by Kile Smith | Nov 20, 2019 | CDs, Choral music, Spirituality
Canticle helps propel Blanton Alspaugh to a 2020 Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year, Classical. Canticle is a 65-minute work setting The Spiritual Canticle of St. John of the Cross. For chorus, three cellos, and percussion, it is listed with seven other CDs...
by Kile Smith | May 22, 2018 | Choral music, Jazz, new music, Spirituality
2020 Grammy nomination, Best Choral Performance, The Crossing. Text by Robert Lax. Music by Kile Smith. SATB, unaccompanied. Duration, 65 minutes. Commissioned for The Crossing, Donald Nally, conductor. Premiered June 30th, 2018, at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut...
by Kile Smith | Feb 15, 2018 | Choral music, Spirituality
[George Case and Boston Cecilia asked me to contribute to their blog in the run-up to their 11 Mar 2018 concert of Canticle. This is what I wrote, slightly edited.] Saints bless the world, even when the world doesn’t know it. Saints who write, though, speak to the...
by Kile Smith | Apr 29, 2016 | Choral music, new music, Spirituality
Before Wednesday’s rehearsal of Canticle the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati and Craig Hella Johnson brought in a special guest to speak to the musicians and a few friends of the group. VAE invited Gillian Ahlgren to speak to us about St. John of the Cross and St....
by Kile Smith | Apr 21, 2016 | Choral music, new music, Spirituality
Canticle. Commissioned by the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, Craig Hella Johnson, Music Director. SATB, 3 cellos, 1 percussionist playing vibraphone, bass drum, tambourine. 65′. See the score. Additional notes written for the Boston Cecilia performance. See...
by Kile Smith | Apr 17, 2016 | Anthem, Art songs, Choral music, church music, Spirituality
What a great three days I enjoyed in Illinois as the guest composer for the 32nd annual Greenville College Schoenhals Fine Arts Symposium. A Thursday night concert and a Friday morning college chapel performance of seven pieces wove around seven classes, a composer...
