Philip Hobbs announced as first Visiting Professor of Recording

Yesterday Hobbs was honoured with the prestigious Diapason d'Or de l'Année 2020 for his work with Linn Records over the past three decades.

Hobbs has worked closely with the Academy’s Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood and many Academy staff and students over the years to form a unique collaboration between the two institutions, resulting in seven critically acclaimed Academy releases on the Linn label. These include five recordings with Trevor Pinnock, most recently Koffler’s arrangement of the Goldberg Variations, which was featured on BBC Radio 3’s Record Review and was MDR’s Album of the Week. This follows other projects with Oliver Knussen and a major collaborative recording of Gabrieli with The Juilliard School.

In 2018, the Academy announced its partnership with Linn Records as part of its new £1.7m Bicentenary Scholarships Scheme, providing scholars with industry-level experience, as well as offering consultancy on the artistic, technological and business aspects of recording. The first set of Bicentenary Scholars’ recordings have been released on the label, with the second set due imminently.

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood said: ‘Our roster of visiting professors has been developed over the years for distinguished artists and friends of the Academy who relish the opportunity of working with the institution’s talented students as part of their professional lives. Philip is a truly remarkable recording polymath. Most crucially, he is someone who offers dedication, mentoring care and generosity to bring the very best out of our young musicians in studio conditions. This latest industry award is the perfect time to mark Philip’s work at the Academy through this appointment, while also acknowledging the outstanding post-production support of Julia Thomas and those at Linn and Outhere.’