Short bio
The Philadelphia Inquirer called Kile’s Vespers “breathtaking” and “ecstatically beautiful,” adding that “few…have Smith’s lyrical immediacy and ability to find great musical variety while maintaining an overall coherent personality.” The Broad Street Review called it “one of the major events of the music season.”
photo by Mark Garvin
Kile’s frequently performed music has been praised by audiences and critics for its emotional power, direct appeal, and strong voice. Kile is Curator of the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in the Free Library of Philadelphia, co-host of Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia, host of the contemporary American music show Now is the Time on WRTI, and a part-time classical host there.
His latest works include the Vespers for Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and The Crossing, Exsultet for horn and string orchestra, written for Jennifer Montone, Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, American Spirituals, Book One for violin and piano, written for and recorded by David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, American Spirituals, Book Two for Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Cello of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and The Bremen Town Musicians for Auricolae. He is now working on a variety of commissions for the 2008-2009 season, including The Best of All Possible Worlds, a string quartet, and Where flames a word for The Crossing on the poetry of Paul Celan. Vespers was released in April 2009 on the Navona label.
Long bio
David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer called Kile Smith’s Vespers “breathtaking” and “ecstatically beautiful,” adding that “few…have Smith’s lyrical immediacy and ability to find great musical variety while maintaining an overall coherent personality.” Tom Purdom of the Broad Street Review called it “one of the major events of the music season,” and Michael Caruso wrote in the Chestnut Hill Local that it was “one of the finest concerts I’ve heard in at least the last decade.”
photo by Mark Garvin
Kile’s frequently performed music has been praised by audiences and critics for its emotional power, direct appeal, and strong voice. Kile is Curator of the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in the Free Library of Philadelphia, co-host of Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia, host of the contemporary American music show Now is the Time on WRTI, and a part-time classical host there.
His latest works include the Vespers for Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and The Crossing, Exsultet for horn and string orchestra, written for Jennifer Montone, Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, American Spirituals, Book One for violin and piano, written for and recorded by David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, American Spirituals, Book Two for Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Cello of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and The Bremen Town Musicians for Auricolae. He is now working on a variety of commissions for the 2008-2009 season, including The Best of All Possible Worlds, a string quartet, and Where flames a word for The Crossing on the poetry of Paul Celan. Vespers has been recorded with funding from the Premiere Recording Program of the Philadelphia Music Project and was released in April 2009 on the Navona label.
Critics are calling his Vespers “masterful” and “a triumph,” adding that it is “a gem of a score.” The energy, emotion, and immediacy of his music, and the craftsmanship of his orchestration led to his being selected to be Resident Composer for both the Jupiter Symphony in New York City and Musica 2000 in Bucks County, Pa. Performances have included The Voice of One Who Spoke with the Sofia Philharmonic and with Musica 2000, a Pottstown Symphony commission of Alabanza with Latin Fiesta, a 175th-Anniversary commission from Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, for Psalm 46, a major chorus and orchestra work featuring New York City Opera baritone Todd Thomas, and Four French Carols by various orchestras.
Commissions include Vespers, with funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, The Voice of One Who Spoke by Musica 2000, Symphony: Lumen ad revelationem and Three Dances by the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, and Poems of Stephen Berg for soprano, clarinet, and piano by Network for New Music. Also commissioned by the Jupiter Symphony are The Three Graces for oboe, horn, cello, and strings, Variations on a Theme of Schubert for piano and orchestra, and Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins for high voice and orchestra.
Kile’s performances also include A Song of Sonia Sanchez for Latin band, singer, and orchestra by the Delaware, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia Classical, and Jackson (Tenn.) symphonies, Three Dances by many orchestras including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Sofia Youth and Shumen State Philharmonics of Bulgaria, the Missoula and Kona symphonies, and Poems of Stephen Berg at Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. His Variations on a Theme of Schubert has been performed numerous times in both its solo piano and piano with orchestra versions.
Other chamber and solo works have received many performances, including his Stationen auf dem Wege zur Freiheit for soprano voice, tenor saxophone, and piano, on texts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The chamber version of A Song of Sonia Sanchez has been performed many times by the ensemble that commissioned it, Latin Fiesta. He has edited the Clara Schumann Concerto for Piano and Orchestra for Hildegard Publishing. His song Penmaen Pool is included on soprano Nancy Ogle’s Capstone CD, An Evening with Gerard Manley Hopkins. Many of his brass and organ works are featured on Westminster Brass recordings and broadcast nationwide. He continues to add to his many liturgical works. He is also President of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia Foundation. 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’s music has been performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Sofia Philharmonic, the Delaware, Grand Rapids, Jackson (Tenn.), Jupiter, Missoula, Pottstown, and Princeton symphonies among many others, Charles Abramovic, Marshall Taylor, Musica 2000, the Ocean City Pops, and Network for New Music. Kile lives in Philadelphia with his wife, the soprano Jacqueline Smith, and their daughters, is a popular pre-concert lecturer, and plays percussion and sings in the early-music group Quidditas.
Selected Commissions
Auricolae
The Crossing Choir
Thomas Elliott, trombone
Gerard Manley Hopkins Centenary Conference
William Ghezzi, guitar
John Ilika, trombone
The Jupiter Symphony
Latin Fiesta
Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra
Musica 2000
Philadelphia Classical Symphony
Philadelphia Guitar Ensemble
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band
Poor Richard’s String Quartet
Pottstown Symphony Orchestra
St. Joseph’s University
Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra
Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia
The Westminster Brass
Recordings
- David Kim, The Lord Is My Shepherd, American Spirituals, Book One, Paul Jones Music
- Anne Martindale Williams, Sacred Music for Cello, American Spirituals, Book Two, Paul Jones Music
- Nancy Ellen Ogle, An Evening with Gerard Manley Hopkins, Penmaen Pool, Capstone Records
- The Westminster Brass, Christmas Celebration, Four French Carols, Westminster Brass Publications
- The Westminster Brass, Great Hymns of the Faith, Vol. 2, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Westminster Brass Publications
- Latin Fiesta, Amor a la Vida, A Song of Sonia Sanchez, Latin Fiesta Recordings
- Piffaro, The Crossing, Donald Nally, Vespers, Navona Recordings
Publishers
Hildegard Publishing Company, Inc.
Edwin F. Kalmus & Co., Inc.
Paul Jones Music
Tau Imprints
Theodore Presser Company
Westminster Brass Publications
Associations
American Composers Forum
American Music Center
ASCAP
Delaware Valley Archivists Group
German Society of Pennsylvania
The Hovhaness Centre, Board of Advisers
Latin Fiesta, Advisory Board
Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, Board
Musical Fund Society Foundation, President
Music Library Association
Quidditas, voice, percussion, recorders
Vereinigung Erzgebirge
