UNA Faculty Composer Commissioned by The Catholic University of America
Oct. 20, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Dr. Jeremy Smith, a composer and member of the University of North Alabama Department of Music faculty, has been commissioned to write a new choral work for The Catholic University of America Chamber Choir in Washington, D.C.
The new work, scored for the SATB choir and piano, will receive its world premiere May 1, 2027, at St. Vincent de Paul Chapel on The Catholic University campus. Smith will serve as the featured composer for the Chamber Choir’s portion of the concert, titled Faith, Hope, and Love.
“Sacred art gives us the opportunity to interface with the good, the beautiful, and the true,” Dr. Smith said. “I’m excited to enter into that centuries-old conversation and contribute something new to the living tradition of sacred music.”
The commission comes through Peter Kadeli, Head of Sacred Music and Director of Choral Activities at The Catholic University. Kadeli is also Associate Conductor of The Washington Chorus and Director of the Peabody Hopkins Conservatory Choir.
The approximately five-minute work will center on the theme of hope and will be written specifically for Catholic University’s Chamber Choir. Dr. Smith is exploring biblical and traditional Catholic texts for the composition.
The May 1 premiere will place Dr. Smith’s new composition alongside Antonín Dvorák’s Kyrie from the Mass in D, Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, and a spiritual arrangement by Moses Hogan. The concert will be recorded, and Dr. Smith plans to travel to Washington, D.C., for the performance and final rehearsal.
Dr. Smith’s concert music includes the two-act opera Faith, premiered in 2026 and subsequently presented at Nashville’s Kindling Arts Festival, as well as works for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, piano, choir, and the stage. His music has been performed and recorded by ensembles and artists across the United States.
Dr. Smith earned his Bachelors in Instrumental Music from UNA and now teaches music theory, composition, and related courses at the University. He also serves as Executive Director of the Shoals Symphony at UNA.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I and United Athletic conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/.