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Leroy G. Kromm, the director of San Jose Symphonic Choir (SJSC) since 1985, received two bachelor’s degrees in applied music and music education and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Maestro Kromm has achieved widespread recognition as a versatile conductor, soloist, pianist and teacher. In addition to SJSC, Kromm is music director of the Monterey Symphony Chorus, Head of Music Ministries at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, and is a full-time member of the collegiate voice faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly serving as Co-Chair.
As a singer, Kromm has performed with major orchestras throughout the U.S. including the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and has several recording credits, including Harmonia Mundi and Helicon labels.
Under his inspiring direction, SJSC has flourished and grown in size and musicianship. Notable recent performances include Handel’s complete “Messiah”, Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion,” both with period instruments, and the world premiere of Henry Mollicone’s “Beatitude Mass”.
SJSC has seen the world on many concert tours with Kromm, from Spain to Scandinavia, from Italy to Australia, and from the missions and vineyards of California to the chancel of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC during their summer tour of 2009. His wide reputation has afforded him opportunities to also serve as guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and consultant to many groups and organizations throughout the US.
Leroy G. Kromm, the director of San Jose Symphonic Choir (SJSC) since 1985, received two bachelor’s degrees in applied music and music education and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Maestro Kromm has achieved widespread recognition as a versatile conductor, soloist, pianist and teacher. In addition to SJSC, Kromm is music director of the Monterey Symphony Chorus, Head of Music Ministries at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, and is a full-time member of the collegiate voice faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly serving as Co-Chair.
As a singer, Kromm has performed with major orchestras throughout the U.S. including the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and has several recording credits, including Harmonia Mundi and Helicon labels.
Under his inspiring direction, SJSC has flourished and grown in size and musicianship. Notable recent performances include Handel’s complete “Messiah”, Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion,” both with period instruments, and the world premiere of Henry Mollicone’s “Beatitude Mass”.
SJSC has seen the world on many concert tours with Kromm, from Spain to Scandinavia, from Italy to Australia, and from the missions and vineyards of California to the chancel of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC during their summer tour of 2009. His wide reputation has afforded him opportunities to also serve as guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and consultant to many groups and organizations throughout the US.
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Welcome Message from Maestro Kromm
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September 2009
Dear Friends:
It is my pleasure to introduce the 85th season of the enormously popular San Jose Symphonic Choir. I am honored to be its director. This season promises to be very exciting as we explore together a broad spectrum of varied repertoire old and new. Included in our season is an exciting world premiere performance of a brand new commissioned work by SF Bay area composer, Henry Mollicone, Misa de los Inmigrantes. This remarkable work, to be sung in Spanish, is a piece of elegance and beauty that also intends to raise consciousness and address sensitive issues surrounding immigrants in the U.S., most of whom struggle on the fringes of society merely to carve out lives by providing basic needs for their family and friends. These individuals living in our midst and with whom everyone has some knowledge or connection, continue to survive without documentation through no fault of their own, and are often the target for unjust racial profiling of every imaginable kind. The Misa compassionately tells a story of a woman named Lupe, weaving the compelling narrative with the Spanish setting of the familiar Mass Ordinary. I must say, when I first heard the piece, I was so moved I could hardly stand it, and wanted every single person in the world to hear this work of major significance, surrounding an issue of even more significance. You will not want to miss this important event scheduled to be sung at the historic Mission Santa Clara on the campus of Santa Clara University on March 5, 2010. This particular concert is free to the public, though donations will be accepted for social charities supporting immigrant needs such as food, clothing, and basic health care.
Juxtaposed with the Misa de los Inmigrantes is the sublime Latin setting of the Requiem Mass in D minor, set by French composer Gabriel Faure, op. 48 to be performed in April of 2010 at the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Saratoga.
The ever-popular You-Sing-It Messiah by Handel will be sung again at the California Theatre in San Jose, again inviting all audience members to sing everything they are comfortable singing on Monday evening, December 7, 2009.
Kicking off the fall line-up of concert events is a major symphonic work by English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams entitled The Sea Symphony, his Symphony no. 1 written between 1903 and 1909. Remarkably, he was only 30 when he first began sketching it--one of the first symphonies in which a choir was used throughout the work. This Herculean effort helped set the stage for the rest of the symphonic works with chorus to follow during the 20th century, such as Holst's The Planets of 1918 and Britten’s Spring Symphony of 1949 also written when the composer was in his 30s. Innovation is an understatement of the 20th century, and the English contribution to the choral symphony was no less impressive than Beethoven's symphonic innovation of the 19th century, i.e. Symphony no. 9. In the majesty of Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica in downtown San Jose, come experience this rarely heard, groundbreaking and moving masterpiece on Saturday, November 28, 2009.
To perform the beloved symphonic masterpieces is a joy and privilege of choral societies, often drawing capacity audiences, not only because of their popularity, but also because of their overwhelming effect on the human spirit. You too are welcome to join the excitement as an audience member, or as a future singer in the choir. Check out the membership and audition requirements elsewhere on our web site.
I already mentioned our twenty-nine year tradition of the You-Sing-It Messiah event at the California Theatre Monday evening, December 7. Here you have the opportunity to sing the work with over one thousand eager and excited singers from the greater San Jose area along with full orchestra. Audience members are invited to sing the solos as well. So bring your Messiah scores, or purchase one at the door for less than $10.
Tickets and information are available by navigating to other information points on this web site.
As you can see from our concert schedule this season, we have an extremely diverse and fascinating slate of works planned, beginning November 28 at St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica. But to give you an idea of the prolific breadth and bandwidth of SJSC, here is a brief reference to events and concerts we have recently performed. Please read on...
* Summer, 2009 concert tour to Washington, D.C. singing concerts at the National Cathedral and The Church of the Immaculate Conception (The Crypt Church)…
* Mozart Requiem at St. Josephs commemorating 9-11...
* Performance of local composers Henry Mollicone and Sondra Clarke featuring Flight through the Stars and Requiem for Lost Children, respectively, in a joint concert with Vivace Youth Chorus, Peggy Spool, director, in March 2009…
* The complete, unabridged Messiah by G. F. Handel performed with period instruments at Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica in November 2008...
* Carmina Burana with the Peninsula Symphony in May 2008…
* Sacred Mosaic concert of familiar sacred gems…
* The annual You-Sing-It Messiah at California Theatre...
* The impromptu Christmas program at San Jose's Le Petit Trianon with the Vivace Chorus, Christmas, 2007...
* The enormous success of preparing Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
in Russian with the Peninsula Symphony...
* Four superb performances of the German Requiem in Salinas,
Carmel, and San Jose with the Monterey Symphony...
* The important outreach children's concert at the City Hall
Rotunda as well as the California Theatre in San Jose, May 2009...
* The NACUSA (National Association of Composers) event in mid-June at the Palo Alto Art Museum, performing all new music by local composers in June, 2007...
* The Mission Choir Tour through California's historic Mission churches in July 2007…
* Three performances of Henry Mollicone's Beatitude Mass to raise money for the homeless, most recently in Washington D.C....
* Opera Favorites co-presented with the Mission Chamber Orchestra, Emily Ray, conductor...
* Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Christmas cantata, Hodie, presented in partnership with the Menlo High School Choir, Linda Jordan, director, November 2007...
So please review the list of concert repertoire and dates, and join us to experience the very special camaraderie and artistry displayed by the city's premiere choral group, The San Jose Symphonic Choir. You will not want to miss a moment of it!
Sincerely,
Leroy Kromm
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September 2009
Dear Friends:
It is my pleasure to introduce the 85th season of the enormously popular San Jose Symphonic Choir. I am honored to be its director. This season promises to be very exciting as we explore together a broad spectrum of varied repertoire old and new. Included in our season is an exciting world premiere performance of a brand new commissioned work by SF Bay area composer, Henry Mollicone, Misa de los Inmigrantes. This remarkable work, to be sung in Spanish, is a piece of elegance and beauty that also intends to raise consciousness and address sensitive issues surrounding immigrants in the U.S., most of whom struggle on the fringes of society merely to carve out lives by providing basic needs for their family and friends. These individuals living in our midst and with whom everyone has some knowledge or connection, continue to survive without documentation through no fault of their own, and are often the target for unjust racial profiling of every imaginable kind. The Misa compassionately tells a story of a woman named Lupe, weaving the compelling narrative with the Spanish setting of the familiar Mass Ordinary. I must say, when I first heard the piece, I was so moved I could hardly stand it, and wanted every single person in the world to hear this work of major significance, surrounding an issue of even more significance. You will not want to miss this important event scheduled to be sung at the historic Mission Santa Clara on the campus of Santa Clara University on March 5, 2010. This particular concert is free to the public, though donations will be accepted for social charities supporting immigrant needs such as food, clothing, and basic health care.
Juxtaposed with the Misa de los Inmigrantes is the sublime Latin setting of the Requiem Mass in D minor, set by French composer Gabriel Faure, op. 48 to be performed in April of 2010 at the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Saratoga.
The ever-popular You-Sing-It Messiah by Handel will be sung again at the California Theatre in San Jose, again inviting all audience members to sing everything they are comfortable singing on Monday evening, December 7, 2009.
Kicking off the fall line-up of concert events is a major symphonic work by English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams entitled The Sea Symphony, his Symphony no. 1 written between 1903 and 1909. Remarkably, he was only 30 when he first began sketching it--one of the first symphonies in which a choir was used throughout the work. This Herculean effort helped set the stage for the rest of the symphonic works with chorus to follow during the 20th century, such as Holst's The Planets of 1918 and Britten’s Spring Symphony of 1949 also written when the composer was in his 30s. Innovation is an understatement of the 20th century, and the English contribution to the choral symphony was no less impressive than Beethoven's symphonic innovation of the 19th century, i.e. Symphony no. 9. In the majesty of Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica in downtown San Jose, come experience this rarely heard, groundbreaking and moving masterpiece on Saturday, November 28, 2009.
To perform the beloved symphonic masterpieces is a joy and privilege of choral societies, often drawing capacity audiences, not only because of their popularity, but also because of their overwhelming effect on the human spirit. You too are welcome to join the excitement as an audience member, or as a future singer in the choir. Check out the membership and audition requirements elsewhere on our web site.
I already mentioned our twenty-nine year tradition of the You-Sing-It Messiah event at the California Theatre Monday evening, December 7. Here you have the opportunity to sing the work with over one thousand eager and excited singers from the greater San Jose area along with full orchestra. Audience members are invited to sing the solos as well. So bring your Messiah scores, or purchase one at the door for less than $10.
Tickets and information are available by navigating to other information points on this web site.
As you can see from our concert schedule this season, we have an extremely diverse and fascinating slate of works planned, beginning November 28 at St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica. But to give you an idea of the prolific breadth and bandwidth of SJSC, here is a brief reference to events and concerts we have recently performed. Please read on...
* Summer, 2009 concert tour to Washington, D.C. singing concerts at the National Cathedral and The Church of the Immaculate Conception (The Crypt Church)…
* Mozart Requiem at St. Josephs commemorating 9-11...
* Performance of local composers Henry Mollicone and Sondra Clarke featuring Flight through the Stars and Requiem for Lost Children, respectively, in a joint concert with Vivace Youth Chorus, Peggy Spool, director, in March 2009…
* The complete, unabridged Messiah by G. F. Handel performed with period instruments at Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica in November 2008...
* Carmina Burana with the Peninsula Symphony in May 2008…
* Sacred Mosaic concert of familiar sacred gems…
* The annual You-Sing-It Messiah at California Theatre...
* The impromptu Christmas program at San Jose's Le Petit Trianon with the Vivace Chorus, Christmas, 2007...
* The enormous success of preparing Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
in Russian with the Peninsula Symphony...
* Four superb performances of the German Requiem in Salinas,
Carmel, and San Jose with the Monterey Symphony...
* The important outreach children's concert at the City Hall
Rotunda as well as the California Theatre in San Jose, May 2009...
* The NACUSA (National Association of Composers) event in mid-June at the Palo Alto Art Museum, performing all new music by local composers in June, 2007...
* The Mission Choir Tour through California's historic Mission churches in July 2007…
* Three performances of Henry Mollicone's Beatitude Mass to raise money for the homeless, most recently in Washington D.C....
* Opera Favorites co-presented with the Mission Chamber Orchestra, Emily Ray, conductor...
* Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Christmas cantata, Hodie, presented in partnership with the Menlo High School Choir, Linda Jordan, director, November 2007...
So please review the list of concert repertoire and dates, and join us to experience the very special camaraderie and artistry displayed by the city's premiere choral group, The San Jose Symphonic Choir. You will not want to miss a moment of it!
Sincerely,
Leroy Kromm
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