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The English organist and harpsichordist, David John Sanger, was educated at Eltham College and the Royal Academy of Music (1963-1966) and became well known as an organ recitalist when he won First Prize in two international competitions: St Alban's, England in 1969 and Kiel, Germany in 1972. He also studied frivately with Susi Jeans, Marie-Claire Alain and Anton Heiller (1968-1969).
David Sanger is one of the world's most accomplished concert organists. He has toured many countries as recitalist - Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Italy, France, Russia, Iceland, the USA, Mexico and South Korea - as well as giving many recitals in the British Isles, notably at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, the City of London Festival, the Bath Festival, the Chester Festival, the West-Riding Cathedrals' Festival, and many similar occasions. He is frequently partnered by Hans Fagius from Sweden for Organ Duet Concerts.
As a recording artist David Sanger has made over 20 CD's, all of which have received favourable reviews. His debut on the organ was with Polydor (DG Début Series) with Bach and Franck recorded in Munich. He recorded the complete organ works of César Franck at the Katarina Church in Stockholm (before the fire) for BIS. His Meridian recordings of Vierne's Six Organ Symphonies have received wide acclaim and he has embarked on recordings of the complete organ works of Bach. The most recent Bach CD's were recorded on the newly constructed, historic-style, Carsten Lund organ in Copenhagen's Garnisons Church. Recently with Meridian he has recorded a selection of trifles by Lefébure-Wély, this latter CD recorded on the recent Cavaillé-Coll style instrument at Exeter College, Oxford, for which instrument David Sanger also acted as Consultant. Other recent projects as consultant include new, rebuilt or restored organs at Bromley Parish Church, Haileybury College, St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sheffield Cathedral and Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
From 1980 to 1989 David Sanger was professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and chairman of the organ department there from 1987 to 1989. Between 1989 and 1997 he was a Consultant Professor at the Royal Academy of Music. He was guest professor for a period of two years at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. Currently, he is a Visiting Tutor in organ studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, and teacher of organ at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He has had many successful students at international competition level, including two winners at the Calgary International Organ Competition. He has given master-classes in many places including Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo, and was 'Headmaster' of the Church Music Seminar in Bergen for fourteen years. He has appeared in the jury of many international organ competitions; St Alban's, Paisley, Speyer, Biarritz, Alkmaar, Odense Nűrnberg and Lucerne.
From time to time, he composes music for organ, as well as for strings and choirs. Small Choral Arrangements were published by Oxford University Press, Basil Ramsey, Vest-Norsk Musikkforlag; Missa Brevis published by United Music Publishers. He has written an organ tutor in two volumes for beginners, entitled Play the Organ (published by Novello), which has become the most widely used in Britain in recent years. He runs courses for advanced students at his home in the Cumbrian Lake District, including tuition on the Bevington organ installed there.
David Sanger's hobbies include racquet sports, walking, swimming and gardening. |
