Paula Gorbanova, violin & Douglas Tang, piano

Free admission | Donations welcome

Programme

St James’s is grateful for the generous support of Rolex for this music programme.

Artist bio

Paula Gorbanova

Mature well above her age, she communicates her artistic vision with audiences through the violin. 

She is currently engaged in solo and chamber performances, as well as invited for leading positions with string ensembles and orchestras across the globe. Her most recent performances include appearance at the Vielklang Festival in Tuebingen (Germany), Artematica Festival, Uppermill Music Festival and recitals in Southwark Cathedral, Barbican, St James’s Piccadilly amongst many others. Paula has performed on international stages since 2014, including venues such as the Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, Grafenegg Castle, Milton Court Concert Hall, Jerwood Hall – LSO St Luke’s, Barbican Hall, Royal Festival Hall, including many other venues across Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Greece, and France. As a soloist, she has performed with the Vielklang Festival Orchestra, Master Orchestra, City of London Soloists and Hornton Chamber Orchestra. 

Born in October 1997, Paula began her violin studies at the age of six under Nelly Sarkisian at Emils Darzins Secondary Music School in Riga. Afterwards she pursued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Prof. Jacqueline Ross where she has gained a First Class Bachelor of Music and Master of Performance degrees, both with distinction. She has participated in numerous masterclasses with eminent artists such as Tasmin Little, Friedemann Eichhorn, Nicola Benedetti, Tobias Granmo, Wolfgang Redik and with members of the Chilingirian, Dante, Endellion, and Heath Quartets. 

Throughout the years she has worked closely with eminent musicians, including conductors Baldur Brönnimann, Sir Simon Rattle (LSO & Guildhall Side-by-Side), Vassily Sinaisky, Marin Alsop and Normunds Vaicis. 

Paula is a recipient of multiple prizes and awards such as the Ivan Sutton Chamber Music Prize, Queen Sophie Charlotte International Violin Competition ULSA Sounderpreis winner in Germany, Wolfson Foundation Instrument Award that allowed her to purchase a violin bow by Jeans Paulus and has been Talent Unlimited artist since 2017. Since 2022 Paula has been supporting Talent Unlimited charitable steps also as a Supporting Artist. 

As one of the founders of the Gorbanoff String Quartet (2016-2018) and the Chiarina Piano Quartet they have performed extensively across UK and Europe. More recently, her collaboration with musicians from the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra has resulted in performances in New York and Athens. 

Paula performs on a fine 19th century Italian violin, kindly on loan by Florian Leonhard. She is grateful to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Help Musicians UK, The Stephen Bell Charitable Trust, Henry Wood Trust, Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust, Wolfson Foundation and Talent Unlimited for their generous support. 

As an active educator Paula has joined the faculty of the Centre for Young Musicians and has been appointed as a Professor at the Blackheath Conservatoire since 2022. Outreach and education players important role for her. She regularly participates in outreach projects to share her ideas and insights with up-and-coming musicians. In 2022 she held a residency at the Guildhall Young Artists Norwich and the City of Norwich School giving performances, talks and lessons together with the Chiarina Piano Quartet. Outside of her own teaching classes she also shares her knowledge with youth orchestras across England.

Douglas Tang

Douglas Tang is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. He is currently engaged as a conductor, keyboardist and coach – working with professional and amateur musicians of all ages and walks of life. He is the Choral Director of the Vielklang Festival in Tuebingen Germany, Artistic Director of ExCollegium, Music Director of ArchiCantiores and organ consultant to many of the premier churches in London. He is also associate conductor and keyboardist of the Choralies Festival in France, the Wimbledon Academy Choir, and the Thomas Tallis Society. Previously Assistant Director of Music of St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney and Chapel Organist of the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich, he has also most notably held the prestigious post of Organ Scholar of King’s College, Cambridge. He teaches and coaches at most of the London conservatoires and used to work within the opera department at the Royal Academy of Music.

​Born in Hong Kong, Douglas grew up in a Swiss-German international school before winning a scholarship to study in England. Attending Harrow School and Dulwich College, he was a proficient pianist and flautist – having attained diplomas in both instruments at a very young age. Originally set to attend conservatoire on both instruments, he took up the organ at a late stage. After winning an organ scholarship, he studied music at the University of Cambridge whilst being organ scholar for the world-famous choir of King’s College Cambridge. With a strong background in the English choral tradition, he worked for multiple world-class institutions before ultimately deciding to pursue a career as a freelance conductor and keyboardist. As a conductor his love is for English romantic repertoire. Through his work in many English institutions and for the Three Choir Festival, he feels privileged to have experienced deeply the core of English music. With a penchant for composers such as Stanford, Howells, Parry and Elgar, he has conducted many ensembles such as orchestras, opera companies, choral societies, chamber choirs and consorts, and cathedral choirs. He has also conducted and worked for many festivals such as the Brandenburg Choral Festival and the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. Highlights have included recording with ExCollegium a Marvel movie under Disney, relaunching Post-COVID choral efforts with the Vielklang Festival Chorus at the Tuebingen Early Music Festival via a much lauded programme of Schutz and Bach, conducting Monteverdi’s ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’ with Ensemble OrQuesta, and conducting the choir of Exeter College Oxford at the Tower of London. Upcoming engagements include concerts and recordings of English music with ExCollegium, a production of Handel’s Acis & Galatea with Southern Opera, and two tours to Germany in early 2023.​

As a keyboardist, Douglas works as a collaborative pianist and repetiteur in art song and opera. He travels throughout the UK and abroad to coach singers in musicianship and interpretive skills with the most recent trip being to work for Opera Stage in Berlin. As an orchestral musician he has also worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia, the London Sinfonietta and the Aurora Orchestra. As a continuo player he has also worked with the Academy of Ancient Music, the Orchestra for the Age of Enlightenment and the London Mozart Players. As a performing artist, Douglas has toured extensively around the world in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Esplanade in Singapore, Sydney Opera House, Washington National Cathedral and Prague Cathedral to name but a few.  He has built up an extensive discography and has broadcasted to millions worldwide on TV and radio with his CD ‘The Hereford Experience’ having been released recently. In reviews, his ‘alert musicianship, swagger, glorious vitality, fluency and clarity’ were praised with his performance bringing the music “to life, the playing is articulate as ever, bringing character to the many and varied emotions” and his “expressive and exciting playing in this impressive CD showing a clear mastery of technique”. Douglas is also an advocate of contemporary music having premiered and performed many works by modern composers such as Robin Holloway, Graham Fitkin, Francis Pott and Cecilia McDowall. He is a multiple prize-winner of awards such as the Brian Runnett Prize and Musica Britannica’s Sir Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize. He also teaches the organ and piano and has previously taught on Eton Choral Courses, Oundle for Organists and on courses for the Royal College of Organists.

Presented in association with Talent Unlimited