David Krohn
Saturday, May 11, 8 pm
Performing Arts at the J, presented by Leah Wohl*, presents its last performance of the season: Portsmouth native David Krohn, a baritone talent, with Charles Woodward, pianist.
“I am thrilled to return to Hampton Roads to perform a special, one-nightonly concert at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center,” Krohn says. “Having performed opera and musical theatre on some of the greatest stages around the world, the music that speaks to my soul more than any other, is the music of my father: Jewish music.”
As the son of the late Rabbi/Cantor Philip Krohn of Gomley Chesed Congregation, Krohn was introduced to music at a young age. He took to performing on the Bima around the time of his Bar Mitzvah, and joined the Virginia Opera Chorus at age 16. After graduating from Norfolk Collegiate, he pursued singing and performance, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Peabody Conservatory and a masters’ degree from Juilliard.
Krohn has performed for audiences around the world, including such recent performances as his New York Philharmonic debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in Bernstein’s West Side Story Suites; his Virginia Symphony debut singing Bernstein’s Mass and his Virginia Opera debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni; and Figaro in The Barber of Seville and Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia with Aspen Opera.
Krohn, 29, most recently performed in Tidewater at a Wonderful Wednesdays concert at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth in 2010.
“The first time I heard David sing was on one of the annual Cantorial concerts at Gomley Chessed,” says Chuck Woodward, music director at Ohef Sholom Temple and artistic director of The Virginia Chorale. “Though just in his early teens, David’s singing and assured stage presence was memorable. During his student years at Peabody and Juilliard, I collaborated with David on several concerts, including one for the Wonderful Wednesdays series at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center, on which he sang a most beautiful program of Yiddish songs. David is quite versed in this repertoire, and so, performing these musical gems with a singer of his vocal and interpretative gifts was and will be a rewarding experience.”
Krohn is equally excited about performing with a pianist of Woodward’s caliber. “I’ll be partnering with one of the greatest pianists I have ever collaborated with, Charles Woodward,” he says, describing Woodward as a rare pianist who can capture a multitude of emotions. Krohn now lives in Seattle and performs on a regular basis with the Seattle Opera. He looks forward to his visit home. “I’m planning a very special evening, mainly since this is my hometown and so many people there have known me since I was a baby!” As he sings and delivers some narrative, Krohn plans to show “how music was the torch that the Jews carried when driven from one end of the world to the other, and how the cultural influences of different musical styles, languages, and countries meshed with the Jewish identity in forming our source of strength—from Moses at the Red Sea to Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Mahler, Gershwin, and Billy Joel. Music is the food that kept us going for so many generations, to the amazement of history.”
For the program, he has chosen to take a look at Jewish music in a new light, moving away from the stereotypical synagogue melodies and Fiddler on the Roof. “I’m excited to share with you some of the greatest music from West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, Tales of Hoffmann, Vic Damone, Popeye the Sailor Man, Wizard of Oz, and a few surprises,” says Krohn. “I’m pouring my heart and soul into this performance. I can’t wait to see you all there and meet each and every one of you following the show. “
Cost: $35 ($30 JCC members); $20 per ticket for groups of six or more; $15 students. For tickets, call 321-2338 or go to simonfamilyj.org. Visit www.davidkrohn.com to learn more about the artist and hear his music.
The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
by Leslie Shroyer