choral
Everyone's Voice
NP027-2203 | SATB | 16pp | $2.50
ALL SALES BENEFIT UKRAINIAN RELIEF EFFORTS. Based on a text by WW1-era poet Siegfried Sassoon and completed as the recent invasion of Ukraine began, this moving work is both a paean to choral singing and a tribute to the never-ending song arising from the trenches of warfare. Commissioned by the Greenville Chorale. Selected from nearly 500 entries in VOCORE's recent call for scores.
Now available! Listen/Watch
Enfold Us
NP010-2102 | SATB | 12pp | $2.25
Composed and premiered (virtually) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this stunning work begins with a set of slowly rising entreaties seeking guidance and assurance from an encompassing “source of the cosmos.” Lyric lines merge with deep, resonant harmonies to describe the glories and dangers of creation, and to offer refuge and rootedness in the midst of uncertain times. Commissioned by Sweden's Petri Sångare. Finalist in Voces Caelestium's 2022 call for scores and the inaugural Festival of New American Music call for scores. "A beautiful motet." — Philip Brunelle, The American Organist
What You Dream
NP027-2211 | SATB | 12pp | $2.25
The latest of Kilstofte’s Rilke settings, “What You Dream” enfolds Mitchell’s utterly lyrical translation within a serene music, evoking a world of sleep, dreams and stars. The text and the music’s gentle rocking motive are ultimately transformed into a statement of power and glory, transcendence and wonder. Commissioned by the Young Harris College Friends of the Arts and premiered by the YHC Choirs under the direction of Jeffrey Bauman.
Print version available soon!
Through the Waters
NP010-1012 | SATB/opt sop solo | 12pp | $1.85
Drawn from the oratorio “Of Rivers Within,” this simple, soaring chorale underscores the immutable promise, “I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2-3a) and concludes with words of assurance uttered tenderly by what seems a still small voice. The stand-alone anthem can be sung by SATB choir and/or with optional soprano solo. Both versions are included. Commissioned by the Greenville Chorale.
Sol La Fanfare
NP010-1010 | SATB/opt drum kit | 16pp | $1.95
A post-minimalist exploration of solfeggio written to celebrate the inauguration of Furman University's 11th president, Rodney (“Sol-La”) Smolla. Smooth, syncopated ostinatos and repeated cells generate a series of grooves that will leave the audience head-bobbing long after the music fades to a close. Optional drum kit.
Missa L'Homme on the Range: Agnus Dei
NP010-1102 | SATBB or SATTB | 16pp | $1.95
A clever, stylistically accurate mash-up of the popular 15th-century “L’Homme armé” melody (in the upper voices) and the ever-popular “Home on the Range” (in the bass). Premiered by the San Francisco Choral Artists and dedicated to Renaissance scholars Charlotte Smith, F. Marian Walker and Glenn Watkins. “Its comic title aside, Mr. Kilstofte … captures the sound and spirit of 16th-century polyphony beautifully.” — Allan Kozinn, The New York Times
Caritas
NP010-1506 | SATB | 8pp | $2.10
Glassy harmonies shimmer in this evocative piece for a cappella choir. The use of the single Latin word "caritas" throughout creates a setting reminiscent of a tone poem about the overcoming and unifying power of love. Slowly moving harmonies create clusters and consonances that present both valuable instructional material for choral tone, balance, and blend as well as a stellar piece for a moving performance.
To Music
NP008-0906 | SATB | 12pp | $2.20
Based on Stephen Mitchell’s exquisite translation of Rilke’s “An die Musik,” Kilstofte’s setting of this evocative poem emphasizes stasis, timelessness, the infinite — “Music that is in us and of us, but beyond us,” the composer says — through its sweeping lines and rich, luminous sonorities. Awarded Honorable Mention in the RED NOTE New Music Festival Composition Competition. “[A] piece couched in gentle, strikingly beautiful chordal textures.” — Allan Kozinn, The New York Times
This Amazing Day
NP010-1009 | SATB | 8pp | $1.65
Its brevity and its expressions of thanks make this work perfect for ceremonies and formal occasions of all kinds — graduations, confirmations, installations, dedications, etc. — and to convene or close large gatherings. Commissioned to celebrate the inauguration of Rodney Smolla as Furman University's 11th president and premiered by the Furman Singers.
Come to Him
NP009-1003 | SATB/acc | 8pp | $1.85
This work’s simple invocation (based on 1 Peter 2:4-5a) makes it suitable as a call to worship, introit, gospel procession and/or choral anthem, as well as for specific observances such as confirmation, baptism, etc. — nearly any situation in which individuals are invited to gather in community. See the 5th Sunday of Easter (Year A). Written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Trinity Lutheran Church, Greenville, South Carolina.
Lulla for Christmastide
NP006-0210 | SATB | 8pp | $1.75
This perennial favorite is now back in print! Modal cadences and harmonies give the music — a simple setting of a simple song that the Virgin Mary might have sung to her newborn baby — a Renaissance quality. The second stanza hints at the incarnation through a dramatic melodic descent on the words “To visit us who were forlorn.” Awarded Honourable Mention in the Amadeus Choir’s Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song Competition.
Listen/Watch (coming soon)
A Prayer
NP006-0211 | SATB | 8pp | $1.65
Commissioned in honor of David Emory Shi’s inauguration as Furman University’s 10th president. The text, by John Drinkwater, seeks collective direction and resolve: “Grant us the will … the strength … the purpose … to strike the [hammer] blow.” Suitable for ceremonies and solemn occasions of all kinds — graduations, installations, confirmations, dedications, etc. — and to convene or close large civic gatherings. Premiered by the Furman Singers.
Listen/Watch (coming soon)