Philip Dukes 
FGSM, HonARAM

“GREAT BRITAIN’S MOST OUTSTANDING SOLO VIOLA PLAYER.”  THE TIMES

Philip Dukes’ recital debut at London's South Bank in 1991, described by The Strad magazine as "world class", marked the beginning of a career that is now established as one of the foremost of his generation.

His principal teachers in London and New York have included Mark Knight, Yfrah Neaman and Michael Tree. Having completed his studies, Mr Dukes won a succession of awards, scholarships, prizes and competitions, and in June 1992 was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust. In 1995 Philip Dukes won the coveted European Rising Stars Award which lead to recitals throughout Europe.

He has performed at several major music festivals including Menuhin Gstaad, Cheltenham, Dartington, Brighton, Bath, Aldeburgh, Colmar, Mecklenburg and Schleswig-Holstein. As a concerto soloist, Philip has appeared with the BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, The Hallé, The Philharmonia, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, London Mozart Players, Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of St John's Smith Square, BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster Orchestra, Warsaw Sinfonia and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

In 1995, he made his BBC Promenade Concert debut giving the world première of the viola concerto by Sally Beamish and at the 1997 Aldeburgh Festival, he gave the world première of the previously unpublished concerto for violin, viola and orchestra by Benjamin Britten. At the 1999 BBC Promenade Concerts, he gave the world première of 'Inside Story’ for violin, viola and orchestra by Piers Hellawell, in 2005 to give the world première of the concerto for viola and cello and orchestra by Hugh Watkins. He returned again in 2007 for a performance of Tippett’s Triple Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Sir Andrew Davies.

Philip Dukes can be heard regularly on BBC Radio 3 and has recorded a number of CDs featuring works by Brahms, Schumann, Bruch, Britten, Mozart, Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Rebecca Clarke, Frank Martin, William Lloyd Webber, Piers Hellawell and Sally Beamish for the Chandos, Collins Classics, ASV, BIS, Nimbus and Naxos recording labels. Mr Dukes’ CD recording of ‘The Film Music of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett’, for the Chandos Label with the BBC Philharmonic, was awarded the ‚Deutsche Schallplattenpreis‛ (German Record Prize). His latest solo CD for Naxos featuring the complete works for viola by Rebecca Clarke wasreleased in 2007 to critical acclaim and his debut recording for the Deutsche Grammophon label was also made in 2007.

In addition to his solo engagements, he is Professor of Viola at the Royal Academy of Music London, Artist in Residence at Queens University Belfast, and Artistic Director at Marlborough College. Forthcoming highlights for at the BBC Proms and appearances at the Wigmore Hall, the Cheltenham Music Festival and the Savannah Music Festival (USA). He is also a jury member for both the Munich and Vienna International Viola Competitions as well as Artistic Director of The Festival International de Musique de la Hague in France.

In 2006 Philip Dukes was unanimously elected a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in recognition of his success as an international viola soloist and made an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2007.