Discover how a featured instrumental obbligato can elevate your choir's sound, reinforce musical concepts, and create opportunities for collaboration—plus practical tips for a successful performance.

Instrumental obbligatos in choral music add a unique color and contribute unique musical lines designed to complement the voices. But the benefits can extend far beyond the performance itself. Inviting an instrumentalist into your choral room creates opportunities for musical learning, collaboration, and connection.

A featured solo instrument will:

1. Elevate your performance by creating contrast. A new timbre changes the sound and gives the audience something fresh to listen for.

2. Model a collaborative approach to music making. Singers experience firsthand what it means to listen, adjust, and make music with someone invited in.

3. Foster important cross-department relationships. Invite a band or orchestra student to play with the choir and strengthen connections across your music program.

4. Spotlight an outstanding player. An obbligato gives a talented student or colleague a chance to shine.

5. Demonstrate musical techniques that resonate with singers. Instrumentalists can provide terrific visual and aural models for breath, phrasing, articulation, tone, rhythm, and more.

Flute: Breath and Air

Whenever I have a flute player at choir rehearsal, I'll highlight the connection between breath energy, focused air, and beautiful tone. If the flutist is game, I ask them to demonstrate how tone quality becomes weak (or even non-existent) when they don't focus the air or have enough breath to complete a phrase. A flute can also model what happens if we "over blow," another concept that clearly applies to the voice.

Chorals with flute:

• Christmas Is Here (Mary Donnelly & George L. O. Strid)

• In Time of Silver Rain (Greg Gilpin)

• Kyrie Canon (Andy Beck)

• Let Beauty Awake (Andy Beck)

• Suo Gan (arr. Mark Burrows) 

Cello: Connect and Sustain

If your group is treble-heavy, a cello will anchor the sound with its warm bari-tenor range. It also provides a wonderful visual model for legato singing. In rehearsal, ask singers to watch the continuous motion of the bow moving across the strings. You can even borrow the cellist's technique as rehearsal language: "Keep the bow moving through the phrase" or "Don't stop the bow at the fermata." Take it one step further by having singers move an arm as though they're bowing while they sing. This physical gesture invites them to feel the legato.

Chorals with cello:

• I'll Be There For You (arr. Andy Beck)

• Moonlight (Mark Burrows)

• Time After Time (arr. Andy Beck)

• The Turtle Dove (arr. Victor C. Johnson)

• Under Winter Moon (Andy Beck)

Trumpet: Articulation

Trumpet players are articulation experts! Invite your guest brass player to demonstrate staccato, legato, marcato, or whichever articulation your piece requires. Ask singers what they hear: What makes one articulation different from another? Where does the note begin? How long does it last? What happens to the air? Then experiment with creating those same musical distinctions vocally. It's a great reminder that articulation isn't simply about consonants; breath energy, duration, emphasis, and the articulators of the mouth all contribute to the effect.

Chorals with trumpet:

• Antiphonal Fanfare (Andy Beck)

• Benedicamus Domino (Victor C. Johnson)

• Exsultate in Seven (Andy Beck)

• For the Trumpet Shall Sound (Sally K. Albrecht)

• Jubilate! Alleluia! (J.S. Bach, arr. Patrick M. Liebregen)

Percussion: Rhythm and Groove

Technically, unpitched percussion is not an "obbligato," but adding a shaker, djembe, cajón, snare, or other percussion instruments will create an exciting backdrop for any choir. When pairing singers with a percussionist, point out the importance of rhythmic precision and a unified tempo. Encourage singers to listen beyond their own part and lock into the percussion groove rather than simply singing over it. At the same time, remind the player that collaboration goes both ways: they need to listen to the choir, follow the conductor, and adjust their dynamics to support, but not overwhelm, the voices.

Chorals with percussion:

• Banaha (arr. Ruth Morris Gray)

• The Little Drummer Boy (arr. Bryan Sharpe)

• O Christmas Tree (arr. Kirby Shaw)

• Shona Malanga (arr. Vicki Tucker Courtney)

• Train Come Runnin' (Andy Beck)

Make the Collaboration Count

The musical payoff of an obbligato depends on more than simply finding a player and putting them on stage. Some strategic planning can make the experience better for the instrumentalist, the singers, and the conductor. Once you've selected a piece with an obbligato, use these four tips for a successful collaboration:

1. Choose the Right Player

The most advanced instrumentalist isn't always the best collaborator. Look for someone who is confident enough to play independently, but who can also listen, adjust, and follow the conductor. If you're inviting a student, check with their band or orchestra teacher first. They can help you identify a player who is ready for the part—and you'll earn some cross-department goodwill in the process.

2. Get the Music to Them Early

Don't wait until the week of the concert to hand over the obbligato part. Give your player plenty of time to prepare, along with a recording or rehearsal track if one is available. Be sure they understand the desired tempo, any cuts or repeats, and how their part fits into the larger piece. Even a terrific player will feel more comfortable when they know what to expect.

3. Rehearse Together Before the Dress Rehearsal

Whenever possible, bring your instrumentalist to at least one regular choir rehearsal. Singers need time to get used to hearing the new sound, and the player needs to learn how their part interacts with the voices and piano. This is also your chance to secure entrances, tempo changes, fermatas, rubato, and other musical moments.

4. Check the Balance in the House

What sounds balanced from the podium may be completely different in the audience. Have someone listen from several places in your performance space while the choir and instrumentalist rehearse together. Experiment with placement before reaching for a microphone; sometimes moving the player a few feet is all it takes. And remind everyone that an obbligato should complement the singing, not compete with it.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, singing with an instrumental obbligato is about more than just adding a new color or texture to your music; it's about opening doors to collaborative music making and artistic discoveries. When we invite others into our choral world, we cultivate a richer, more vibrant music program. Embrace these partnerships, celebrate the unique talents within your school or community, and watch as your entire music program blossoms.