Spirituality | Kile Smith • composer

Enkindling Love, by Gillian T. W. Ahlgren

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....

Canticle

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...

Residency at Greenville College

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...

Out of the Depths

by Kile Smith | Mar 12, 2016 | Choral music, church music, New Compositions, Spirituality

Out of the Depths. Text: Psalm 130. SATB, 6-1/2′. Commissioned by Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, Pa., Jeffrey Brillhart, music director. Premiered 13 March 2016. There are qualities in Anton Bruckner’s music that inspired both this setting of Psalm...

The Stars Shine released by The Same Stream

by Kile Smith | Dec 29, 2015 | Choral music, new music, Spirituality

I’m honored to have my choral work The Stars Shine included with Thomas LaVoy and Cortlandt Matthews on this, the inaugural recording of the new choir The Same Stream! They sound absolutely wonderful. Do check out the recording on iTunes or at Amazon. The Stars...

De profundis

by Kile Smith | Dec 23, 2015 | Broad Street Review, Choral music, new music, Spirituality

[First published in Broad Street Review, 22 Dec 2015, reprinted here by permission, and edited.] The first thing I noticed was his bare torso, the shirt ripped off, his large belly expanding and tightening as he bellowed. Two men held him from behind. One in front,...

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Recent & Upcoming Highlights

Complete Calendar here.

3 Nov. The Bremen Town Musicians. Premiere Performances, Musical Fairytales, Hong Kong, Andrea Fessler, two performances

16 Nov. The Consolation of Apollo. Houston Chamber Chorale, Robert Simpson, St. Philip Presbyterian, Houston

7 Dec. The Consolation of Apollo. New version, with string orchestra. Plus PREMIERE of new Christmas carol. Bethlehem Bach Choir, Christopher Jackson

8 Dec. The Consolation of Apollo. New version, with string orchestra. Plus PREMIERE of new Christmas carol. Bethlehem Bach Choir, Christopher Jackson

15 Dec. Chorale Fantasias from Vespers. Ravenswood Community Orchestra, Eli Chen, Chicago

2025

1 Feb. Wie schön leuchtet from Vespers. American Kantorei, Maurice Boyer, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

2 Feb. Wie schön leuchtet from Vespers. American Kantorei, Maurice Boyer, St. Paul’s Lutheran, Des Peres, MO

28 Feb. PREMIERE. Jesus Stood on the Shore. Choir and organ, 15′. Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Michael Plagerman, Seattle

9 Mar. PREMIERE. Jubilate Deo for chorus and orchestra. Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, Sheldon Bair, Bel Air, MD

14 Mar. PREMIERE. Endless Morn of Light. Sylvan Viol Consort, Variant 6. Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia

15 Mar. Endless Morn of Light. Sylvan Viol Consort, Variant 6. First and Central Presbyterian, Wilmington, DE

16 Mar. Endless Morn of Light. Sylvan Viol Consort, Variant 6. Levering Mill Tribute House, Bala Cynwyd, PA

26 Apr. PREMIERE. Even the Grass Must Sing. The Choristers with orchestra, Lansdale, PA, David Spitko

PREMIERE 14 Jun. Let All the Strains of Joy (Tagore). The Crossing, Donald Nally. Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia

24 Jul. Northland. Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Joshua Habermann. Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, NM

27 Jul. Northland. Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Joshua Habermann. Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, NM

1 Aug. Northland. Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Joshua Habermann. Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, NM

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.