[1] Fisher was born in Portsea, Hampshire,[2] England, and had practised as a singer, conductor, and music teacher for several years.
[1] From 1855 to 1858 he sang on the opera stage, generally at the Victoria and Prince of Wales theatres, alongside Catherine Hayes, Anna Bishop, Sara Flower, Frank and John Howson, and Messrs. Laglaise, Conlon, Sherwin, Robert Farquharson, Lewis Lavenu, George Loder, and others.
He left the stage and in 1859 took up a position with the Council of Education (later Department of Public Instruction) as teacher at the Marshall Mount National School, in the Illawarra district.
These were so successful that his abilities as a teacher of singing were recognised by the Board of National Education, and the tonic sol-fa method was formally approved.
He finally gained a position with the Department's Examiners and Training Branch in May 1881, but had lost enthusiasm for the job and was asked to resign, which he did in March 1884.