Philip Herbert was born in London and has pursued a portfolio career, combining teaching, performance, curating, writing for publication, developing and devising workshops and projects: assessing Music projects for the Arts Council of England, Broadcasting and Composing. He has also spent some time Examining for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Philip spent his formative years in Leeds, where his interest in music was nurtured by his parents. He studied the piano at the Yorkshire college of Music with the late Dr John Foster, where he was awarded a scholarship to work towards completing Grade VIII Piano ABRSM, with the late Irene Ingram. He also, took up playing the flute, which enabled him to perform in ensembles.

Whilst at King Alfred’s College, (now University of Winchester), Philip completed his B.Ed Hons degree in Music Education (1983), along with the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (1981), Piano Teaching Diploma and an Associate of the Royal College of Music Piano Performing Diploma (1982), concurrently. He was taught by Diana Owen for these diplomas and received coaching from Guy Jonson (Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music) and the late Kendall Taylor CBE, FRCM, Hon FRAM (Professor of Piano and Vice President of the Royal College of Music). After teaching for a year in London, Philip undertook postgraduate study, to gain an MA in Music (1985), at Andrews University, Michigan, USA. Whilst there he continued studying the piano with Dr Morris Taylor and John Owings. He was also awarded a Graduate Assistantship, to be piano accompanist to the late Dr Harold Lickey, Head of Vocal Studies - working with vocal students in his studio, preparing French, German, Italian and Spanish song and to accompany the University Singers.

Philip has taught at secondary School and at university level, where he collaborated with some of Britain’s finest musicians in the creation of workshops, Master Classes, Projects and Residencies for young people and people of all ages and abilities. He has also been a visiting lecturer at Norwich University of the Arts, for the MA in Music for Moving Image.

He has a keen interest in the historical contributions which Black Composers have made to classical music. He has conducted research trips to University Music Departments and archives in the USA in search of books, scores and recordings, along with key information from archivists, which explain the significance of celebrated compositions by Black composers. This experience has informed his contributions to interview segments, he has been invited to deliver. This includes Classics Unwrapped for BBC Radio Scotland presented by Jamie McDougall, where he discussed the Harlem Renaissance. The Trumpet Shall Sound for BBC Radio 4 presented by Julian Joseph OBE British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster, to discuss  Black musicians and composers from the time of Henry VIII to the present day. In Tune BBC Radio 3, with Suzy Klein, to discuss his London 2012 Project ‘Ballare: To Dance’ that featured musical influences from around the world, including a world premiere of his Suite for Solo Steel Pan and Strings and Mantra for an Athlete, which was inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games. He was also interviewed by Sean Rafferty, of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, where he was given time for discussion and the performance of live music from the project ‘Lost Chords: Unsung Songs’ featuring music from the Harlem Renaissance - which toured across the UK, finishing in the Purcell Room at the SouthBank Centre. This project featured art songs, music for solo piano and music for violin and piano, by composers from the Harlem Renaissance. He was also invited to be a panelist, along with Candace Allen, Paul Gambaccini (Chair) and Scott Stroman, to explore the chapter, ‘Invisible Men’, from the book, ‘The Rest is Noise,’ by Alex Ross, which served as the theme of a year long music festival in 2013, at the Southbank Centre, London.

Philip has contributed articles on a number of composers from the African Diaspora, by academics of the Caribbean Studies Department at the University of Warwick, (Dr David Dabydeen and Dr John Gilmore), for the Oxford Companion to Black British History. In an event with the  theme, ‘Reflecting on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’, Philip gave a biographical lecture about the life of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, in the London Literature Festival, at the Southbank Centre, alongside other artists who contributed to this event, 7 October 2014. In 2017, he has also been invited to contribute to the Chester Oboe Anthology, which is endorsed by the oboist, Nicholas Daniel; as well as later being invited to write music for the ABRSM. Philip was invited to be a Jury member, with Grace Bumbry, Antony Negus, and Julian Joseph for the Voice of Black Opera Competition, which was broadcast for Radio 3 from The Great Hall, University of Birmingham, in October 2009. He was also invited to attend a reception at St James’s Palace with HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, for British Caribbean Communities, May 2013.

He has benefited from the Musicians Benevolent Fund Award for Professional Development, February 2011. Furthermore, he was given the Igniting Ambition Award to develop a music project for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the East Midlands. He was also awarded the Arts Prize, sponsored by Leicester City Council, the City Mayor - Sir Peter Soulsby and the African Caribbean Citizens Forum - October 2012: along with being selected and awarded a bursary to complete the Clore Leadership Course in 2009.

Philip was commissioned to write music for the film ‘The Future’ by the Italian Film Director, Enrico Poli. The film was awarded first prize in the film festival Visione Italiane, in the category, Visione Acquatische, in January 2017. He was also an interviewee for the film, ‘Lost Legends’ for Serendipity-UK, in April 2017.

He has also enjoyed being involved in performances, from accompanying a children’s choir in the Junior Choral Division at Llagollen’s International Eisteddfod July 1984, to singing in a BBC Prom with London Adventist Chorale, in Kurt Weill’s ‘Cry the Beloved Country’, with the BBC Singers, Cynthia Clarey, Damon Evans, Janet Suzman and the Matrix Ensemble, conducted by Robert Ziegler: to conducting George Walker’s ‘Lyric for Strings’ and a movement from Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, for a segment in an episode of BBC 2 TV’s Black Britain, 1996, as well as playing chamber music and accompanying in song recitals.

Currently, Philip’s creative focus is on composing. He is a Composer with eclectic musical interests and influences. He has written choral music, chamber music, music for film, dance and for the concert hall. Philip’s music has been performed by a variety of ensembles including the BBC Singers ( in a weekend of concerts by BBC Ensembles, celebrating the BBC Centenary,13 February 2022), Alasdair Malloy (Principal Percussionist of the BBC Concert Orchestra), the Sphinx Virtuosi (in Carnegie Hall, New York, October 2019), Chineke! Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Sinfonia ViVA, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the Philharmonia, Orchestra of the Swan, Detroit, Houston, American Youth Philharmonic, Colorado University Philharmonia, Capital Philharmonic new Jersey, Minnesota and Nashville Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra of Northern New York, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina USA, the Villier’s Quartet in residence at University of Oxford and a String Quartet at the LSO in a Jerwood Composer showcase, to name a few.

Philip has completed a commission for Serendipity UK, to celebrate the Windrush Generation: in the form of a string quartet, written for a dance project, in four movements, entitled ‘Siren Calls: to an illusive journey,’ which was choreographed with different creative perspectives by Monique Jonas and Thomas Prestø in different venues, on separate occasions within the Let’s Dance International Festival 2022. In addition he has also recently completed a commission from the BBC Concert Orchestra, for the PRS Foundation and Southbank Centre New Music Biennial 2022, entitled, ‘Towards Renewal,’ which was premiered in Coventry Cathedral and performed again in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK, on 2 July 2022. In June 2022, Philip was invited by Dr Anthony Anderson (Music Education Researcher at Birmingham City University) to deliver a seminar for the Birmingham Music Education Research Group, exploring the theme, ‘Curating accessible cultural diversity in classical music in creative school curricula.’ Chineke! Orchestra have recently performed ‘Elegy’ at the Southbank Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and also at St George’s, Bristol in a programme of String Masterpieces.

Philip is currently looking forward to some recording sessions of commissioned pieces for KPM Music, which have been delayed by the pandemic. He has been a panelist in the artistic team of the project Siren calls: to an illusive journey, discussing the film commissioned by Pawlet Brookes MBE (Artistic Director of Serendipity-UK) entitled, ‘Interpretations’ where the artists discuss their creative processes in this project. Here, Philip talks about his approach to writing this string quartet. Philip was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from the University of Winchester, October 2022.

In January and April 2023, he enjoyed performances of ‘Elegy’ given by the Cleveland and Minnesota Symphony Orchestras. In addition the Sphinx Virtuosi performed this piece recently at the US Embassy in London in an evening where Aaron and Afa Dworkin (Founder and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organisation) presented a programme explaining the ground breaking developments happening at the Sphinx Organisation with this ensemble. He was commissioned to along with 3 other composers to write a re-imagined season inspired by Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for a project called ‘Four Seasons of the Caribbean’ by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Leeds International Concert Season’s - Sound it Out concert series. This work was premiered successfully in November 2023.

On 28 February 2024, at the New England Conservatory, the Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Prof. Donald Palma, will be performing Philip’s piece called ‘Elegy’ alongside music by Mozart and Bartók. In March 2024, Jonathan Glawe will direct a performance of ‘Elegy’ at the 2024 American String Teachers Association Conference, New Music Reading Session Notification - K- 12.

Philip Herbert Biography