“British violist Roger Tapping, who played for several renowned string quartets in the UK and the US, has died of cancer aged 61,” reads an unsigned obituary in Wednesday’s (1/19) Strad (U.K.). “A graduate of Cambridge University, he … embarked on a busy musical career following graduation, joining the Raphael Ensemble…. As an orchestral player, he held the role of principal viola with the London Mozart Players, was a member of the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as a founding member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.… Tapping joined the UK-based Allegri Quartet in 1989, a post he retained until 1995, when he moved to the US to become violist of the Takács Quartet. He performed worldwide with the Takács Quartet … Tapping performed with the Takács Quartet until 2013, whereupon he joined the Juilliard Quartet…. A dedicated educator, he was most recently on the faculty of the Juilliard School, where he taught viola and chamber music. He also served on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, Longy School, Boston Conservatory, as well as the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.… Tapping also taught at Itzhak Perlman’s Chamber Music Workshop, the Tanglewood String Quartet Seminar and … gave viola masterclasses at Banff.”
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