Philip Smith

One-time zoologist and National Otter Surveyor of England, Philip hung up his waders to study singing, first at the Birmingham Conservatoire and then with Barbara Robotham at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with distinction in 2008. He is a Samling Artist, a Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme alumnus and Crear Scholar. He continues to study with Robert Dean.

In recital Philip has worked with internationally acclaimed pianists including Malcolm Martineau, Roger Vignoles, Joseph Middleton and Alisdair Hogarth. He has performed in Dubai, Poland, Malta, Spain and France as well as across the UK in leading concert venues such as the Wigmore Hall and the Sage Gateshead. He has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and performed with world-class orchestras including the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Ensemble 10/10, Manchester Camerata and the Northern Sinfonia with conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Clark Rundell, David Hill and Nicholas Kraemer. His recordings include Tit for Tat (Britten) with Malcolm Martineau and Epithalamion and The Bridal Day (Vaughan Williams) with the Britten Sinfonia and Joyful Company of Singers conducted by Alan Tongue.

Recent operatic highlights include Endymion/Charon in Orpheus (Rossi) for the Royal Opera House at The Globe, Sid in Albert Herring for Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte at the Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari and Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice (André Tchaikowsky) for the Polish National Opera.