Short biography

The music of Kile Smith is hailed for its “sparkling beauty” by Gramophone, which called Vespers “spectacular.” His works are praised for their emotional power, direct appeal, and strong voice.

His many commissions include orchestral, choral, chamber, and liturgical works. They include The Waking Sun and Where Flames a Word for The Crossing, The Nobility of Women, a dance suite for Mélomanie, and the song cycle Plain Truths for the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival. He’s composed for Jennifer Montone, Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Cello of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Future projects include music for the Closing Eucharist of the Annual Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians in June 2012, and an orchestral work for the 2012-13 season.

Kile hosts Now is the Time and co-hosts Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection on Philadelphia’s WRTI-FM, and is a regular contributor to the Broad Street Review. For 18 years he was Curator of the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music.

Biography

The music of Kile Smith (b. 1956) is hailed for its “sparkling beauty” by Gramophone, which called Vespers—written for the Renaissance band Piffaro and the new-music choir The Crossing—“spectacular.” His works are praised for their emotional power, direct appeal, and strong voice.

His many commissions include orchestral, choral, chamber, and liturgical works. They include The Waking Sun and Where Flames a Word (selected for performance at the 2009 Annual Conference of Chorus America) for The Crossing, The Nobility of Women, a dance suite for the Baroque/new-music group Mélomanie, and the song cycle Plain Truths (baritone, string quartet) for the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival. He’s composed for Jennifer Montone, Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Cello of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Future projects include music for the Closing Eucharist of the Annual Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians in June 2012, and an orchestral work for the 2012-13 season.

The Philadelphia Inquirer calls the “immediately identifiable personality” of his music “breathtaking” and “ecstatically beautiful,” listing the premiere of Vespers as one of the “Top Ten” concerts of the year. The Buffalo News called it “altogether gorgeous and haunting,” and the Philadelphia City Paper raved that it is “almost preternaturally beautiful.” Audiophile Audition pronounced it “a masterpiece of the deepest kind… Seldom do I come across a piece with such profoundly direct emotional appeal… easily one of the best releases of the year.”

Recently premiered are Two Laudate Psalms for Lyric Fest and the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, and Now ys the tyme of Crystymas by the Virginia Chorale. Ensemble Epomeo has performed his string quartet The Best of All Possible Worlds, string trios Thrice Blest and No, Not One, and the children’s piece The Bremen Town Musicians. The Gaines/French Duo (soprano saxophone, piano) commissioned This Broad Land and The Better Angels of Our Nature. Vespers and Where Flames a Word are available on the Navona label.

Many orchestras have performed Kile’s music, including the Delaware, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia Classical, and Jackson (Tenn.) symphonies, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Sofia, Sofia Youth, and Shumen State Philharmonics of Bulgaria. His works have been played by Network for New Music, Latin Fiesta, and the Ocean City Pops.

Among his awards are a grant from the Philadelphia Music Project, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Composer Fellowship, and grants from Meet The Composer and the Argosy Foundation.

Kile hosts the contemporary American music program Now is the Time, co-hosts Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection, and is a substitute classical host on Philadelphia’s WRTI-FM. He is a regular contributor to the arts and culture e-magazine Broad Street Review. For 18 years he was Curator of the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in the Free Library of Philadelphia, and is a sought-after lecturer.

Kile is on the adjunct faculties of Philadelphia Biblical University, teaching composition and advanced orchestration, and Temple University, teaching music notation. Kile lives in Philadelphia with his wife, the soprano Jacqueline Smith, and their daughters.

Selected Commissions

Auricolae
The Crossing
Thomas Elliott, trombone
Ensemble Epomeo
First Presbyterian Church, Phoenixville Pa.
Gaines/French Duo
Gerard Manley Hopkins Centenary Conference
William Ghezzi, guitar
John Ilika, trombone
The Jupiter Symphony
Latin Fiesta
Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra
Lyric Fest
Mélomanie
Musicopia
Network for New Music
Newburyport Chamber Music Festival
Philadelphia Classical Symphony
Philadelphia Guitar Ensemble
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band
Pottstown Symphony Orchestra
St. Eleanor Church, Collegeville, Pa.
St. Joseph’s University
Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra
Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia
Ursinus College
The Westminster Brass

Recordings

American Spirituals, Book One, David Kim, The Lord Is My Shepherd, Paul Jones  Music
American Spirituals, Book Two, Anne Martindale Williams, Sacred Music for Cello, Paul Jones Music
Four French Carols, The Westminster Brass, Christmas Celebration
Great is Thy Faithfulness, The Westminster Brass, Great Hymns of the Faith, Vol. 2,
Penmaen Pool, Nancy Ellen Ogle, An Evening with Gerard Manley Hopkins, Capstone
A Song of Sonia Sanchez, Latin Fiesta, Amor a la Vida,
Vespers, Piffaro, The Crossing, Donald Nally, Navona
Where Flames a Word, The Crossing, It is Time, Navona

Publishers

Hildegard Publishing Company, Inc.
Edwin F. Kalmus & Co., Inc.
Paul Jones Music
Prairie Dawg Press
Tau Imprints
Theodore Presser Company
Westminster Brass Publications

Associations

American Composers Forum
American Music Center
ASCAP
Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, Board

Photos by Abu Tilghman