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Words & Music: A Conversation with Poets and Composers
Michael Kemp
1946–2021
Michael Kemp was an accomplished con- directors and voice teachers, including “The
ductor, choral clinician, author, composer, Choral Challenge,” and composed anthems
voice teacher, and violist. He led church and for church choirs.
school choirs, community choruses, and com- He was educated at Westminster Choir
munity orchestras in the greater Philadelphia College, the University of Oklahoma, and the
area since 1991, and before that in Nashville, Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague,
Tennessee; Arlington, Texas; and Oklahoma Holland. He was proud of his service in the
City, Oklahoma. A well-respected choral United States Army, where he was a member
teacher and clinician, he conducted over 500 and soloist with the Heidelberg-based Sev-
workshops, conferences, and festivals across enth Army Soldiers Chorus, singing over 250
the United States, five Canadian provinces, concerts across Europe.
and ten other countries. He strongly believed His life was one of constant learning, of a
in sharing his accumulated knowledge with never-ending quest for self-improvement, and
younger conductors, especially those who of sharing with as many people as possible
would be working with amateur singers. To the depth of the beauty and power of making
that end, he authored five books for choral music with others.
CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2023 Volume 63 Number 7 17
