Dear composer, thank you for considering Cypress Choral Music! What an honour and privilege to be a choral composer! What a responsibility! See the pyramid below. You are one of the few – the true resource from which choral singing is possible. Directors would have nothing to direct, choirs would have nothing to sing and choir loving audiences would have nothing to hear without composers like you at the top of the process!
Cypress is constantly overwhelmed with submissions, so we ask composers to consider the following.
Have you studied our
catalogue? (
see here) Notice that we have 7 versions of Ave Maria and – guess what? – they all sell very slowly. There are a thousand settings of Ave Maria available to choirs and many are written by the most famous composers who have ever lived. What’s more, many of the classics are available for free online at the Public Choral Domain.
If you have written a choral arrangement to a popular song (or any song under
copyright), please be sure you have cleared permission to do so. In our experience it takes research and persistence to clear copyright on any song. Many copyright holders will turn you down flat. But we also have many success stories – like
this amazing song, for example. (Vienna Teng, herself, signed the agreement with us.)
Most of the submissions offered to Cypress are
Christmas selections. However, our Christmas catalogue is bursting with sacred and secular selections.
Please read here about the pros and cons of Christmas choral music.
Point is, composers need to study our catalogue and offer something fresh.
Question: Do you have a quality choral recording of your composition? It’s nearly impossible to market a composition without a stellar recording to demonstrate the qualities and virtues of the music. Your composition should have a ” drive” before you seek publication. Composers often go back to the drawing board after a premiere performance to fix and/or enhance certain sections. Hearing is believing.
We have a few ideas for you.
Resurrection: Cypress needs more music on the Resurrection theme – Sacred or Secular.
1) The Resurrection of Christ and all aspects of the Lent season (including the crucifixion)
2) Renewal of the spirit, overcoming difficulties and finding the strength to carry on (e.g. The Storm is Passing Over)
3) Making a fresh start, turning over a new leaf (e.g. Tomorrow is a Chance to Start Over), Revival! Resurgence!
4)
We Rise Again is one of our most popular pieces. Hope for the future!
Canadiana: Cypress loves most things Canadiana if it’s well written. Choirs all over the world sing our “
Away From the Roll of the Sea” and “
Four Strong Winds” among others. Canada has hundreds of public domain folk songs that have never been set for choirs.
Great Poetry: Cypress is always open to meaningful poetry by famous poets (public domain). A great conductor once said, “There are fine composers and fine poets. Only very rarely do both gifts reside within the same person”.
Social Consciousness: Human rights; ecology – green earth themes; speak out against discrimination and racism with themes of love, equality, and unity. Cypress loves music that proclaims the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
The Choral Market: Please consider the marketability of your composition. (read
here) Cypress loves to publish quality music which is marketable.
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