Conductor Kathy Saltzman Romey has been the Minnesota Chorale's artistic director since 1995, preparation conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival professional chorus, and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Minnesota, where she oversees the graduate program in choral conducting and conducts choirs.
She has prepared the Minnesota Chorale for performances with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under the baton of such conductors as Edo de Waart, Eduardo Mata, Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Hugh Wolff, John Harbison, Helmuth Rilling, Bobby McFerrin, Eiji Oue, and Robert Shaw. She also developed and coordinates Bridges, the Chorale's nationally recognized performance outreach program.
Romey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Oregon. She continued her studies in Frankfurt, Germany under Bach scholar and conductor Helmuth Rilling, receiving an artistic degree in choral conducting from the Frankfurt State Conservatory of Music in 1984. During her five years in Germany, she assisted Dr. Rilling at the Memorial Church in Stuttgart, was a member of Rilling's professional choir, the Gaechinger Kantorei, and worked on the staff of the International Bach Academy.
Romey joined the conducting faculty at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1992, where she directs the Concert Choir, Men's Chorus, and Women's Chorus. From 1985-1992, she was director of choral activities at Macalester College, conducting the Macalester Concert Choir and the Macalester Festival Chorale. She is active regionally and nationally as a guest conductor and clinician at music conferences and festivals.
Active as a guest conductor, chorus master, and clinician throughout the United States and Europe, Romey has regularly prepared ensembles with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart for special programs and tours in Germany, France, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and the United States. Currently, she serves on the faculty of the Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble. This international choir and orchestra are assembled annually for the Stuttgart Bach Week, focusing on the study and presentation of major works by Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to her work with the Bachakademie, Romey has prepared programs with the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, Carnegie Hall Festival Chorus, and Grant Park Music Festival.
Credentials
- Minnesota Chorale
- Oregon Bach Festival
- University of Minnesota Faculty
- Minnesota Chorale, Oregon Bach Festival, University of Minnesota Faculty