Ronny Krippner, Croydon Minster Choir Of Whitgift School, The English Cornett, Sackbut Ensemble
Biography Ronny Krippner, Croydon Minster Choir Of Whitgift School, The English Cornett, Sackbut Ensemble
The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble
is a virtuoso period instrument ensemble with a host of distinguished recordings to its name.
Since its formation in 1993, ECSE has performed at many major music festivals in the UK and abroad. They have held sell-out concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square and the Purcell Room. Other performances include York Early Music Festival, Bath International Festival, Spitalfields Festival, La Folle Journée, Laus Polyphoniae, and the International Izmir Festival.
ECSE regularly travels abroad with vocal ensembles inlcuding I Fagiolini, Alamire and Cantus Cölln. The group has appeared on numerous CDs. The Spy’s Choirbook with David Skinner and Alamire won the prestigious 2015 Gramophone Award for Early Music.
The Choir of Whitgift School
is based at Croydon Minster, which is deeply rooted in the Anglican choral tradition. It boasts over 70 singers in its four choirs: the Choir of Boys & Men, the Girls’ Choir, the Choral Scholars and Lay Clerks. There are five choral services each week during term time, as well as regular concerts throughout the year. All choirs have toured, broadcast and recorded.
Over the years, the Minster has developed strong links with Whitgift School and the School has now become a major part of the Minster’s rich choral programme. More than half of the Minster boy choristers attend Whitgift School where they receive a Minster Choristership carrying a remission of day fees of 10%. Whitgift also provides postgraduate Organ and Choral Scholars, as well as professional Lay Clerks to sing regularly with the Minster Boys’ Choir, enabling the Minster to run a busy schedule of cathedral-style choral services.
Ronny Krippner
is Organist and Director of Choral Music at Croydon Minster and Whitgift School (London).
Born in Bavaria, Ronny is in the unique position of having been formed in both the German and British choral traditions. He studied organ playing and improvisation with Prof. Franz-Josef Stoiber at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Regensburg while at the same time working as Assistant Choirmaster of the Regensburger Domspatzen” (“Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows”), Regensburg Cathedral’s famous boys’ choir. After graduating, Ronny went to Exeter University to take his master’s degree (M.A.) in “English Cathedral Music” whilst singing in the Cathedral Choir as a Choral Scholar. Building on these twin musical foundations, Ronny went on to take up various organist posts, including St George’s Church Hanover Square in London.
Being fascinated from an early age by organ improvisation, Ronny has made this a specialism. Finalist in the prestigious Organ Improvisation Competition in St Albans in 2009, he won two Prizes in the International Organ Improvisation Competition in Biarritz in the same year. From 2010-2013, Ronny was Specialist Lecturer for Organ Improvisation at Birmingham Conservatoire and Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London.
Ronny has recorded several CDs of organ and choir music and has frequently been heard performing on television and radio, both in Germany and the UK. He has given organ recitals in Germany, Holland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico and Australia.
