DENICE RIPPENTROP
AWARD WINNING COMPOSER, MUSICIAN & SONGWRITER
Composing innovative, high-quality sacred and secular choral music is the core of my professional and personal life...
VIDEO LIBRARY
FEATURED PERFORMANCE
"Yahweh!"
Composed and Arranged by Denice Rippentrop
"Yahweh!" (Psalms 66:4) The Kuhn Choir of Prague Lenka Navratilova Choirmaster
recorded at The Chapel in Korunni Street, Prague - Korunni 1440/6-, Prague, CZ
Video Produced by Clay Ashworth
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NEW RELEASE
"The Silent Dove"
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A meditation on Psalm 50:14 and Psalm 56:12–13
Psalm 56 bears the superscription often rendered “The Silent Dove in a Distant Land,” an image that suggests David’s solitude and vulnerability amid surrounding danger. In this work, that evocative phrase opens onto a broader meditation on worship, trust, and the sustaining nearness of God.
The text draws from Psalm 50:14, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,” and Psalm 56:12–13, in which the psalmist vows faithful praise in response to divine deliverance. Together, these verses present worship not merely as ritual observance, but as an offering of gratitude shaped by memory, mercy, and trust.
Musically, the piece unfolds in a restrained arc from offering to assurance. Its phrases suggest at once the delicacy of prayer and the quiet firmness of faith, giving voice to a heart that remembers God’s mercy and finds renewed strength in His light. These program notes invite the listener to hear thanksgiving and trust as inseparable: praise offered in remembrance of deliverance, and testimony to the God who preserves His people and leads them in the light of life.
Recorded 'live' at Grace Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, MN, "The First Readings Project - J. David Moore, conductor.
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Music by Denice Rippentrop
Video Produced by Clay Ashworth
â„— 2026 Denice Rippentrop
“Denice Rippentrop’s music – unfailing works from the spirit outward – beginning with the soul and singing through the words.”
Libby Larsen
Grammy Award Winning Composer
“You have some really lovely gestures in The Sacred Seed. And the text is so compellingly beautiful….”
Howard Helvey
Composer, Arranger, Pianist
“The Desert Trilogy is a wonderful exploration of text and sounds in expressing ultimately – hope. The Sonoran Desert Choral was very pleased with the Trilogy – as was our audience – enjoy the colors of Light and Hope.”
Jeff Harris, Conductor
The Sonoran Desert Chorale
“For our Music of Passion concert to begin Holy Week, your The Atonement was paired with a requiem. Learning and preparing your piece was a marvelous experience for the choir; hearing it was an equally powerful time for the audience.”
William H. Mathis
Minister of Music and Fine Arts, Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, Minneapolis, MN.
“Denice is a composer who writes passionate, heartfelt, compositions, usually with a religious theme. Her texts come from scripture, but she also sets her own poetry and thoughts. Denice know how to use the chorus to great effect. Her voicings are rich, and the use of harmony compelling.”
Dr. Jody Rockmaker
Arizona State University Associate Professor of Music, Composition and Theory
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
“A recording of three new choral pieces by Denice -- each with individual character, but all filled with Denice's special spiritual touch. "Whispering Palms" captures a medieval-like plainsong idea, but with a contemporary folk-like feel. The key of D minor captures that mood! "The Cross" for larger forces builds on arpeggiations mimicked in the handbells. It crescendos with handbells, timpani, and piano to a powerful climax on "To know we are everything to God!" The rhythmic "Yahweh's Love" lets claves chatter over the energetic text -- a real delight!”
Dr. Peter Hendrickson
Choral Conductor, Augsburg College
Minneapolis, MN