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Artistic Director |
Roger Payne was born in Sussex. He taught himself the trumpet and by the age of 17 had graduated from the village band to the Guildhall School of Music, London, where he studied trumpet, composition and conducting. A man of diverse musical talent, not only has he pursued a distinguished orchestral career but has also found time to compose, arrange and conduct. He is an acknowledged expert on the orchestral music of Haydn and Mozart, and has a vast repertoire of operetta behind him. His association with the City of Oxford Orchestra as a performer extends back over thirty years and he has performed innumerable concerti ranging from Bach’s Brandenburg No.2 to first performances of works by John Gardiner and Bryan Kelly. He has also directed over fifty ensemble concerts, ranging from Baroque, through Mozart and Stravinsky, to Walton’s Façade. As a self-confessed Strauss addict, Roger has conducted every Traditional Viennese New Year Concert (but one!) with the City of Oxford Orchestra for the last 33 years. In 1998, Roger became the Orchestra’s Artistic Director. His vast musical knowledge and invaluable help with programme planning have contributed greatly to its current success. |
