Stephen Disley

Organist

Stephen Disley studied organ at Liverpool Cathedral with Ian Tracey before winning a joint Foundation Scholarship to the Royal College of Music and London’s Temple Church, studying with Dr John Birch. He won many prizes and awards, studied further under Daniel Roth at Saint-Sulpice in Paris and has performed in prestigious masterclasses. 

As a recitalist and accompanist, Stephen appears frequently at the Royal Albert Hall and has played at all of the UK’s major venues. He has performed and broadcast with ensembles such as the the Holst Singers, the Finzi Singers, Onyx Brass, the Budapest Radio Choir, and the BBC Singers – including the newly-released recording of “Choir Book for The Queen”, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. Other performances include Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the London Mozart Players, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass in the Montepulciano Festival, and regular Organ Galas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). He recently performed with the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Enrico Batiz, and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alessandro d’Agostini. In 2014, he performed as a soloist in Warsaw, Cologne, and at the Royal Festival Hall with the RPO, conducted by Charles Dutoit. 

Stephen is Sub-Organist at Southwark Cathedral and Founding Director of its Girls’ Choir which, in addition to its weekly commitments at the cathedral, has undertaken tours to Bergen, Rouen, the Czech Republic, Rome, Belfast, and Paris. The Choir has made three CD recordings, all of which have received excellent reviews, the most recent including works commissioned for the Girls’ Choir. 

Stephen has appeared as organist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. In May 2008, he appeared alongside Cantabile and Josh Groban in the Tim Rice/ABBA musical “Chess in Concert” at the Royal Albert Hall. This extraordinary event was released on DVD by Warner Brothers. He has also performed and recorded premiers of music by Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies, Judith Bingham, Bob Chilcott, Gabriel Jackson, Tarick O’Regan and others. Stephen has is also involved with the JAM (John Armitage Memorial) Trust and is organist to the City of London School. He has recently been appointed on the professorial staff at Trinity Laben Conservatoire of Music and Dance.