Julian Philips

Philips was born in Wales in 1969, brought up in Warwickshire, studied Music at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, completing his doctorate at Sussex University.

Philips took up the post of Head of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2004 transforming the Guildhall Composition Department while also establishing a series of flag-ship projects, most notably a Doctoral Composer-in-Residence scheme,[https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/research/research_degrees_mphildmus_mphilphd/royal_opera_house_composer_in_residence/ Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Opera House Doctoral-Composer-in-Residence. Retrieved 4 September 2018] and an MA in Opera-Making & Writing,[https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/music/courses/postgraduate/ma_in_opera_making_writing/ MA in Opera-Making & Writing, Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Retrieved 4 September 2018.] both in association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. For over a decade, Philips has led the Wigmore Study Group an innovative adult education group which he established for the Wigmore Hall,{{Cite web|url=https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/wigmore-study-group-america-201811271500|title=Three-part study course|website=Wigmore Hall|access-date=16 July 2019}} and has enjoyed a particular association with the Orchestra of the Swan, both through a series of commissions and education projects. In 2007, Philips was presented with an Honorary Fellowship from the Guildhall School, and subsequently conferred with a Professorship.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nmcrec.co.uk/composer/philips-julian|title=Philips, Julian {{!}} NMC Recordings|website=www.nmcrec.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-07-01}}

Philips held the Glyndebourne's first Composer in Residence.{{Cite web|url=http://www.roh.org.uk/news/the-inventive-and-beguiling-world-of-julian-philips|title=The inventive and beguiling world of Julian Philips — News — Royal Opera House|website=www.roh.org.uk|access-date=2017-07-01}} He is published by Edition Peters.

Whilst at Glyndebourne, Philips completed two chamber operas in 2006-2009, Followers with libretto by Simon Christmas and The Yellow Sofa with a libretto by Edward Kemp.{{Cite web|url=http://www.edition-peters.com/composer/Philips-Julian|title=Featured Editor - Music education books - Sheet music books {{!}} edition-peters|website=www.edition-peters.com|access-date=2017-07-01}} He then went on to write his youth opera Knight Crew for Glyndebourne with a libretto by Nicky Singer; the opera subsequently featured in a BBC 2 documentary. His opera How the Whale Became, again with a libretto by Edward Kemp, was written for the 2013/14 Royal Opera House's Christmas season.{{Cite web|url=http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/how-the-whale-became-by-natalie-abrahami|title=How the Whale Became — Productions — Royal Opera House|website=www.roh.org.uk|access-date=2017-07-01}} In 2017, Philips' opera The Tale of Januarie received its premiere at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, based on Chaucer's The Merchant's Tale with a Middle English libretto by writer Stephen Plaice.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_Bkc32mgc|title=The Tale of Januarie - homegrown opera at Guildhall|date=16 August 2017|access-date=16 July 2019|via=YouTube}}

In 2003, Philips collaborated with British choreographer Michael Corder on a new full-length ballet based on Les Liaisons Dangereuses for English National Ballet, collaborating again with Corder on a Prokofiev-based score for The Snow Queen, again for English National Ballet. In 2012, Philips worked with French choreographer Mikaël 'Marso' Rivière on a hybrid dance-concerto for violist Maximillian Baillie and the Aurora Orchestra, which premiered at the 2012 Deal Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.auroraorchestra.com/2012/07/07/maxamorphosis-rehearsal-photographs/|title=Maxamorphosis rehearsal photographs|date=7 July 2012|website=Aurora Orchestra|access-date=16 July 2019}} His has been featured on BBC radio.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/ba28383e-29dc-410f-9bef-c8611858fea0|title=Julian Philips - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music|website=BBC|access-date=2018-09-03}}

In 2018 Philips is working on a new viola concerto for violist Virginia Slater, a large-scale choral work with a text by Stephen Plaice commissioned by InterOpera,{{Cite web|url=http://www.interopera.org/projects/massacre-of-the-innocents|title=The Massacre of the Innocents|access-date=16 July 2019}} and a new oboe quintet for the Wigmore Hall.

• Henny Penny (2022), a primary school opera bringing together music and modern language learning, with a libretto by Stephen Plaice in English, French (Coquotte Chocotte). Scored for mezzo-soprano, baritone and children's chorus, with violin, clarinet and piano. Duration: 25 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Henny Penny Impact Case Study |url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/research-engagement-services/research/research-excellence-framework/henny-penny-impact-case-study |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=Guildhall School of Music & Drama |language=en}}
• The Tale of Januarie (2016–17), full-length Opera after Geoffrey Chaucer, with a libretto by Stephen Plaice, commissioned by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Duration: 2 hours, 15 minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/ep73017-p_998b9b8f053f0b|title=Philips - The Tale of Januarie I&II|website=Issuu|date=21 February 2017 |access-date=16 July 2019}}
• How the Whale Became (2013), family chamber opera after Ted Hughes for five singers and five players, with a libretto by Edward Kemp, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Duration: 80 minutes.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaWlG1sr1Hk Director Natalie Abrahami discusses How the Whale Became, Royal Opera House. Retrieved 5 September 2018]
• Good Intentions (2012), children's opera with a libretto by Simon Christmas, commissioned by W11 Opera. Duration: 80 minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/goodintentions|title=Good Intentions by Julian Philips|website=Issuu|date=14 December 2012 |access-date=16 July 2019}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=raGp9cxFp6Q Good Intentions, performance extract. Retrieved 5 September 2018]
• Save the Diva (2011), street opera scene for soprano, trombone and accordion, with a libretto by Simon Christmas, commissioned by The Opera Group. Duration: 15 minutes.
• Knight Crew (2010), full-length youth opera, with a libretto by Nicky Singer, commissioned by Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Duration: 2 hours.[https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/knight-crew-2/ Knight Crew] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175723/https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/knight-crew-2/ |date=5 September 2018 }}, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, retrieved 5 September 2018.
• The Yellow Sofa (2009), chamber opera based on the novella Alves & Co. by Eça de Queiros, with a libretto by Edward Kemp, commissioned by Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Duration: 80 minutes.[https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/the-yellow-sofa-2009/ The Yellow Sofa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827210019/https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/the-yellow-sofa-2009/ |date=27 August 2018 }}, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, retrieved 5 September 2018.
• Varjak Paw (2008), family chamber opera, after the novels by SF Said, with a libretto by Kit Hesketh-Harvey, commissioned by The Opera Group. Duration: 1 hour, 50 minutes.[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/30/classicalmusicandopera Varjak Paw, Guy Dammann, 30 September 2008, Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2018.]
• Followers (2006–11), site-specific promenade opera with a libretto by Simon Christmas, commissioned by Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Duration: 1 hour.[https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/ghostsfollowers/ Followers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175832/https://www.glyndebourne.com/education/about-glyndebourne-education/education-projects/commissions/ghostsfollowers/ |date=5 September 2018 }}, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, retrieved 5 September 2018.
• Of Water and Tears (2007), opera fantasy for chorus & small orchestra, based on O Waly, Waly, devised for Glyndebourne's Jerwood Chorus Development scheme with director Claire Whistler. Duration: 15 minutes.
• Wild Cat (2006), children's opera with a libretto by Berlie Doherty, commissioned by Welsh National Opera. Duration: 30 minutes.
• Dolffin (2005), children's opera with a libretto by Gwyneth Lewis, commissioned by Welsh National Opera. Duration: 30 minutes.

• Looking West (2022) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, actor, mixed ensemble (8 players) and field recordings, with a libretto by Rebecca Hurst. Commissioned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vaughan Williams, the work explores an ancient Cumbrian pilgrimage route, the Saint Bega Way, interwoven with the experiences of a contemporary pilgrim and the paintings of Winifred Nicholson.{{Cite web |title=Looking West {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/69060/Looking-West--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}

• Maxamorphosis (2012), hybrid dance-concerto for viola, dancers and chamber orchestra. Created with choreographer Mikael Marso Riviére for violist Max Baillie and the Aurora Orchestra.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1n4F5LOzdg|title=Maxamorphosis|date=11 July 2012|access-date=16 July 2019|via=YouTube}}{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/maxamorphosis|title=Maxamorphosis|website=Issuu|date=13 May 2013 |access-date=16 July 2019}}
• The Snow Queen (2005), full-length ballet based on Prokofiev's Tale of the Stone Flower commissioned by English National Ballet for choreographer Michael Corder.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=bMWAJuXPvbM|title=Sněhová Královna / The Snow Queen – trailer|date=2 March 2016|access-date=16 July 2019|via=YouTube}}
• Les Liaisons Dangereuses (2003), full-length ballet after the Choderlos de Laclos novel, devised with choreographer Michael Corder, commissioned by English National Ballet.

• Ballades Concertantes (2017) for solo viola, double bass & chamber orchestra, commissioned by the Orchestra of the Swan. Duration: 25 minutes.
• All that remains (2014) for large orchestra, commissioned by the National Orchestra of Belgium marking the centenary of the opening of the First World War. Duration: 13 minutes.[https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/ep72620_philips_all_that_remains_fs All that remains, Peters Edition full score].
• Come forth to play (2013) for brass, percussion and organ, commissioned by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to mark the opening of Milton Court. Duration: 6 minutes.
• Maxamorphosis (2012), hybrid dance-concerto for viola, dancers and chamber orchestra. Created with choreographer Mikael Marso Riviére for violist Max Baillie and the Aurora Orchestra. Duration: 27 minutes.
• Divertissement (2004), suite for chamber orchestra, drawn from the ballet Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Duration: 25 minutes.
• Out of Light (2001), poem for large orchestra, commissioned for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, for The Proms in 2001. Duration: 21 minutes.
• Strange Seas (1998), poem for orchestra, commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia. Duration: 16 minutes.

• Masque for Caliban (2006), on poems by Edward Kamau Brathwaite, for baritone and orchestra, commissioned by the Orchestra of the Swan for the Three Choirs Festival. Duration: 22 minutes.

• So gently darkness falls (2014) to a poem by John Masefield, for solo treble, choir and small orchestra, commissioned by Warwick School. Duration: 11 minutes.
• Sea and Stars (2012) to a text by Simon Christmas, for solo soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, commissioned by Ealing Choral Society. Duration: 33 minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/sea_and_stars|title=Julian Philips - Sea and Stars|website=Issuu|date=9 May 2012 |access-date=16 July 2019}}
• Body of Water (2012) to a text by Simon Christmas, for solo tenor, choir, organ and brass quintet, commissioned by the John Armitage Memorial. Duration: 15 minutes.

• Love Songs for Mary Joyce (2016) to poems by John Clare, for tenor & piano, commissioned by the Wigmore Hall for James Gilchrist and Anna Tillbrook. Duration: 20 minutes.[https://www.musicomh.com/classical/reviews-classical/gilchrist-tilbrook-wigmore-hall-london Gilchrist/Tilbrook@Wigmore Hall, London, Melanie Eskenazi, 21 September 2008, Music OMH. Retrieved 4 October 2018.]
• Love Songs of Amy Lowell (2011) to poems by Amy Lowell, for soprano & piano, commissioned by the Presteigne Festival. Duration: 16 minutes.
• Blist's Hill (2009) to a poem by Simon Christmas, for baritone & piano, commissioned by NMC Recordings, for the NMC Songbook. Duration: 3 minutes.
• An American Songbook (2004) to poems by Langston Hughes, for mezzo-soprano & piano, commissioned by the Ludlow English Song Weekend. Duration: 18 minutes.
• There is a morn by men unseen (2003) to a poem by Emily Dickinson, for baritone & piano, commissioned by the Wigmore Hall. Duration: 3.5 minutes.
• Life Lessens (2002) with text by Simon Christmas, for mezzo-soprano & piano, commissioned by Sue & Nicholas Nightingale. Duration: 25 minutes.
• Four Sonnets of John Clare (2002, rev. 2015) to poems by John Clare, for baritone & piano, commissioned by the Wigmore Hall. Duration: 10 minutes.
• Swift Partitions (1998) to poems by Emily Dickinson, for baritone & piano, commissioned by Jeremy Huw Williams. Duration: 14 minutes.
• An Amherst Bestiary (1997) a songbook to poems by Emily Dickinson, for voice & piano. Duration: 2–25 minutes.
• Der Jungling und der Tod (1997) to a poem by Josef von Spaun, for tenor & piano, commissioned by BBC Radio Three. Duration: 6 minutes.
• Eclogue (1996) to a poem by A. E. Housman, for baritone & piano, commissioned by Bromsgrove Concerts. Duration: 10 minutes.
• Fern Hill (1996) to the poem by Dylan Thomas, for baritone & piano, commissioned by Jeremy Huw Williams. Duration: 15 minutes.
• Dread of Starry Majesties (1995) to poems by Ivor Gurney, commissioned by the Lichfield Festival. Duration: 20 minutes.
• now i lay me down to dream of spring (1991) to poems by e e cummings, for tenor & piano. Duration: 25 minutes.

• The Country of Larks (2021) setting text from Robert Louis Stevenson's essay An Autumn Effect (1875), for tenor, horn and piano. Commissioned by the Oxford International Song Festival. Duration: 9 minutes.{{Cite web |title=The Country of Larks {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/64391/The-Country-of-Larks--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}
• Turning Fifty (2019) setting five poems by Australian poet Judith Wright, for baritone, harp & cello. Duration: 20 minutes. Premiered by James Newby (baritone), with Oliver Wass (harp) and Leo Popplewell (cello) at the Milton Court Concert Hall in London, 25 November 2019.
• Cantos de Sonho (2013) to poems by Alexander Search (Fernando Pessoa) for soprano, tenor & piano trio, commissioned by the Ludlow English Song Weekend. Duration: 35 minutes.[https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/cantos_de_sonho Cantos de Sonho, extract from Peters Edition full score].
• Sweet Love Remembered (2005) to poems by Amy Lowell, Amy Levy, Byron, May Swenson, James Merrill and Muriel Rukeyser, for baritone & string quartet. Commissioned by Sir Nicholas Goodison and the Wigmore Hall for baritone Gerald Finley and the Vertavo Quartet. Duration: 25 minutes.[https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/ph20_sweet_love_remembered_-_online Sweet Love Remembered, Peters Edition full score].
• Swift Partitions (2003) to poems by Emily Dickinson, for baritone & chamber ensemble. Duration: 14 minutes.
• Love is more thicker than forget (1997) to a poem by e e cummings, for soprano, trumpet & organ. Duration: 3 minutes.
• Coronach (1995) to a poem by Oliver Fraser, for mezzo-soprano & viola, commissioned by BBC Radio 3. Duration: 9 minutes.

• A Series of Strange Encounters (2023) for marimba & wind quintet. Premiered by Evelyn Glennie and the New London Chamber Ensemble at the Lake District Summer Music Festival in July 2023. Duration: 15 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Evelyn Glennie & NLCE |url=https://tickets.ldsm.org.uk/sales/events/28-july---6-august-2023/evelyn-glennie--nlce |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=tickets.ldsm.org.uk |language=en}}
• Melodys of Earth and Sky (2022) for violin and clarinet. A series of creative transcriptions based on traditional folk tunes collected by the poet, John Clare. Recorded on NMC Recordings by Kate Romano (clarinet) and Ionel Manciu (violin), with John Clare poems and prose read by actor Toby Jones.{{Cite web |title=Julian Philips: Melodys of Earth and Sky |url=https://nmc-recordings.myshopify.com/products/julian-philips-melodys-of-earth-and-sky |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=NMC Recordings |language=en}} Duration: 3-60 minutes.
• Barcarola (2019) for solo piano. Duration: 15 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Barcarola {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/64502/Barcarola--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}
• Winter Music (2016) for solo harp, commissioned by the Tanza Trust for harpist Oliver Wass. Duration: 10 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Winter Music {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/64514/Winter-Music--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}
• Ricochets Between (2010) for clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola and piano, commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia and the Wigmore Hall for BBC Radio 3. Duration: 12 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Ricochets between {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/66393/Ricochets-between--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}
• Four Characters (2003) for viola and piano, commissioned by BBC Radio 3 for violist Laurence Power. Duration: 12 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Four Characters {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/66440/Four-Characters--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}
• Sextet (1999) for piano and wind quintet, commissioned by the 1999 Warwick & Leamington Festival. Duration: 16 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Sextet {{!}} Julian Philips |url=https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/64726/Sextet--Julian-Philips/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=www.wisemusicclassical.com |language=en}}

• I Sing of a Maiden (2012) a setting of the medieval lyric, for unaccompanied choir, commissioned for the Choir of Truro Cathedral. Duration: 3 minutes.
• Sorrowfull Songes (2012) to poems by Thomas Wyatt, for vocal ensemble, commissioned for The Proms 2012, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Duration: 15 minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/editionpeters/docs/ph24_sorowfull_songes_online_extrac|title=Sorowfull Songes (extract)|website=Issuu|date=8 July 2013 |access-date=16 July 2019}}
• Invocazione (2004) to a poem by Joseph Addison, for vocal ensemble, commissioned by the National Chamber Choir of Ireland. Duration: 11 minutes
• Reach for Andromeda (1995) to a poem by Olive Fraser, for vocal ensemble, commissioned by the Finzi Singers. Duration: 6 minutes.

• The Promised Child (2018) to a text by Stephen Plaice, commissioned by InterOpera. Duration: 5.5 minutes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.interopera.org/projects/massacre-of-the-innocents|title=InterOpera website|access-date=16 July 2019}}
• Church Music (2011) to a poem by George Herbert, commissioned for the Choirbook for the Queen. Duration: 6 minutes.
• Song's Eternity (2002) to a poem by John Clare, commissioned by the Musicians' Benevolent Fund for the combined choirs of Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral. Duration: 7 minutes.
• Vertue (1988) to a poem by George Herbert, commissioned for the choir of Clare College Cambridge. Duration: 7 minutes.

• The Promised Child (2018) to a text by Stephen Plaice, commissioned by InterOpera. Duration: 5.5 minutes.

• Fern Hill (2014) to the poem by Dylan Thomas, for children's choir, flute, viola and harp, commissioned by Welsh National Opera and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Duration: 18 minutes.
• Two Carols and a curse (1999) on medieval lyrics, for children's choir and string orchestra, commissioned by the New London Children's Choir. Duration: 8 minutes.

• Through Silence (2024), for oboe and string quartet. Duration: 25 minutes.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/composer/6154/Julian-Philips/ Julian Philips], Wise Music Classical
• [https://issuu.com/scoresondemand/docs/julian_philips_worklist_ep_december_2022 Julian Philips], Composer brochure, Wise Music Classical
• {{SoundCloud|julian-philips-composer}}
• [https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/staff/professor-julian-philips-fgs-dphil-ma-cantab Professor Julian Philips], Guildhall School of Music & Drama
• {{LinkedIn URL|https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-philips-composer}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philips, Julian}}

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex

Category:Welsh classical composers

Category:Welsh male classical composers

Category:20th-century British classical composers

Category:20th-century English composers

Category:20th-century Welsh musicians

Category:21st-century British classical composers

Category:21st-century English composers

Category:21st-century English male composers

Category:21st-century Welsh musicians

Category:English classical composers

Category:English male classical composers

Category:English opera composers

Category:Welsh opera composers

Category:British male opera composers

Category:Musicians from Cardiff

Category:20th-century British male musicians

Category:20th-century British musicians