Friday 21 June, 7.30pm

Canterbury Cathedral Quire

Tickets £17 (Incl. £2 booking fee)

Book all three concerts for £36

Priority booking is now open, public sales will open on Tuesday 2 April

This event is organised, managed and delivered by Canterbury Cathedral

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Mendelssohn (1809-1847) arr. Best – Overture St Paul

Rheinberger (1839-1901) – Cantilene from Sonata 11

Holst (1874-1934) – From The Planets

Mars (transcribed Wills)

Venus (transcribed Wills)

Jupiter (transcribed Jonathan Scott)

Hans Zimmer (b. 1957) – Interstellar (transcribed Roger Sayer)

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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 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 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.

In 2023 he performed part of the score in London’s O2 arena in front of 40,000 people.

As a recording artist, Roger has released a number of CDs of solo organ music including The Complete Organ Sonatas of Josef Rheinberger and The Grand Organ of Temple Church, both of which have received several 5* ratings and outstanding reviews.

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: During his time at Temple Church Choir has broadcast numerous times on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, and undertook several international tours of the USA, Holland, Singapore, Australia and Germany. He set up a new youth choir at Temple Church. His work in church music has earned him an Honorary FRSCM.

Roger 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 2023 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. He has recently been appointed Organist in Residence at St John’s Smith Square Concert Hall in London. This year Roger will be performing in Denmark, UK, Australia, Canada and Germany and the USA.