Roger Vignoles
Roger Vignoles, born July 12, 1945 in Cheltenham, is a British pianist and accompanist. He regularly performs with the world’s leading singers – including Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Allen, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Hampson, Gitta-Maria Sjøberg, Sarah Walker, Susan Graham, Felicity Lott, Stephan Genz, Monica Groop, Wolfgang Holzmair, Bernarda Fink, Christine Schäfer, Brigitte Fassbaender and Kathleen Battle – at many halls and festivals. He also accompanies instrumentalists such as Joshua Bell, Heinrich Schiff, Nobuko Imai and Ralph Kirshbaum, and gives masterclasses around the world.
He lists Gerald Moore as his inspiration for pursuing a career in accompaniment.[1] He read music at Magdalene College, Cambridge, then joined the Royal Opera House as a repetiteur before completing his training with Paul Hamburger. He is widely recorded and generally regarded as one of the foremost accompanists in the world.
Roger Vignoles has devised and directed several series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, most notably Landscape Into Song for the Schubert bicentennial, and since 1998, he is artistic director of the Nagaoka Festival in Japan. His discography contains several recordings which have received international awards. He first studied at Magdalene College (Cambridge) and the Royal College of Music (London), and further completed his training with Paul Hamburger. Roger was educated at Sedbergh School.
Roger's son Will Vignoles is a member of the British indie band Cajun Dance Party on XL records.