Helen Hubbert Kemp, 97, singer, teacher, composer

HELEN KEMP was internationally known as a specialist in teaching children to sing, but in later years she discovered the pleasures of teaching singing to seniors.

She trained children and their teachers in the art of choral singing for more than seven decades. When she went to a retirement home in Doylestown, she organized retirees into a chorus that was highly acclaimed.

Helen Hubbert Kemp, a lyric soprano who sang with some of the leading orchestras of her day, a former faculty member of the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J., and a composer of more than 35 anthems, died Aug. 23. She was 97 and lived in Jamison, Bucks County.

Her voice can be heard on the soundtrack of Walt Disney's famed 1940 animated musical film "Fantasia," composed by Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

"Known internationally as a specialist in the area of training young voices, Helen Kemp served as guest conductor and clinician at universities and churches in all 50 states as well as countries around the world," her family said in a tribute.

"Well-known in her early career as a soprano soloist in major oratorios, it was her love for the art of singing that Helen brought into her work with children's choirs, which she regarded as the seed-bed for musical, artistic and personal growth of young choristers."

In 1942, she married fellow Westminster College faculty member John S.C. Kemp. They taught in the college's church-music and voice departments.

She and her husband were founding members of the Choristers Guild, an international organization for children's choirs that provides materials, music and support to directors and teachers.

In 1949, she and her husband moved to Oklahoma City, where they spent 20 years establishing an acclaimed choir program at First Presbyterian Church involving more than 700 choristers of all ages.

"Her books and instructional materials have become standard resources for conductors and teachers everywhere," her family said.

"She has inspired fine composers to write choral music for children. A hallmark of her work was her ability to empower dedicated volunteers to be successful choir directors while presenting techniques so solid and engaging that highly trained professionals contiue to learn from her."

Helen was born in Perkasie, Bucks County, to Frieda and Edward Hubbert. Her father and brother established E. Hubbert & Son, a baseball-stitching company. She attended Westminster Choir College, where she sang under Arturo Toscanini, John Barbirolli, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Stokowski.

She received honorary doctorates from Westminster Choir College and Shenandoah University. She was awarded the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, the Williamson Medal and an honorary lifetime membership in the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.

She was honored in 2008 by the establishment of the Choristers Guild Helen Kemp Lectureship, and in 2010 by the National Association of Choral Directors with the Helen Kemp Award for Lifetime Commitment to Excellence in Choral Music.

At the Manor at York Town, the retirement home in Doylestown where she lived in recent years, she established the Manor Singers. Her family said the singers are remembered "for the joy they shared with all of us."

"She lived a remarkable life," her family said, "and set an example for us to follow - to live with purpose, to love with no bounds, and to sing with joy."

Her husband died in 1997. She is survived by three daughters, Julia Kemp Rothfuss, Peggy Kemp Henry and Kathy Kemp Ridl; two sons, John Matthew Kemp and Michael E. Kemp; 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Services: Memorial service 1 p.m. Sept. 19 at Westminster Choir College, Bristol Chapel, Princeton, N.J.

"In lieu of flowers, sing a joyful song in Helen's memory," her family said.