On song: Ronny Krippner’s time as musical director has seen the Minster’s choirs flourish
DAVID MORGAN pays tribute and bids farewell to an influential figure
There are only a few more days left before Dr Ronny Krippner’s term as Musical Director at Croydon Minster comes to an end.
His final service is on Christmas morning, after which he leaves for Ripon to take up the musical baton in the cathedral there. Combining his Minster duties with work at Whitgift School, Dr Krippner has spent the last nine years in Croydon encouraging, nurturing and cajoling hundreds of singers and musicians to produce glorious music.
Thanks to his drive and his music-making passion, many have been able to play a part in his achievements. Even more have come to associate the name of Croydon with outstanding music-making.
Driving force: Krippner has encouraged hundreds to be part of the Minster’s musical programme
Around 2million people viewed the BBC1 broadcast of Midnight Mass from the Minster for Christmas 2019, one of the highlights of Krippner’s time in Croydon.
The success of that broadcast he reflected, “was down to meticulous planning, hard work from everybody and knowing exactly what the choristers were able to achieve”.
As a result of that broadcast, the Minster office received many letters and messages of appreciation and congratulations from around the world. Among those letters was one from the renowned composer John Rutter, inviting the choristers to sing in his Christmas Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. Although covid restrictions prevented this from happening in 2020, the choristers were able to sing in this fantastic venue this Christmas in two performances in front of thousands.
Despite the challenges of covid over the past two years, when choirs have not been allowed to sing together, Krippner proudly states that he has managed to keep and maintain the high standards of both the boys’ choir and the girls’ choirs. Young voices are constantly evolving. Boys’ voices break around the age of 12 or 13, so their time singing the top line is always limited.
Despite being almost at the end of his tenure here, Krippner and his singers still have much work to do.
Krippner online: the past year has seen choir practice take on a very different form
There are two more BBC Radio3 broadcaststo come.
On Tuesday December 21, the choirs are to record a service of Choral Evensong to be broadcast on April 27 next year. Then on Wednesday December 22, the choirs are to broadcast live from the Minster the last Choral Evensong service before Christmas. There is an opportunity for people wishing to be in the congregation for this broadcast to do so, but they must be seated in the Minster by 3.40pm.
To be invited to sing on BBC Radio3’s Choral Evensong, Krippner knew would be a challenging target. That he achieved it and had a second and third invitation, too, as well as a live Radio4 Sunday Worship service during his tenure is a testimony to the dedication to his role and the attention to the detail of the sound his choirs produce. This blend, which he has achieved with talented youngsters, choral scholars in their teens and a range of adult voices, has been admired by all who attend services and concerts.
Asked where his love of music began, Krippner was clear. “It started with my father.”
Growing up in the Bavarian village of Haingrün, young Ronny was a part of the local church choir singing the alto part with women from the village. “I could never sing the highest notes,” he said. “Choir rehearsals back then were rather different. Adults could smoke if they wanted and drinks were consumed, too. But everyone had fun.” For the young Krippner, rehearsal nights were the time of the week when he was allowed to stay up late.
As well as his father conducting the church choir, Krippner remembered him playing the electric organ in a band called “Braat und Schmool”, who performed for local weddings and village events. It was playing the electric keyboard in the Krippner front room without any printed music when Ronny realised the talents of his father. Playing by ear was a gift and helped to cement a strong father and son bond, especially when dad played the Ghostbusters theme to his son. Ronny has had a lifelong devotion to the movie: he recently visited the cinema recently to see the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie in full fancy dress.
High note: the 2019 Christmas TV broadcast from Croydon Minster was watched by 2m people. The BBC is returning for recordings here this month
As well as maintaining a cathedral-style repertoire of church music each week at the Minster with five sung services, Krippner raised the standards of singing so that they were able to be heard in so other churches and cathedrals too. From Rochester to Portsmouth and from Canterbury to Wells, the choirs of the Minster have sung in all the cathedrals in the south-east of England. They have sung, too, at St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey, while on tour they have sung in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Regensberg Cathedral in Germany.
Krippner studied church music at university. It was, though, his meeting with Roger Sayer, then the organist of Rochester Cathedral, which changed the direction of his musical focus.
At a summer course by the shores of Lake Constance, Krippner was introduced to the English organ music tradition. He was amazed later when he realised just how much music a cathedral choir had to learn and perform every week. He decided that he wanted to be a part of this.
Studying for a Master’s at Exeter University, singing in the cathedral choir there before undertaking a role at St George’s Church, Hanover Square, provided Krippner with the background necessary for his role at Croydon Minster. That, coupled with a PhD on organ improvisation, has helped him to achieve so much here in Croydon.
Read more: Strike up the band! Minster lights up for Christmas carols
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It has been an absolute privilege to be present in the Minster at any service to see and hear the choirs, and experience the organ music, and see Dr Krippner conducting, during his sojourn as Musical Director.
David Morgan’s excellent article has given us some really helpful background. Great to know that such a talent as Dr Krippner’s was nurtured by his Father and the church and people in their little Bavarian village.
Anyone hearing the beautiful music created by the singers under his direction will not be surprised that the Minster choirs, and the outstanding quality of the sound they produce under his stewardship, have been recognised by the BBC and top composers and musicians worldwide.
The singing from some Cathedrals and Abbeys is sadly characterised by a boring blandness and total absence of any feeling for the words .
The Minster sound is so very different — it is full of Light and shade- expressive, rich and alive, in keeping with the very best of the English tradition.
We have been blessed that this young German man was moved by hearing English organ music, and was called to Croydon, and has stayed for a good number of years.
Sad for Croydon that he is moving on, but, thanks to the article, anyone who has not experienced the Minster choirs under his baton knows that there are still a few opportunities remaining to do so in the next few weeks– live at Croydon Minster– before he goes to Ripon. Plus, thanks to Radio 3, on the radio in April next year.
And, no doubt, the BBC will be taking their outside broadcast team up to Ripon very soon!
Dr Krippner, thanks for your superb contribution to the Minster worship and music in Croydon!
You will be much missed !