[Choral Piece] High Difficulty! A selection of works that are hard to sing

You may have found your way here because you’re looking for a free-choice piece to sing at a choir competition or because you want to improve your choral technique! In this article, I’ll be introducing choral pieces that are quite challenging to sing.

Fast tempos, sudden tempo changes, wide melodic leaps, and complex staggered entries between parts—these pieces have it all.

If you can make it through the works listed here, you’ll surely feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Be sure to read to the end!

Playlist

[Choral Piece] High Difficulty! A selection of works that are hard to sing
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	To You — A Message for Your DepartureSakushi Sakkyoku: Tsutsui Masako		A heartwarming choral message for graduates
2	rainbowLyrics and composition: Naotaro Moriyama・Kai Okachimachi / Arrangement: Taketomi Nobunaga		The significance of a moving choral piece themed around a rainbow
3	To the futureSakushi: Tanikawa Shuntarō / Sakushi: Nobunaga Takatoshi		A choral piece that sings of everyday hopes and the flow of life
4	Believesakushi:tanikawa shuntarō/sakkyoku:matsushita kō		“Believing” is a choral piece assigned to junior high school students.
5	running riverSakushi: Kanazawa Chieko, Sakkyoku: Kurosawa Yoshinori		The highly challenging choral piece “Wings of Water,” commissioned by Ogaki Minami Junior High School
6	Pegasus Galloping Through the SkySakushi: Tate Hōrai, Sakkyoku: Kurosawa Yoshinori		Yoshinori Kurosawa’s choral piece “The Sky-Galloping Pegasus”
7	I can hear (it)Sakushi: Iwama Yoshiki / Sakkyoku: Niimi Tokuhide		A moving choral piece that depicts the feelings of young people
8	Peace on EarthSakushi: Tsurumi Masao / Sakkyoku: Ogikubo Kazuaki		A grand choral piece imbued with a wish for peace
9	Time Travelersakushi: Fukada Junko, sakkyoku: Hashimoto Shōji		A mixed chorus piece with drastic key changes; pay attention to intonation.
10	river mouthSakushi: Maruyama Yutaka / Sakkyoku: Dan Ikuma		A graduation song that parallels the flow of a river with students' growth
11	proofflumpool		Parting and Courage of Two People Heading Toward Their Dreams
12	ChessboardFujiwara Satoshi		Music that portrays life choices and diversity
13	A Billion Light-Years of SolitudeKinoshita Makiko		Depicting the loneliness of the universe and the smallness of humanity
14	A Song on the LipsLyrics: C. Flying Dutchman / Music and Composition: Nobunaga Takafumi		A timeless masterpiece whose melody resonates with the heart, full of hope
15	See?Sakushi: Itou Keiji/Sakki: Matsushita Kou		A heartwarming choral piece for earthquake disaster relief that connects people
16	Blue EagleSakushi: Sarashina Genzo, Sakkyoku: Hasebe Masatoshi		The Blue Eagle is a complex choral piece—its meaning depends on the interpretation.
17	I can hear silence.Matsumoto Nozomi		Nozomi Matsumoto’s soul-stirring choral pieces, moving music
18	GiftShiho Ochi · Koichi Tsutaya		A heartwarming song that empathizes with adolescent anxieties
19	Song of First Intentsakushi: Kijima Hajime, sakkyoku: Nobunaga Taketomi		Hajime Kijima’s poetry collection “Song of Beginnings” is captivating.
20	premonitionSakushi: Kataoka Akira, Sakkyoku: Okuma Takako		Song of hope, a dream of planting trees in the desert
21	HikariSakushi: Seto Saori / Sakkyoku: Matsushita Kou		A composition that expresses the creation of light through poetry and melody
22	A girl searching for flowersSakushi: Tsurumi Masao, Sakkyoku: Ogikubo Kazuaki		The profound emotion of a mixed chorus piece depicting the tragedy of war
23	If I put it into wordsGosuperāzu		An inspiring song that sings of a bright future
24	BeginningSakushi: Kudō Naoko / Sakkyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		A musical depiction that feels the breath of the Earth
25	Song of Fresh Green LeavesSakushi: Komori Kōko / Sakkyoku: Kumagai Ken’ichi		How to sing the challenging choral piece “Aoba no Uta”
26	determinationSakushi: Kataoka Akira / Sakkyoku: Suzuki Norio		A choral piece of messages to the future by Ryotaro Shiba
27	One Morningsakushi:kataoka akira/sakkyoku:hirayoshi kishū		A classic masterpiece among required pieces for school music competitions
28	Once moreSakushi: Hoshino Tomihiro, Sakkyoku: Chihara Hideki		The famous song “The Road That Continues to Tomorrow,” the assigned piece for NHK’s music competition.
29	I will protect you.Sakushi: Giniro Natsuo, Sakkyoku: Ueda Masaki		The set piece for the high school music competition, “I Will Protect You.”
30	Youth RhapsodySakushi: Itsuki Hiroyuki, Sakkyoku: Nobunaga Takato		The highly challenging mixed-chorus choral piece 'Seishunfu' (Youth Score)
31	My Milestonesakushi: Kataoka Kihei, sakkyoku: Yoshiki Shuu		Challenging choral pieces, richly expressive across diverse ensembles
32	Himeyuri no Tō (Himeyuri Monument)Sakushi: Yamamoto Kazuo, Sakkyoku: Iwakawa Saburou		The Himeyuri Tower, depicting the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa
33	summerSakushi: Torigata Tomomi, Sakkyoku: Matsushita Kou		An intense and beautiful choral piece depicting war
34	MugiyaIwakawa Saburō		Saburo Iwakawa’s folk song “Mugiya”: a unique atmosphere and challenging vocals
35	blizzardSakushi: Ozaki Saeko, Sakkyoku: Sato Makoto		The profound allure of the anime song “Fubuki”
36	44 crimson sparrowsyakushi: Hani Kyōko, kyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		The Appeal of Makiko Kinoshita’s Complex Choral Works
37	ChessboardOfisharu Higedan Dism		NHK’s set piece gently expresses the path of life.
38	What I dreamed ofSakushi: Tachihara Michizō / Sakkyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		A gentle melody paints the happiness of everyday life.
39	Mysteries of the Seasakushi: Kawasaki Hiroshi / sakkyoku: Hirayoshi Takushu		A grand choral piece depicting the mysteries of the sea