Philip Ellis was the winner of the 1991 Leeds Conductor's Competition, having previously won all of the major conducting prizes at the Royal Academy. In 1990 he had been one of only five conductors to graduate from the European International Conductors' Masterclass.

Philip Ellis has conducted regularly with the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, English Northern Philharmonia, City of London Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra and Brighton Philharmonic.

Following his début with the Singapore Symphony in 1987 his work abroad has included the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Symphony, Belgian National and Jersey Symphony where he is Principal Conductor. He has conducted many times with the Flemish Radio Orchestra in Brussels, including a number of television and radio performances. He has been invited return to Singapore in 2005. His German début came in 1997 with the Württemberg Philharmonic, being invited immediately again and other notable appearances have been with the Flanders Symphony, National Symphony of México and the St Petersburg Symphony in Switzerland.

Philip Ellis has recorded a number of CDs with the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic and the Britten-Pears Ensemble. He has also made a number of radio recordings for BBC Radio 3.

Since 2001 he has made UK tours with the English Sinfonia and Northern Sinfonia and recorded programmes with soprano Lesley Garrett for BBC TV, with guests including Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Leif Ove Andsnes and the BBC Concert Orchestra. That year he also made his début with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and gave German and US tours with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and return visits to Switzerland, Belgium and Mexico.

He has made his début with the London Philharmonic and returned to the BBCNOW, RPO, RLPO and Northern Sinfonia. He also made a further BBCTV series with Lesley Garrett and guest artists and conducted on two CDs for EMI Classics. 2002 saw the release of a 2-CD set with the Royal Philharmonic to tie in with nationwide performances through autumn and 2003; he will record further with the Orchestra this year. In 2002 he also appeared with the Ulster Orchestra, Hallé and Royal Scottish National, as well as conducting in Switzerland and with the St Petersburg Philharmonic. He returned to the Orchestra of Opera North in 2003 for the third season in succession and made a successful UK operatic début, conducting 'Tosca' in London, as well as conducting again the BBC Philharmonic. He conducted the Royal Philharmonic regularly, including at the Royal Albert Hall and the BBCNOW in a world premiere concert at St David’s Hall in Cardiff. Last year he made his début in Australia with the West Australian Symphony and in the autumn conducted a new production of ‘La Bayadere’ at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, with such success that he has been invited immediately to return in 2005. He will also tour Australia and New Zealand this year with the Sydney Symphony.

January 2005