Monday 20th June 2011 - 13:10 - Roger Fisher (Chester)

Roger Fisher was Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chester Cathedral for 29 years and left there in 1996 to concentrate on his career as a recitalist, teacher and adviser on organ construction. From 1997 to 2004 he was Features Editor of Organists’ Review.

Born in Woodford, Essex, he was educated at Bancroft's School and studied at the Royal College of Music with Dr Harold Darke and Prof. Herbert Howells, gaining his ARCM, FRCO and CHM diplomas and winning the Geoffrey Tankard Prize for Organ playing. In 1959 he became Organ Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford and studied with Dr Sydney Watson, Dr Bernard Rose and Dr H. Kennedy Andrews. During his student years he was Organist of St Mark’s, Regent’s Park in London. He became Assistant Organist of Hereford Cathedral in 1962, and Assistant Lecturer in Music at Hereford College of Education in 1963. During this period he studied the piano with Professor Claud Biggs and acted as an assistant chorus master, organ soloist, and accompanist for The Three Choirs Festival,

Upon completion of the rebuilt organ in 1970 at Chester , he embarked on the first of many BBC broadcasts and numerous recordings (including several for EMI, Decca and RCA) which have had world-wide sales. Recently. many of his CDs have appeared on the AMPHION label, but he has recorded for a number of other companies, not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the USA, South Africa and Germany. As a pianist, he has collaborated with Gordon Pullin in an 8 CD set of The English Tenor Repertoire.

He has frequently been asked to act as organ adviser to churches, chapels and cathedrals and has also advised on organ projects in colleges and concert halls.

He tours frequently and extensively as a recitalist in Europe, Scandinavia and North America, visiting Australia also in autumn 2004 and South Africa in 2002, 2005 and 2007. He has a wide repertoire and specialises in the music of Bach and of the Romantic Era. He is a keen pianist and gives piano recitals and concerto performances when time permits. His new book “Master Class with Roger Fisher”, giving practical advice to pianists and organists, has just been published by animus.

Web-site: www.rogerfisher.org.uk