Philip Harmer

While there, he was awarded an exhibitioner scholarship and won all the main oboe prizes including the Joy Boughton Memorial Award.

On leaving the RCM Philip was made principal oboe with the English Sinfonia, with whom he performed many concertos including those by Strauss, Boughton, Vivaldi, Mozart (Snape Maltings) and also recorded the Holst Fugal Concerto for Naxos.

In 1999 Philip became a member of the English Chamber Orchestra where he happily remains. Tours with them have taken him as far afield as Korea, Bermuda, Japan, South Africa and the USA to name but a few.

Other guest principal oboe work includes performances with the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, CBSO, LPO, RPO, Philharmonia and the BBC orchestras. TV dramas (Wolf Hall, Father Brown) and film (Harry Potter, Atonement) make up another large part of his playing career, plus the occasional unusual numbers on Strictly Come Dancing and Tina Turner’s 60 birthday concert at the BBC.

Teaching is a huge passion for Philip and as well as a position at the RAM Junior Department, he also teaches at Kings Canterbury. Many of his RAM students have been offered places and scholarships to senior conservatoires , and with reed classes taken by himself and Jo Lively, many are given good foundations in the art of reed making .

Philip has given many performance classes at senior conservatoire level and also enjoys examining for final recitals and adjudicating.

In 2018 Philip was made a Hon Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for his services.