Hallelujah Sim.

for SATB chorus, orchestra & sampler (2024)

Hallelujah Sim. is structured like a game. The rules are simple: the chorus must follow the instructions given to them by a narrator - sing faster, sing slower, try again, combine voice types, randomise syllables - in order to progress through the piece. There are four ‘Hallelujahs’ to complete, followed by a final ‘Amen.’ Once each level is cleared, the piece finishes.

‘Sim.’ as in simulation: a copy or an imitation. I pictured a dreamlike scenario where old traditions and symbols (hallelujahs, choirs, the Royal Albert Hall) are charged with a strange, new intensity - shiny and sleek - like glossy, hyperreal objects. Sacred music that’s been packaged and gamified. A perfect, virtual hallelujah.

Commissioned by BBC Radio 3 for the First Night of the Proms 2024, performed by BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Elim Chan at the Royal Albert Hall on 19 July 2024.

Shortlisted for the RPS Large-Scale Composition Award in 2025.