Debussy | Kile Smith • composer

The composing of Red-tail and Hummingbird, Part 2

by Kile Smith | Feb 6, 2013 | Chamber Music, Early Music, New Compositions, new music

[First published 5 Feb 2013 in the Broad Street Review and reprinted with permission. Read Part 1 here.] I had created the title; the only thing left was the music. In describing the composing of Red-tail and Hummingbird, I’m tempted to warn, at every step, that I...

Karol Szymanowski

by Kile Smith | Oct 10, 2012 | Classical music, Fleisher Collection, Radio, WRTI

Saturday, October 13th, 2012, 5-6 pm on WRTI (2nd Saturday this month!) Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937). Violin Concerto No. 1 (1916). Nicola Benedetti, violin, London Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding. Deutsche Grammophon 6154, Tr 1-3, 26:59 Szymanowski. Symphony No....

Béla Bartók

by Kile Smith | Jan 4, 2012 | Classical music, Fleisher Collection, Radio, WRTI

Saturday, January 7th, 2012, 5:00-6:00 Béla Bartók (1881-1945). Two Images, Op. 10 (1910). Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez. Deutsche Grammophon 445825, tr 7-8. 18:28 Bartók. Romanian Folk Dances (1917). Chicago Symphony Orchestra, George Solti. London...

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

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

11 May. Wireless. Chor Leoni, Erick Lichte

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

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.