Relaxed Saturday Live: Joseph Fisher (viola) and 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

Somerset born and raised, Joseph Fisher studied at the Wells Cathedral School and then moved to London to finish his studies at the Royal Academy of Music. Now working full time in London, Joseph is currently a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra regularly tour around the world and Joseph enjoys discovering new places, such as Japan, USA and Scunthorpe.
He has also appeared as principal viola with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. Joseph also enjoys playing for chamber music festivals, especially ones that take him to the South of France or Italy.

Not only a fan of classical music, Joseph has enjoyed playing with esteemed artists including Jennifer Hudson, Rod Stewart and he will soon join “The Who” for a concert in the Sandringham Estate this summer. Joseph can do a Rubix cube in under a minute and in his spare time he enjoys playing a good game of football or winning a TV themed pub quiz.

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 further tours to Europe.

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.