American Guild of Organists | Kile Smith • composer

Reflection

by Kile Smith | Jun 9, 2017 | new music, Organ music

Reflection. organ, 6′ “A lovely setting appropriate for both liturgical and concert use … sparse but compelling harmonies … a signature sense of Americana reminiscent of Aaron Copland. … This is six minutes of pure musical bliss that...

The Surprising Connections of John Knowles Paine

by Kile Smith | Feb 3, 2016 | American music, Classical music, Fleisher Collection, WRTI

On Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection, Saturday, February 6th, 5-6 pm… If it’s a small world, then the 19th-century world of American classical music was tiny. Last month we looked at George Frederick Bristow of New York, the first native-born composer to...

Howard Hanson

by Kile Smith | Mar 3, 2012 | Classical music, Fleisher Collection, Radio, WRTI

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012, 5:00-6:00 Howard Hanson (1896-1981). The Lament for Beowulf, Op. 25 (1925). Seattle Symphony and Chorale, Gerard Schwarz. Naxos 559700, Tr 4. 19:11 Howard Hanson. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, Op. 36 (1948). Eugene List,...

Come, Gather All: The American Organist

by Kile Smith | Feb 27, 2012 | Choral music, church music, liturgical music, new music

My most recent anthem, Come, Gather All, is mentioned in the March 2012 issue of The American Organist, the publication of the American Guild of Organists. (Page 31… my picture… Jackie thinks I’m squinting…) I just received the recording of the Mass for which it...

News

7 Jan. “How Fair the Bright and Morning Star” (Wie schön leuchtet) from Vespers. St. Mary’s Episcopal, Richmond, VA, Ryan Tibbetts

27 Jan. Jubilate Deo, for string orchestra. Carroll County (MD) All-County Orchestra, Sheldon Bair

20 Jan. Red-tail and Hummingbird (Quintet version). Philadelphia Brass. Lansdale Community Concerts, North Penn High School, Lansdale, PA. Weather cancellation

3 Mar. Come, Ye Sinners (2-pt, org). Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith

3 Mar. Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor Sängergruß. Evening of Song, Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein, Philadelphia

10 Mar. God So Loved the World (2-pt, org). Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith

17 Mar. O Thou Who Camest From Above. Westminster Presbyterian, Lancaster, PA, Floyd Rawleigh

31 Mar. Alleluia. First and Central Presbyterian, Wilmington, DE, David Schelat

31 Mar. Behold, the Best, the Greatest Gift. Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith

31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Grace First Presbyterian, Long Beach, CA, Stan DeWitt

31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Daniel Spratlan

31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. St. Mary’s Episcopal, Richmond, VA, Ryan Tibbetts

31 Mar. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem. Wayne Presbyterian, Wayne, PA, John Grecia

11 Apr. PREMIERE. I Love You Truly from Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte

21 Apr. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, premiere of 2-pt, org version. Martin Luther Chapel, Pennsauken, NJ, Jacqueline Smith

10 May. PREMIERE. Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte

11 May. Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte

12–14 May. Wireless. Recording. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte

8 Jun. Monstra te essem matrem (SSA, harp) and Psalm 113 (SSAA, harp). iSing Girlchoir, Jennah Delp. Berkeley Festival, Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose, CA

10 Jun. Monstra te essem matrem (SSA, harp) and Psalm 113 (SSAA, harp). iSing Girlchoir, Jennah Delp. Berkeley Festival, First Church Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

27 Jun. Jerusalem, from The Arc in the Sky. The Crossing, Donald Nally, Month of Moderns 2, Awbury Arboretum, Germantown, Philadelphia

6 Jul. “Why Did They All Shout?” from The Arc in the Sky, Reading Bach Choir, Daniel Mahoney, Caversham, Reading, Great Britain

11 Jul. PREMIERE Arise, O Lord, Psalm 132 for SATB, org, 10′. Psalm Festival of the 2024 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Institute for Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music, Seward, Nebraska, the Bellevue Singers and organist Jacob Weber, conducted by A.J. Reimer.

28 Feb. PREMIERE. New 15′ Work. Choir and organ, on the life of St. Peter. Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Michael Plagerman

22 Mar. PREMIERE. New 12′ Work. Sylvan Viol Consort, Variant Six. Market Street Music, Wilmington, DE

12 Apr. PREMIERE. New 20′ Work. The Choristers with orchestra, Lansdale, PA, David Spitko

Recent CDs

The Bremen Town Musicians. English Symphony Orchestra, Gemma Whelan, narrator, Kenneth Woods, conductor. Fiddles, Forests, and Fowl Fables.

The Arc in the Sky. The Crossing. 2020 Grammy nomination, Best Choral Performance

Canticle and Alleluia. Vocal Arts Ensemble. 2020 Grammy, Classical Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh

In This Blue Room, other songs. Lyric Fest

A Child’s Afternoon. Fantasmagoria. Anna K. Meyer, flute, & Erik Meyer, organ

The Nobility of Women. Mélomanie

The Stars Shine, from The Consolation of Apollo. The Same Stream

Vespers. Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, and The Crossing

Where Flames a Word. The Crossing

Where Flames a Word. Voces Tallinn. 2020 Estonian Recording of the Year

Where Flames a Word. Khorikos

Where Flames a Word. Chicago Chamber Choir

Selected publications

The Star-Spangled Banner. SATB, piano, opt. cello, 5’30”. Hal Leonard

Alleluia. SATB, 6′. Hal Leonard

The Consolation of Apollo. SATB, perc, 35′. MusicSpoke

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. SATB, bells, 3′. Hal Leonard

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. SATB, org, 3′. Concordia.