Artistic Director and Conductor

About | Fact Sheet | Elaine Kirkland | NCS Board | Past Programs |

Elaine B. Kirkland, co-founder and artistic director of New Century Singers, a chorale comprised of members and friends of the lesbian and gay community on Long Island, New York, is a gifted and multi-talented artist. A conductor, composer, teacher and troubadour, she began her formal music training at the age of five in her home state of South Carolina. In 1968 she earned an undergraduate degree in Music Education and Piano Performance from Columbia College in South Carolina, and completed a graduate degree in music at Holy Names College in Oakland, California. In 1987 she received the Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley.

Tapping into the deep faith which informs all her work, Elaine uses her remarkable talent to enliven the spirits of others, especially of the audiences who come to hear the New Century Singers, which she formed in 1995. These performances more often than not include some audience participation. The chorale performs a wide variety of sacred music - from Beethoven to Bernstein, Gounod to "Godspell," early American pieces, spirituals and contemporary music, which includes some of Elaine's compositions.

"Elaine's compositions, teaching, and performance are vehicles for the blessed vitality of God's Spirit. Blending confidence in her own gifts with receptiveness to the gifts of others, she creates musical interactions that are enlightening and energizing."

- The Rev. Ann B. Day Coordinator, Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Concerns of the United Church of Christ

In addition to her responsibilities with the chorale, Elaine frequently conducts choirs and leads music and worship for United Church of Christ events across the country. She has had several compositions published in the most recent edition of the "New Century Hymnal" of the UCC.

COMPOSITIONS & ARRANGEMENTS BY ELAINE B. KIRKLAND

"There Is No Rock"
"Psalm 46" (arrangement)
"My Soul Magnifies The Lord"
"Nothing Is Impossible"
"My Bonnie Boy" (arrangement)
"Angel Of Love"
"The Lord Is My Light"
"Out Of The Rock"
"Joy in the Morning" (based on text from Isaiah)
"Isaiah 55"
"A Pentecost Chant"
"Come Out, Spirit"
"In God's Image"
"23rd Psalm" (arrangement)
"Blessed Be"
"Born to Manifest the Glory"
Several hymns included in "New Century Hymnal" of the United Church of Christ