Kilstofte’s compositions to be performed near and far

Mark Kilstofte, professor of music at Furman University and composer in residence at the university since 2021, has been praised for his compositions that are “exciting and beautiful, consistently gripping,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Works by the 31-year Furman veteran have garnered many honors including the Rome Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, ASCAP’s Rudolf Nissim Award, Goddard Lieberson Fellowship and Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Copland House Residence Award (four times) and the Gardner Read and Francis & William Schuman Fellowships from the MacDowell Colony.

Recent and upcoming performances of Kilstofte’s work demonstrate that he is as prolific as he is respected in the music world.

On March 5, the S:t Johannes Kammarkör, under the direction of Christian Schultze, gave the European and Swedish premieres of “Everyone’s Voice,” a work commissioned and debuted last spring by the Greenville Chorale. On April 1, “Enfold Us” was featured by NEW Voices (Northeast Wisconsin Vocal Artists) at Lawrence Memorial Chapel in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Chatham Choir at Chatham University and director Stacey Brett Davern performed “Everyone’s Voice” in Campbell Memorial Chapel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 15. The Juniata College Concert Choir (Huntingdon, Pennsylvania) and director Russell Shelley performed “Everyone’s Voice” throughout Barbados during their spring concert tour.

Here is a schedule of upcoming performances of his works:

May 6-7

Mark Kilstofte by Jeremy Flemming.

“Everyone’s Voice” will receive its Danish premiere in Malmö’s Tyska kyrkan and Copenhagen’s Kastrup Kirke by the Råby Kammersångare under the leadership of Alexander Einarsson. The war in Ukraine broke out as Kilstofte was completing “Everyone’s Voice,” and its text, especially its reference to the wordless song arising from the trenches of warfare, took on added meaning, Kilstofte said. All sales of the work go toward supporting Ukrainian relief efforts.

May 7

“Caritas,” commissioned as part of Furman’s yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of desegregation at the institution and in honor of Lillian Brock Flemming, Sarah Reese and Joseph Vaughn, will be performed by I Cantanti Chamber Choir and Peter Schleif in a program of works by St. Olaf alumni titled “Songs from the Hill” at Bethel Lutheran Church, Northfield, Minnesota.

May 19 and 21

“Everyone’s Voice,” will receive its New York premiere by the New Amsterdam Singers under the direction of Clara Longstreth at Broadway Presbyterian Church.

May 21

“To Music,” commissioned by the Furman Singers, will be performed by the Florilegium Chamber Choir at New York’s Trinity Lutheran Church under the baton of Furman alumnus Knox Sutterfield ’12.

June 25

Director Rodney Wynkoop and the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Durham will give the North Carolina premiere of “Everyone’s Voice” during its annual summer concert in Duke University Chapel.

November 3

“Of Rivers Within,” a 40-minute oratorio for soprano, chorus and orchestra, will be presented by the Amarillo Master Chorale at historic First Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas. The performance will be led by conductor and Furman alumnus Nathan Fryml ’09 and will feature soprano soloist and alumna Jazmin Black Grollemund ’10. The concert, centering on themes of water and renewal, will benefit 25:35 Water, an organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water to the citizens of Uganda.

For more information, contact the Furman University Department of Music at 864-294-2086, or The Newmatic Press.