Kile Smith
Composer“His voice is unlike any other”—Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare
“sublimely … ecstatically beautiful”—David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer
Featured Video
April Showers. Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson, artistic director: soprano Stefanie Moore, mezzo-soprano Laura Mercado-Wright, tenor Dann Coakwell, baritone Simon Barrad, Austin Haller, piano, Thomas Burritt, drums, and Utah Hamrick, bass. Premiered 11 June 2021. Video starts at 27:49.
News
There’s a Land Beyond the River
Clarinet/piano premiere, Ricardo Morales, 2021. Avail. violin/piano, viola/piano, mandolin/strings, flute/organ, and solo violin.
The Bremen Town Musicians
Gemma Whelan narrates the Grimm’s fairy tale with the English Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods. The original violin, cello, and narrator version is featured on the Philadelphia Orchestra Our City Your Orchestra chamber series.
The Dawn’s Early Light
Conspirare, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, cellist Douglas Harvey, conducted by Craig Hella Johnson. On The Singing Guitar CD, released September 2020.
The Star-Spangled Banner
Hal Leonard octavo of this new, original setting, for SATB, piano, and opt. cello, 5’30”. The fifth movement of The Dawn’s Early Light.
The Arc in the Sky
2020 Grammy Nomination, Best Choral Performance, The Crossing, Donald Nally. “Maybe his best piece yet”—Philadelphia Inquirer.
Canticle
2020 Grammy, Classical Producer of the Year, Blanton Alspaugh. 65′ setting of the Spiritual Canticle of St. John of the Cross. SATB, three cellos, percussion.
Alleluia
SATB, 6′. Premiered by Philadelphia’s Central High School Choir and recorded by the Vocal Arts Ensemble, Cincinnati. Published by Hal Leonard.
The Consolation of Apollo
SATB, bass drum, crotales, 35′. Boethius, and the Apollo 8 astronauts seeing the Earth rising over the moon for the first time. More than 50 performances.
The music of Grammy-nominated composer Kile Smith is hailed internationally by critics, performers, and audiences for its strong voice, sheer beauty, and “profoundly direct emotional appeal.” Gramophone called the “sparkling beauty” of Vespers “spectacular.” The Philadelphia Inquirer called it “ecstatically beautiful,” American Record Guide, “a major new work,” Audiophile Audition, “easily one of the best releases of the year of any type… a crime to pass up” … more here…
The English Symphony Orchestra releases The Bremen Town Musicians with Gemma Whelan, narrator. Ricardo Morales premieres There’s a Land Beyond the River, for clarinet and piano. The Arc in the Sky with The Crossing received a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance, and the Canticle / Alleluia CD by Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble helped win the 2020 Classical Producer of the Year Grammy for Blanton Alspaugh. Hal Leonard publishes The Star-Spangled Banner, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and Alleluia. A Birch in Winter, which includes Kile’s Where Flames a Word, won the 2020 Estonian Recording of the Year for Voces Musicales. The Dawn’s Early Light, Ave Maris Stella, The Book of Job, The Arc in the Sky, Where Flames a Word, The Consolation of Apollo, Vespers, Conspirare, the L.A. Guitar Quartet, Piffaro, Variant 6, iSing Girlchoir, Choral Arts Society of Washington … more here…
TEN NEW CDs • With The Arc in the Sky, The Crossing and Donald Nally were nominated for the 2020 Grammy Best Choral Performance. Canticle and Alleluia with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati helped win the 2020 Classical Producer of the Year Grammy for Blanton Alspaugh. The Dawn’s Early Light was released 2020 by Conspirare with the L.A. Guitar Quartet and cellist Douglas Harvey. Where Flames a Word, In This Blue Room, Canticle, The Arc in the Sky … more here…
PERFORMANCES • Feb 2021 saw The Bremen Town Musicians on the Philadelphia Orchestra Our City, Your Orchestra series with violinist Juliette Kang, cellist Priscilla Lee, and narrator Charlotte Blake Alston. The English Symphony Orchestra released a video of the orchestral version of Bremen in 2021 with Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) as narrator. The Arc in the Sky moved from The Crossing’s Philadelphia premiere and CD to London with the Cantus Ensemble, New York with the Ghostlight Chorus, Cincinnati with the Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the Northwestern University Chorale. The Consolation of Apollo, Where Flames a Word, Spirituals for Piano Trio … more here…
PUBLICATIONS • Of the Father’s Love Begotten for choir, organ, and brass premiered at Westminster Choir College and is published by GIA. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and Alleluia published by Hal Leonard. MusicSpoke … more here… (Photo credit: A. J. Waltz)
Performances, events
1 Jan. Fleisher Discoveries: The Ultramodern Protest of John J. Becker
9 Jan. Blue Lobster. Premiere, Cincinnati SongSlam. Ben Flanders, Nell Flanders
15 Jan. The Arc in the Sky, selections. Friday Choral Connection with Debra Lew Harder, 1:30
19 Jan. Spirituals for Piano Trio. St. Paul’s Episcopal Concert Series, Kansas City, MO
20 Jan. The Dawn’s Early Light. Classical Connections, WPRB Princeton, Marvin Rosen
25 Jan. Strathmore Children’s Chorus video conference, Michael Wu
Feb–Mar. Kile Smith Photography Exhibit, The Broad Street Grind, Souderton, Pa.
1 Feb. Fleisher Discoveries: Alfredo Casella, Seeing the New in the Old
3 Feb. The Bremen Town Musicians. Caroline Eva Chin, Bowling Green State University, 8
6 Feb. Chorale Fantasias from Vespers. Premiere, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, Allan R. Scott
6 Feb. Host, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra livestream
12 Feb. Livestream discussion with Variant 6, Piffaro about Ave Maris Stella
13 Feb. A Child’s Afternoon. Classical New Releases, Mark Pinto, WRTI-FM, Philadelphia
22 Feb. The Bremen Town Musicians. Juliette Kang, vn, Priscilla Lee, vc, Charlotte Blake Alston, narr. Philadelphia Orchestra Our City, Your Orchestra video premiere
23 Feb. A Child’s Afternoon. Anna Meyer, fl, Erik Meyer, org, Abington Presbyterian Church livestream, noon
24 Feb. A Child’s Afternoon. Anna Meyer, fl, Erik Meyer, org, WQLN Erie, PA
Feb–Mar. Kile Smith Photography Exhibit, The Broad Street Grind, Souderton, Pa.
14 Mar. Completed new version of “April Showers” (final song of April Showers), adding double bass and revising piano accordingly
15 Mar. Completed There’s a Land Beyond the River, solo violin
28 Mar. Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts. Kiley Hazelton, soprano, Mark Bilyeu, organ, Calvin Presbyterian Church, Long Lake, MN
1 Apr. Fleisher Discoveries: A Rough Beginning for The Tender Land of Copland
2 Apr. Completed There’s a Land Beyond the River, clarinet and piano
14 Apr. Everyone Sang, WPRB-FM, Classical Discoveries, Marvin Rosen
14 Apr. There’s a Land Beyond the River, Joseph Kauffman, violin, George Washington Memorial Park, Plymouth Meeting, PA
15 Apr. Online discussion with English Symphony Youth Orchestra illustrators about The Bremen Town Musicians video
16 Apr. The Bremen Town Musicians video released, English Symphony Orchestra, narrator Gemma Whelan, conductor Kenneth Woods
19 Apr. Intrada for six horns finished, for the Curtis Institute of Music horn studio
23 Apr. Online Q&A, Working with Conductors, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley Choirs, with Sean Taylor, Craig Hella Johnson discussing Canticle, The Dawn’s Early Light, others
28 Apr. Online Q&A, Curtis Institute of Music horn studio, with Jeffrey Lang
1 May Fleisher Discoveries: Aurelio de la Vega: Out of Cuba
4 May. Everyone Sang. Video release. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Choirs, Robert Gehrenbeck
8 May. There’s a Land Beyond the River. Clarinet, piano premiere, Ricardo Morales encore, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra
8 May. Host, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra livestream
16 May. Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem (hymn). Holy Trinity Lutheran, Abington PA
23 May. O Thou Who Camest from Above. St. Mary’s Episcopal, Richmond, Ryan Tibbetts
26 May. Online chat with Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare’s Hella Circle about April Showers
30 May. Completed There’s a Land Beyond the River, flute and organ
1 Jun. Fleisher Discoveries: Gottfried von Einem, Among the Nations
2 Jun. Octavo published: The Star-Spangled Banner. SATB, piano, opt. cello, 5’30”. Hal Leonard
6 Jun. Alleluia. St. Martin’s Lutheran, Austin TX
9 Jun. Interview with Barry Brake, Texas Public Radio, and baritone Simon Barrad about April Showers premiere. Includes excerpt from The Dawn’s Early Light, 1:00 Central
11 Jun. April Showers. Premiere. Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson, artistic director: soprano Stefanie Moore, mezzo-soprano Laura Mercado-Wright, tenor Dann Coakwell, baritone Simon Barrad, Austin Haller, piano, Thomas Burritt, drums, Utah Hamrick, bass
13 Jun. April Showers. Conspirare
9–12 Nov. Recording The Book of Job. The Crossing
13 Nov. The Book of Job. The Crossing, Donald Nally. Concert premiere
Spring. The Book of Job. Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson. Staged premiere
