Events

“He is, without exaggeration, an extraordinary artist, whose humanity shines in the impeccable artistry that flows from his hands…” (Hans Zimmer, award-winning composer)

Roger Sayer (right) is at the forefront of British choral and organ music. A former organ student at St Paul’s Cathedral, Roger was Prize Winner at the 1989 St Albans International Organ Competition and won all the organ prizes at the Royal College of Music. Since then, he has been constantly in demand both as a recitalist and accompanist and his playing takes him to many parts of the world.

His recent tours and events have included recitals in Italy, Germany, Holland and Denmark, a major tour of Australia, a live recital at Temple Church broadcast on BBC Radio 3, opening the 2018 Summer Organ Festival at Westminster Abbey and the release of two new recordings for Priory and Signum Records.

Roger Sayer’s work as organist has also extended into the film world, with his most recent performance as organ soloist for Hans Zimmer’s Oscar-nominated score for the motion picture Interstellar. Roger later went on to perform the work live with composer Hans Zimmer in a special concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, which was attended by the film’s director, cast and supporters, including Christopher Nolan, Jessica Chastain, Professor Brian Cox and Professor Stephen Hawking.

As a recording artist, Roger has released a number of CDs of solo organ music. His latest recordings, The Complete Organ Sonatas of Josef Rheinberger and The Grand Organ of Temple Church, have received several 5* ratings and outstanding reviews. The Grand Organ of Temple Church has been recommended on MusicWeb International: ‘Roger Sayer’s playing has a vitality and vibrancy about it which positively exudes brightness and clarity of thought.’ His Rheinberger CD was Recording of the Month on MusicWeb International: ‘Roger Sayer proves himself to be an apt interpreter of Josef Rheinberger’s wonderful music; his playing is superior to that of Jürgen Sonnentheil on CPO in the two sonatas that he performs on his disc. The excellence that Sayer shows in those two sonatas is continued on into the other eighteen, so much so that I hope that Priory gives him an opportunity to record further recitals of the composer’s music.’

His most recent recording was made in 2020, of the complete symphonies of Louis Vierne, was filmed for Fugue Sate Films and receiving critical acclaim.

In addition to his organ playing, Roger Sayer is also an acclaimed choral director with some of the UK’s finest choirs. After founding the Rochester Cathedral Girls’ Choir, Roger joined Temple Church in 2013 as Director of Music and has since created an impressive portfolio of broadcasts, concerts and recordings. The choir’s most recent CD, The Temple Tradition, received a 5* review in Choir and Organ Magazine: ‘The richly voiced young choristers of the Choir of the Temple Church are a joy to listen to, their unison singing nothing short of miraculous, and Roger Sayer draws from his singers outstanding phrasing and subtle nuances of tone’. Under his direction, Temple Church Choir has broadcast numerous times on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, and undertaken several international tours of the USA, Holland, Singapore, Australia and Germany. In 2017, Roger conducted the choir at the St Albans International Organ Festival ‘Three Choirs’ concert, alongside the choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral and St Albans Abbey, and set up a new youth choir of at Temple Church. His work in church music earned him an Honorary FRSCM

Outside of Temple Church, Roger Sayer worked with the London Symphony Chorus for ten years as Accompanist and Deputy Chorus Director, collaborating with many of the world’s leading conductors and soloists. He is regularly invited to be external examiner at the Royal College of Music organ department.

 In 2022 he relinquished his position of Director of Music at Temple Church whilst remaining as honorary Visiting Organist, allowing him to focus on freelancing both as organist and choir director. This year Roger will be performing in Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Australia

Roger has a YouTube channel where a new recording is released every Monday.