The Music of Elizabeth Alexander

Works about Community

Title

Poet/Lyricist

Voicing/Instrumentation

Level

A Place at the Table
NEW for 2025
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Vocal duet
Level: M
Chosen People
An affirmation of the blessedness and belonging of all people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Conversation on a Train
A courageous conversation across a deep divide
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA or SSAA, piano
  • low voice, high voice, piano
Level: ME
Do Not Leave Your Cares At the Door
A feast of old-time gospel offering welcome and acceptance
Poet/Lyricist: Norman V. Naylor
  • SATB a cappella
  • TBB a cappella
Level: ME
Fighting Over What We Believe
A bold reflection on facing conflict with courage and compassion
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA + SAB youth, piano
  • SSA, soloists, piano
  • SATB + SAB youth, piano
  • SATB, soloists, piano
Level: M
Intertwined
A warm, down-to-earth ballad about deep connection
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA, opt. descant
  • SSA
Level: ME
Kindling: Small Reflections on a Limitless Faith
A wide-ranging exploration of the touchstones that bring meaning, inspiration, and wonder to our lives
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: MA
Let it Matter
An urgent call to deep listening across cultural and class divides
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA, piano
  • SATB, piano
Level: M
Love is the Spirit of this Church
A feast of old-time gospel, with a vision for our time
Poet/Lyricist: Tony Larsen, additional lyrics by Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
Level: M
May This Be a Working Alleluia
A “roll up your sleeves” embrace of gratitude, work, healing and joy
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB + children’s choir, piano, opt. flute and trumpets
Level: M
No Ordinary Song
An earnest call to heal old wounds and build beloved community
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Medium voice, piano
  • Community / Congregational Song
Level: ME
No Other People’s Children
A song of reconciliation affirming the belovedness of all people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Flexible voicing: 1-4 pt. choir
Level: E
One More Step
A richly imagined arrangement of a visionary protest anthem
Poet/Lyricist: Joyce Poley
  • SATB, spoken voices, piano
Level: MA
Only a Couple Fishes
An animated retelling of the “loaves and fishes” story, with generosity at its core
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SA, piano
Level: ME
Pages
A clear-eyed reflection on the world’s challenges, with a purposeful call to action
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SATB, piano
  • SATB, chamber ensemble
Level: M
Same Birds
A sassy frolic about deep listening, the cry of existence, and a congregation of rowdy birds
Poet/Lyricist: David Allan Evans
  • SATB a cappella
Level: MA
Saving all the Whales in the Sea
A cautionary fish tale about some exceedingly like-minded people
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • 1-4 pt. chorus, piano
  • medium voice, piano
Level: ME
Sing Me Awake
A tender and rhapsodic meditation on our return to life after grief and loss
Poet/Lyricist: Gregory Orr
  • SATB, piano, string quartet or string orchestra
Level: MA
Song of the Five Thousand
A canonic table grace with abundance, gratitude and generosity at its core
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Flexible choral voicing
  • Community / Congregational Song
Level: E
This is What Democracy Looks Like
A rally-ready protest song (Creative Commons)
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Community / Congregational Song
Level: E
We Give Thanks for Being
A song of gratitude and community for all ages
Poet/Lyricist: Traditional
  • Flexible voicing: 1-4 pt. choir
Level: ME
We Need Each Other
A down-to-earth celebration of our essential interdependence, well-suited for processionals or recessionals
Poet/Lyricist: Susan Gittler, adapted
  • SATB, djembe or low drum
Level: ME
What’s Keeping You From Singing?
A soulful reminder of music’s power to lift the heart
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • SSA a cappella
Level: M
When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled
A rhythmic and relevant best-seller about the true “work of Christmas”
Poet/Lyricist: Howard Thurman
  • SATB a cappella
  • SATB, flute
  • SSAA a cappella
  • TTBB a cappella
Level: M