Featured Choral Music
EASTER CANTATA
for SATB, Piano,
AND STRING QUARTET
Composed in 2021, this 5-movement Cantata sets texts from the hymnwriters Brigitte Katerine Boye, Martin Luther, and Paul Gerhardt in addition to passages from Psalm 118 and Job 19. These musical settings pair these sturdy sacred texts with new melodies, interesting harmony, and colorful, supportive string accompaniment. The five movements can be performed as a complete work or excerpted for individual anthems.
FIVE POCKET POEMS
for SA and piano
"This delightful treble piece contains five very short movements with texts written by a variety of poets. Lyrical, in two parts (SA) with a highly creative piano part that compliments the voices throughout. Imaginative and singable, this charming work is perfect for children, youth choirs, and developing secondary ensembles. Many teachable moments here!" - Santa Barbara Music Publishing
Flood the Gold Earth
for SATB and piano
"A moving setting of this George MacDonald text with a dramatic and virtuosic piano accompaniment. Images of nature come to life through expertly-crafted vocal writing and a beautiful melodic line. This work is not to be missed. Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series." - Walton Music
I AM POSSIBILITY
for SATB and piano
"Becky Boesen's poetry is brought to life through composer David von Kampen's unique piano writing and simple yet expert vocal arranging. Especially fitting for middle school choirs." - Walton Music
AVE VERUM CORPUS
for SATB UNACCOMPANIED
This piece was commissioned by my friend Joshua Mazur for the choir at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida. It’s always a challenge to set such well-known, historic texts to contemporary music. I hope the voice leading and harmonies work together in a way that is both fresh and timeless.
I DREAMED A WORLD
for SATB and piano
(Co-written with Aeolians conductor Jeremy Sovoy Jordan)
"I dreamed a world where love surrounds me…a world where all are free.” Feature a tenor soloist in this powerful statement piece for advanced mixed choral ensembles (SATB divisi) with piano accompaniment. Bold and dramatic, this makes for an excellent concert closer." - Santa Barbara Music Publishing
IT’S YOU I LIKE
(Fred Rogers)
for SATB AND OPT. TRUMPET
"Fred Roger's sincere message of gratitude and appreciation is captured in this lush and timeless arrangement by David von Kampen. With an optional trumpet feature, this arrangement is sure to be an emotional and musical statement in any concert program." - Hal Leonard
LAUDATE DOMINUM
for SATB and piano
"Laudate Dominum, commissioned by the Aeolians of Oakwood University uses mixed meter, smooth voice-leading, and surprising, powerful harmoies to express the well-known Latin text. An exciting addition to any program that would make a wonderful concert opener or closer."
-Walton Music
MOON RIVER
for SATB UNACCOMPANIED
"Winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for the Song of the Year, Moon River has become a timeless classic since its appearance in the 1962 film “Breakfast at Tiffany's.” This masterful arrangement by David von Kampen is a rich tapestry or lush harmony and emotional depth." - Hal Leonard
CHRISTMAS CANTATA
for SATB, Piano,
AND STRING QUARTET
Composed in 2019, this 5-movement Cantata was commissioned by a consortium of over 25 church and school choirs from across the United States. The work sets texts from the German hymnodist Paul Gerhardt in addition to passages from Isaiah and John. These settings deliberately avoid particularly “Christmasy” sounds, instead focusing on pairing these sturdy sacred texts with new melodies, interesting harmony, and colorful, supportive string accompaniment.
Benediction for SATB and piano
(string parts available)
The Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6 is set in a dark, lush, winding texture, offering a pensive interpretation of the words "The Lord bless you and keep you."
SATURN’S EMBRACE
FOR SATB AND PIANO
A haunting musical setting of a viral Twitter limerick about the demise of the Cassini spacecraft. The text describes the final voyage of the NASA spacecraft Cassini, which in 2017 - at the end of its seven-year mission - deliberately plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere, transmitting as much data and footage as it could back to NASA before burning up.
A LAMB GOES UNCOMPLAINING FORTH
(LENTEN CANTATA)
for SATB, ORGAN, STRINGS, AND TENOR SOLOIST
Cantata #1, composed in 2016.
IN THE LONG GRASS
FOR SATB (UNACCOMPANIED)
“This SATB setting of Willa Cather’s text is a great opportunity for a serious choir to show their harmonic and expressive chops. The poetic description of the speaker’s emotional connection to the midwestern landscape is translated into heartfelt and open-spaced music, with just a bit of darkness in the harmony.”
- Graphite Publishing
MARIA WALKS AMID THE THORN
FOR SATB (UNACCOMPANIED)
“This traditional German carol is treated in a lush chorale style with accessible, jazz-influenced harmony. This arrangement isn’t beyond the reach of an average high school group or church choir, but more advanced ensembles can sing this into an expressive feast for the ears.”
-Graphite Publishing
IN GLORY EVERLASTING (The Te Deum Laudamus) FOR SATB, PIANO AND STRING QUARTET
“Commissioned in 2018 by the Minnesota Valley Chorale, this new setting of the Te Deum Laudamus divides the historic text into four movements for SATB, piano and strings. Although this is a medium-length multi-movement work, it will be approachable for many church and school choirs. The choral parts are sturdy and melodic, with smooth voice-leading throughout. The piano and strings are supportive, and frequently add counter-melodies and additional colors to the texture.”
-Graphite Publishing
The Swing for SATB and Piano
THE SWING was commissioned by the Vancouver Chamber Choir in 2011. The following program notes were written by Eric Tuan at Stanford University:
"Stevenson’s more playful side emerges in his poem “The Swing,” whose lighthearted verses express the wide-eyed wonder and innocence of childhood. The Nebraska-based composer David von Kampen provides Stevenson’s poetry with a spirited setting whose rollicking compound meter mirrors the dactylic rhythms of the text. von Kampen’s jazz background shines through in the rich harmonies and quasi-improvisatory figuration of the piano part, while the men and women of the chorus toss melodies back and forth as if soaring in the air themselves."
A Cradle Hymn
for SATB (unaccompanied)
A CRADLE HYMN was written in 2012 and has been called "stunning" and "an instant Christmas classic" by MusicSpoke. Scored in four parts with minimal divisi, this piece is accessible to younger groups and church choirs, but more advanced ensembles will savor the rich, smooth harmonies that brings Isaac Watts' text to life.
SWIMMING
for SATB and Piano
I found this poem in a bookstore in Lincoln in 2021 and emailed the author, local Nebraska poet Heidi Pattee. She graciously agreed to let me set her words to music, and I proceeded to do something I rarely do anymore – compose a piece just because I wanted to, with no specific ensemble or performance in mind. The poem affected me in a strange way. I felt like the text had an openness - both in meaning and in character – that led to effortless melodic shapes and shifting harmonies.
David's Lamentation
for SATB and solo cello
"When English composer Thomas Tomkins published his heartbreakingly sad "When David Heard" in 1622, it could be said that no further interpretations of the devastating text from 2 Samuel were needed. David von Kampen, however, has managed to set the text in a way that is equal in emotional intensity (thanks, in part, to a shared exploration of dramatic chromaticism) and yet wholly different in texture, form and density. An important feature is the deft use of the solo cello as the voice of David--at times wailing, at times sighing quietly. The technical demands on the singers are not overly taxing, allowing for plenty of opportunity for interpretive exploration."
-Matthew Oltman, Taiwan Youth Festival Chorus conductor and Music Director Emeritus of Chanticleer