Ronny Krippner

After a brief period as assistant organist at Newport Cathedral, South Wales, and teacher of music at Bristol Grammar School, Krippner moved to London where he became organist and teacher of music at King’s College School, Wimbledon, and Assistant Director of Music at St George’s Church, Hanover Square.

From 2013 to 2021 Krippner served as organist and Director of Music at Croydon Minster, and in January 2022 he was appointed Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral.

As a concert artist, Krippner has performed throughout the UK, as well as in Europe, Australia and Mexico. He is particularly noted as an expert organ improviser, having won accolades at international organ improvisation competitions (e.g. St Albans, Biarritz). Past positions include teaching organ improvisation at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire^[3] and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. He regularly contributes to German and British music magazines on the subject of choral and organ music and teaches organ on various music courses (e.g. RCO, Oundle School, London Organ Improvisation Course).

In recognition of his artistic work, Krippner was awarded the Kulturförderpreis by Marktredwitz Council (1998) and the Sudetendeutsche Kulturpreis (2018).^[4]

Krippner has performed for broadcasts on BBC One, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, Classic FM and Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation).

He also co-wrote and presented the documentary Ex Tempore – Organ Improvisation in England,^[5] a film that sheds light on the development of English organ improvisation from 1500 to the present day – Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, Charles Villiers Stanford, Herbert Howells, William Mathias and Kenneth Leighton. For each composer, Krippner sketches their musical background and analyses their compositional techniques before performing a full improvisation in their style. The organs he plays are carefully chosen to present the different musical styles at their best. They include big cathedral organs in Bristol and Liverpool to smaller historical instruments at Little Stanmore and Adlington Hall. This film was produced by Fugue State Films and released in 2011 on DVD with an accompanying CD with recordings by Ronny Krippner of stylistic organ improvisations. At the time of its release it was reviewed in the BBC Music Magazine as follows: “A phenomenal improviser… Ex Tempore is a fascinating insight into a neglected art."

In July 2017, Krippner recorded a CD of organ music from the former Kingdom of Bohemia on historical organs in St. Anna in Planá, Dreifaltigkeitskirche Kappl near Waldsassen and St. Nicolas in Cheb, featuring music by Franz Johann Habermann, Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer and improvisations on music by Johann Hagius and Jobst vom Brandt.^[6]

Partial discography:

• Christmas at Ripon Cathedral (Priory, 2024)
• Orgelmusik aus Böhmen – gespielt auf historischen Orgeln des Egerlandes (Ambiente Audio, 2017)
• The Tudor Choir Book Vol 1: Croydon Minster Choir of Whitgift School & English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble (Convivium Records, 2017)
• Christmas Carols from Croydon Minster (Regent, 2014)
• Ex Tempore – The Art of Organ Improvisation in England (Fugue State Films, 2011)

Preceded by Paul Ayres	Assistant Director of Music, St George's Church, Hanover Square 2008 – 2013	Succeeded by Robin Walker
Preceded by Andrew Cantrill	Organist and Director of Music, Croydon Minster 2013 – 2021	Succeeded by Justin Miller
Preceded by Peter Wright (acting)	Director of Music, Ripon Cathedral 2022 – present	Succeeded by