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EXAMINING SHIFTS IN REPERTOIRE PROGRAMMING PRACTICES: PRE- AND POST-PANDEMIC

ing a corresponding decrease in average difficulty. tings, where conductors are aware from the beginning
Though the above discussion of language has cen- that their musical choices will be evaluated by their
tered on its implications for difficulty, it is also worth peers in the field. Instead, we must also look closely at
considering its implications for this article’s earlier dis- the more typical concerts we present within local con-
cussion of diversity and representation; language, after texts, which have historically been less closely scruti-
all, also has a connection to diversity and representa- nized. This study marks the beginning of what I hope
tion, as singing music from a variety of cultures and will be an ongoing effort to do so in our field.
nations often involves singing in the languages of those What, then, do these preliminary data show? Cer-
peoples and places. However, even though this study tainly, there are trends common to all schools: most
established a significant increase in the share of music notably, an increase in racial, ethnic, and gender-based
by non-White and non-male composers, the percent- diversity among the composers performed. Any de-
age of music performed in non-English languages de- crease in average composition difficulty appears to be
creased over the same time span, all while the median small and may be a fleeting response to the COVID-19
composition age (when considering all schools togeth- pandemic; even so, the significant increase in the per-
er) remained flat. centage of works performed in English is notable, as
Here, we see the intersection between the two hy- it would suggest an increasing homogeneity of reper-
potheses posited by this study: that diversity and repre- toire performed, at least from the standpoint of this
sentation would increase, and that difficulty would de- single attribute. This shift deserves further examina-
crease. “Diversity” can, however, encompass a variety tion in order to determine whether this dip in linguistic
of elements, each of which interacts complexly with diversity is temporary or if it emerges as an ongoing
other considerations. A work having a female compos- trend. Meanwhile, we should not take for granted that
er does not make it inherently more difficult for the the trends toward increased racial, ethnic, and gen-
ensemble, nor does a work having a non-White com- der-based diversity seen in this study will continue. If
poser, as these elements of identity do not necessarily those increases in diversity can be attributed to seismic
have any effect on the musical style or elements of the shifts in America’s conversation around race that took
composition. An aspect such as composition language, place in 2020, how will equally seismic shifts in the po-
on the other hand, does have a direct effect on the dif- litical conversation (and, for that matter, in federal poli-
ficulty of the work, as does the potential unfamiliarity cy) around diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2025 affect
that comes from performing a work from a time peri- choral programming moving forward?
od other than our own. In any case, it would appear Perhaps more notable than overall trends, though,
that, at least regarding composition language, consid- are those areas in which schools differ widely from one
erations of difficulty may have weighed more heavily another, the most significant being in the relative preva-
in the minds of choral faculty as they emerged from lence of historical music. A student who matriculates at
the COVID-19 pandemic than did considerations of a program where the median composition performed
linguistic diversity and representation. is only 11 years old (as was the case at Schools E, G,
and J during 2021–2023) will have a radically different
experience than a student who attends a school where
Conclusions and Implications the median composition performed is over 100 years

As set out at the beginning of this article, the reper- old (as was the case at Schools H and I during the same
toire is the curriculum for any choral ensemble. Fur- period).
thermore, the repertoire we select reflects our values Similar statements could be made regarding the
both as a field and as a society. If we are to truly as- schools’ balance of sacred and secular repertoire and
certain our values as a field as expressed through our of accompanied and unaccompanied repertoire, both
repertoire selection practices, we must do so not by ex- of which also varied widely between schools. At some
amining only the repertoire programmed in festival set- schools, as much as 70% of repertoire performed was

20 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2