CHRIST IS RISEN

When Easter Sunday finally arrives, the choir loft needs an anthem that truly shakes off the solemnity of Lent. Jude Nnam’s "Christ Is Risen" does exactly that. It is a vibrant, triumphant proclamation of the resurrection, written with the kind of rhythmic energy that immediately gets the congregation on their feet. The refrain is direct and joyful, declaring the ultimate victory: death is no more.

What makes this piece so engaging to sing is how the verses walk us through the Easter story. We start with the dark memories of Good Friday—the soldiers, the beating, the piercing of His side—reminding us of the despair the disciples felt when they thought it was the end. Then, the second verse shifts to that early morning at the tomb, capturing the intimate moment between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. By the final verse, the mood is pure celebration, taunting death itself: "Oh, where is thy strength? Oh, death, Oh, where is thy sting?"

For a Nigerian Catholic choir, this is a perfect post-Communion or Recessional piece during the Easter season. The overlapping harmonies in the refrain give every voice part a chance to ring out with their own "Alleluia," building a wall of sound that fills the church. It is a song of pure relief and uncontainable joy, reminding everyone present that the weeping is over and the victory is won.