User:I JethroBT/Keith Hampton

Dr. Keith T. Hampton is a composer of gospel music and director of the Chicago Community Chorus (CCC). Hampton also serves as the and Director of Music at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and is the Assistant Director of Music at Trinity United Church of Christ. He is best known for his gospel composition titled "Praise His Holy Name."

Education
Hampton received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Westminster Choir College. He then attended Marywood University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree, and subsequently completed a Doctor of Music Degree in Church Music at Northwestern University.

Career
Hampton has been noted to be one of the "brightest and best" composers for Africa American choral music in the 2000s. In 2003, he was commissioned to write an original composition to be first performed by Essence of Joy, a choral group out of Penn State University, for an event highlighting African-American spirituals.

Awards and recognition
In 2010, Hampton was placed in the Top 25 Contemporary Composers by the North Central American Choral Directors Association (NCACD). They recommended that his piece, "Praise His Holy Name" be a choral standard for contemporary choirs for the next 25 years.