Lunchtime Recital - Peter Cigleris (clarinet) and Douglas Tang (piano)

Programme:
Malcolm Arnold, Sonatina Op. 29

Myroslav Skoryk, Fantasy on the Ukrainian Folk Song 'The Moon in the Sky' (Misyats' Na Nebi)

Carl Maria von Weber, Gran Duo Concertante Op. 48

Biographies

Peter Cigleris is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. Peter has appeared on BBC Radio Three’s In Tune programme talking with Sean Rafferty and on a separate playing live with the Tippett Quartet. He has also performed live for the BBC in the Radio Three lunchtime recital. Peter has worked with Martin Cousins, Mark Bebbington, Julian Lloyd Webber performing for various music clubs and festivals around the UK including, the Windsor and Wooburn Festival, English Music Festival, Carlisle International Music Festival. Peter is a member of Chamber Music Box presenting innovative chamber music programmes in London and the surrounding areas.

Internationally Peter has performed at the Groba Festival in Spain, chamber recitals in France, Netherlands and the US. Concerto appearances include Belgium for the ICA ClarinetFest where he gave the world premiere of Peter Wishart’s ‘Serenata Concertante’ eighty-one years after composition. Italy with Weber’s Concertino, Romania and Mexico with Mozart’s sublime concerto K. 622. While in Mexico Peter also gave the Mexican premiere of Malcolm Arnold’s Second Clarinet Concerto. Most recently Peter was invited to perform in Gyor, Hungary for the European Clarinet Festival and gave the US premiere of Susan Spain-Dunk’s Poem Cantilena with the Reno Philharmonic.

Peter’s interest in the English clarinet repertoire has seen him premier concertos and chamber music by Gipps, Benjamin, Spain-Dunk as well as contemporaries such as Lloyd Moore and Peter Seabourne and many others. As a solo recording artist Peter has a growing discography. Peter’s most recent release ‘Rediscovered’ on the Cala Signum label has Peter as soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales featuring four British clarinet concertos, of which three are world premiere recordings. The disc has been extremely well received by reviewers and listeners alike. Peter has featured on discs for Cala Records, Heritage Records and Toccata Classics.

As an orchestral player Peter has worked with several well-known English orchestras as well as being involved in various session recordings. He has also held the principal clarinet seat with the Symphony Orchestra of India and has worked with conductors such as Charles Dutoit and Rafael Payare amongst others. Peter studied at both the Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal College of Music. Whilst at the Conservatoire, Peter won the prestigious John Ireland Chamber music award with a performance of that composer’s Fantasy Sonata. Peter also performed MalcolmArnold’s Second Clarinet Concerto as part of the composer’s eightieth birthday celebration. Whilst completing his postgraduate studies at the RCM, Peter was awarded the Prix de Fossat and was invited to Cahors, France to present a recital for Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark at a private reception.

Peter maintains a private teaching studio with many students gaining their ABRSM grade 8 as well as the ARSM often passing with distinction. During the summer months Peter can be found tutoring on the Exmouth Summer School. For the last few years Peter has been invited to be a member of the international jury for the Silverstein Clarinet Contest and the Music and Stars Competition. Peter is a proud artist for Backun, D’Addario, Chedeville, Silverstein Works and Carbonissimo Spain.

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 VielklangFestival 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 & Galateawith 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 PhilharmoniaOrchestra, 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.