to get your audience on their feet!
The newest Boulanger Initiative resource in the database tab offers over 8,000 works by women and gender-diverse composers.
Look for the Justice Choir Songbook under the Free Music tab for new and re-purposed protest songs.
In addition to the resources on this page be sure to peruse music commissioned by our GALA member choruses.
LGBTQ+
GALA Choruses Resources
GALA Festival 2016 Song List – XLS
A spreadsheet of all the music performed at Festival 2016 including publisher and composer contacts.
Program book from GALA Festival 2012– PDF
A searchable PDF that offers composer/publisher information on thousands of songs.
Recordings from GALA Festival 2012
Peruse thousands of recordings and purchase a single track or a complete concert set.
Recommended Repertoire for a New GALA ChorusList of LGBTQ Composers
Seelig Recommended Repertoire – Word Doc
Repertoire/Commissions from GALA ACDA Workshop
Transgender Choral Composer Reading Session – PDF
Sample scores of two transgender composers. For complete listings see their websites:
Mari Ésabel Valverde | Michael Bussewitz-Quarm
Queer Music Heritage
QMH is a radio show and website created to preserve and share the music of queer culture.
Yelton Rhodes Music:
Yelton Rhodes Music is dedicated to publishing new choral music by composers and arrangers who have a gift for lyricism, taking chances, and speaking to the heart and soul.
Free Music
Justice Choir Songbook
The Justice Choir Songbook is a digital, downloadable resource of new and re-purposed protest songs for the issues of our time. This new repertoire is accessible freely to people everywhere, including families, congregations, classrooms, and other organizations working for change.
Choral Public Domain Library
A ChoralWiki that is updated daily and permits unrestricted downloads and no-edit viewing.
International Music Score Library Project
Sharing the world’s public domain music. The music on this website is no longer protected by copyright in the US or Canada and can be freely distributed. Follow the restrictions listed.
List of Free Download Sites
ACDA ChoralNet has an extensive list of additional links for free downloadable music.
Databases
Boulanger Initiative Women and Gender-Marginalized Composers Database
Designed for everyone – musicians, performers, conductors, students, researchers, educators, artistic administrators, and anyone with a curious mind – this database provides access to thousands of works by women and gender-marginalized composers. By sharing knowledge and resources, BID increases access to works by underrepresented composers, empowering all who wish to diversify classical music programming. Explore over 8,000 works by more than 1,200 composers with ease, available to you for free.
Gender Expansive Repertoire – XLS Check out this growing list Database of choral repertoire that challenges gender stereotypes.
Activist Songs – Google Doc
Check out this spreadsheet of songs that address themes of social justice and add your own suggestions.
Choral Music by Women Composers Database
This searchable, sortable database lists sample repertoire for all voicings by women composers of all eras, and is intended to be an ever-evolving resource for conductors interested in programming music by women.
Composer Diversity Database
ESV Database of Socially Conscious Choral Music – Empowering silenced voices searchable database.
Musica Web Database
An extensive virtual choral library. Excellent search engine by composer, topic, voicing, language, etc. The site is free to use but registration is required.
New Music USA On-Line Library
The Online Library is a searchable database with access to digital scores, sound files and biographical information.
Hear the Choirs Sing
A long list of choral music clips
Music Publishers Association
Copyright resource with links to other databases
International
EarthSongs
An excellent source for international choral music. Includes published music, print on demand, translations, pronunciation sound files and recordings. Purchase a CD and request a packet of all the scores at a reduced cost.
Musica International
An extensive virtual choral library. Excellent search engine by composer, topic, voicing, language, etc. The site is free to use but registration is required.
Music Lending and Rental Libraries
Some of these are “rental” agencies which charge per piece; others have membership fees; still others charge nothing except for expenses such as shipping.
- Arkansas Valley Wind & Percussion Ensemble Lending Library
- Bagaduce Music Lending Library
- ECS Publishing Rental Department
- Fred Waring’s America
- National Music Lending Scheme (Australia)
New Curriculum for School Collaborations
GALA choirs have commissioned hundreds of compositions in our 40-year history. Three of these larger commissions have been designed with supporting curriculums designed for middle and high-school students. Explore GALA’s school curriculum resources.
Choral Music Library Software
Many GALA choruses have designed their own music library software using a standard spreadsheet or custom designed database. Here are two commercial music library systems to consider.
MusicLibrarian: A new web-based system