by Kile Smith | Dec 17, 2022 | Pop Music
Christmas and Magic. A song, 4′. Words by Roy Powell, music by Kile Smith. Premiere of duet version, Evangelia Leontis, soprano, Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano, Julia Carey, piano, Calliope’s Call, Boston, 2 Dec 2022. Premiere of band version, Calesta Day, David...
by Kile Smith | Oct 20, 2020 | Broad Street Review, Pop Music
[First published in the Broad Street Review 19 Oct 2020 and reprinted here by permission.] Since I set a lot of words to a lot of music, I’m interested in how others do it, others including composers of the past, of the present—and pop songwriters. The music of my...
by Kile Smith | Jul 28, 2016 | Broad Street Review, Composition, Pop Music
[First published in the Broad Street Review 27 Jul 2016. Reprinted here by permission.] There was work to be done at the top of the cedar, beaten by storms, and on the still-grand oak, but the main business for the professionals was the two flowering pear trees in the...
by Kile Smith | Dec 11, 2015 | Jazz, Pop Music, WRTI Arts Desk
[First published in WRTI’s Arts Desk 4 Dec 2015.] Frank Sinatra was born 100 years ago on December 12th, and there have been any number of stars in the entertainment world during that century. But WRTI’s Kile Smith looks at what truly sets him apart from all the...
by Kile Smith | Jul 21, 2015 | Broad Street Review, Pop Music
[First published in Broad Street Review, 21 July 2015.] Saw my buddy Andrew, a gifted keyboardist, vocalist, and composer, shook his hand, and then held it. I said three words. “Chris Squire, man.” “Oh, man, Chris Squire.” He looked at me and nodded his head slowly....
by Kile Smith | May 21, 2014 | Children's Music, Choral music, new music, Pop Music
I was with the 4th- and 5th-grade Jenks Arts & Music (JAM) Class last Friday morning. I’ll be setting a poem by Ryan Eckes for The Crossing and the Jenks choir, which they’ll perform next year. But Friday was a get-to-know-the-composer day, after...
