Honorary Patrons:  Professor Robert Lethbridge, Benjamin Luxon CBE,  Iain Burnside

Philip Collin was Organ Scholar here at Fitzwilliam College between 1995 and 1998. He then took a post-graduate diploma in piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied with John York.

Since then he has worked extensively as a vocal coach, repetiteur, adjudicator, organist and conductor, and performed as a song accompanist throughout the UK and Europe. He currently holds the posts of Musical Director of the Manchester Bach Choir and Director of Music at St Peter’s Church, Streatham.

In 2001 he recorded a CD with soprano Sally Bradshaw entitled The Soul of Orpheus, a collection of songs about or inspired by Greek mythology. In 2006 he twice performed the complete works for voice and piano by Gerald Finzi with tenor Peter Wilman and baritone Howard Wong to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Finzi’s death as part of the Canterbury Finzi Festival and the Nottingham Finzi Festival, the latter being an event which he co-directed. He has written for Piano Magazine on Britten’s Songs and Proverbs of William Blake and has given public talks on choral music, piano music and songs.

Earlier this year he gave premiere performances of songs by Ian Venables, Elaine Hugh-Jones and Ivor Gurney at the inaugural Malvern Songfest and was guest conductor for a tour of France undertaken by the Nottingham Bach Choir. He is currently working on a beginners’ piano tutor book provisionally titled “The Philip Collin Piano Method” which will hopefully be completed and available later this year.