Biographical Info

‘Blindingly virtuosic’ – Michael Tumelty, Scottish Herald

As a soloist, Philip has performed at venues including Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and St John’s, Smith Square, at international festivals including the ‘Festival Pianistico Bartolomeo Cristifori’ in Italy, and has given several live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. In 2017, he was selected to be a Park Lane Group Artist, leading to several high-profile London recitals. Philip has been selected to participate in the 2020 Orléans Piano Competition, due to be held in October of this year. Inheriting a keen love for new music from his tutor Dr Murray McLachlan, Philip has given several world premieres of works by some of the rising stars of British contemporary music and has performed many seminal piano works of the past 30 years. Highlights include a performance of George Benjamin’s ‘Shadowlines’ at Wigmore Hall with the composer in attendance, and Thomas Ades’ ‘Traced Overhead’ at the final of the RNCM Gold Medal Competition. He has also been the recipient of the Ronald Stevenson Scholarship on the Chetham’s International Piano Summer School. As part of his solo work, Philip enjoys making virtuoso piano transcriptions of well-known classical works. In 2018, his transcription of ‘Nessun Dorma’ was featured by Classic FM and will be appearing in a French documentary later in 2020 chronicling the romantic life of Gustav Klimt, ‘”L’amour à l’œuvre”.

Philip also enjoys a busy career as accompanist and chamber musician and from 2017-2019 held the John Wilson Junior Fellow in Accompaniment at the RNCM. In 2018, alongside acclaimed saxophonist, Emma McPhilemy, he was awarded a place on both the Countess of Munster and Concordia Foundation Recital Schemes and, consequently, will be giving recitals at many prestigious UK venues during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He has also worked with musicians including violinist Callum Smart and trombonist Ian Bousfield, former Principal Trombone of both the London Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras. Since completing his fellowship at the RNCM, he has continued his relationship with the college as a freelance accompanist and has also worked in a similar capacity for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2016, Philip graduated from both Manchester University and the RNCM with a First Class Honours degree on the prestigious ‘Joint Course’. From 2009–2016, Philip studied with Dr Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of music and the RNCM respectively, having previously taken lessons with Anne Scott in Glasgow. Following his undergraduate studies, he achieved a Masters with distinction from the college, studying under Prof. Frank Wibaut. During his time at the RNCM, Philip was generously supported by The Scottish International Education Trust, The Cross Trust, The Caird Trust and Dewar Arts Awards. For the 2016–17 academic year, he was the recipient of the Draper’s Company Scholarship.