Drew Croon’s Gypsy Mass

Misa Gitana Andaluza is a classical work for piano and alto voice, with exotic Spanish Gypsy flavors from Andalusia. The Spanish title means “Andalusian Gypsy Mass.” The lyrics are the prayers of the Order of the Mass (Ordo Missae), sung in Latin and Greek. There are five movements, each a prayer set in a different flamenco musical form, or palo.

The prayers paired with their flamenco palo are: Kyrie with Soleá, Gloria with Granaína, Credo with Siguiriya, Sanctus with Taranta, and Agnus Dei with Bulería. The full text with the English translation of each prayer is on The Palos & The Prayers page of this site.

This concert performance musical mass is a contexture of genres: a juxtaposition of the old with the new, traditional with modern, sacred with secular, structured and formal with free, improvisational musical forms, and Western European classical with exotic Andalusian melodies, tones and rhythms. It is surprising, dramatic, and hauntingly beautiful. It has been described by audience members as: exquisite, beautiful beyond measure, ravishing, and breathtaking.

To view the score and learn more about it, please visit our Behind The Music page on this site.

The Misa Gitana Andaluza Ensemble

For the first time, in 2015 Drew Croon’s classical-flamenco Gypsy Mass was performed on the stage by these three dynamic, young artists (see their full bios on their pages on this site):

Alex Conde

Flamenco piano virtuoso Alex Conde from Valencia, Spain, has  distinguished jazz and classical piano accomplishments and degrees from conservatories in Spain and from the Berklee College of Music in the U.S., where he earned a scholarship and a degree in jazz performance. Alex has performed in international jazz and world music festivals, and  has collaborated with numerous jazz and flamenco greats. In 2015 his flamenco-jazz CD, Descarga for Monk, was named a top CD of the year, receiving high critical acclaim by prestigious jazz publication DownBeat Magazine and others.

Kindra Scharich

Mezzo-Soprano Kindra Scharich is classically-trained in voice and piano at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, where she earned her Master’s degree in vocal performance. She completed her post-graduate work at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Kindra has received critical accolades for her performances of a wide range of roles on operatic and concert stages. Joshua Kosman of The San Francisco Chronicle has praised her “noble, vocally assured singing, with stately grace and deep-rooted pathos.” Kindra brings her rich vocal interpretations of the Greek and Latin prayers.

Fanny Ara

Fanny Ara from France, accomplished dancer, choreographer and artistic director, is a multiple Isadora Duncan Dance Award-nominated Spanish classical and flamenco dancer. Classically-trained in ballet, contemporary,  Spanish classical and flamenco dance in France and Spain, she also studied piano and earned a degree in music from the Bayonne School of Art in France.  Fanny has choreographed, and also improvises, a Spanish classical and flamenco-inspired dance interpretation of three Misa Gitana Andaluza movements: Kyrie, Credo, and Agnus Dei.

The Composer

Drew Croon, who departed our world in 2007, wrote Misa Gitana Andaluza as his Master’s thesis in music, music production, and world history at the University of Poitiers in France. Drew was a highly accomplished classical and flamenco guitarist, singer-songwriter, and composer, who dedicated his entire life to the study of music and the humanities. Each decision he made when composing Misa Gitana Andaluza was based on his exhaustive knowledge of Western classical and flamenco music, and the history of Catholicism. He completed all the coursework and his thesis was accepted for a PhD in comparative literature at the University of Poitiers in France before he became too ill to continue.

Listen to Sanctus

To hear Sanctus from Drew Croon’s Misa Gitana Andaluza, as well as other music by Drew, please visit SoundCloud at:

https://soundcloud.com/drewcroonmusic/misa-gitana-andaluza-sanctus-taranta.