What does a pianist need to accompany a choir? First and foremost, pianists need to get used to playing all the vocal parts simultaneously. Playing 4 or 5 staves at once happens frequently. In case that playing everything is impossible with two hands, focus on active lines, parts with tricky notes, every entrance, and the things to improve you heard on the spot.

While doing the choral parts reading, a pianist must not ignore the piano part. It gives much information, such as harmony, rhythm, and occasionally doubling of voice lines. It is recommended to prepare playing mainly the choral parts while adding the accompaniment as much as possible.