Biography
A founding member of the harp and hammered dulcimer duo Magical Strings, which he created alongside his wife Pam, Philip Boulding fused jazz and classical influences with deep expertise in Celtic traditions. His 1988 solo release, Harp, examined the melodic range of his multi-stringed instrument.
Boulding was raised in an intensely scholarly environment. Both his parents, university professors who also worked as authors and peace activists, received Nobel Peace Prize nominations. During childhood he lived for extended stretches in Jamaica and Japan.
He began classical violin studies at age six and shifted to guitar six years afterward. While still in high school he constructed his own guitars with notable skill. Upon encountering the hammered dulcimer he crafted an instrument and mastered it independently.
Following his 1974 relocation to the Northwest, Boulding encountered a Celtic harp at a folk music event. Captivated, he journeyed to Ireland and Scotland to investigate their musical heritage and instruments. His formal training included studies at the Boston Conservatory and the University of Washington’s EthnoMusicology Department, supplemented by private instruction from classical and jazz harpists as well as masters of the Rumanian cymbalom, African kora, and Madagascan valiha.
He first met his future wife when she joined a hammered dulcimer class he was leading. They wed in 1980 and issued their initial duo recording, Glass House, the next year.
Boulding was raised in an intensely scholarly environment. Both his parents, university professors who also worked as authors and peace activists, received Nobel Peace Prize nominations. During childhood he lived for extended stretches in Jamaica and Japan.
He began classical violin studies at age six and shifted to guitar six years afterward. While still in high school he constructed his own guitars with notable skill. Upon encountering the hammered dulcimer he crafted an instrument and mastered it independently.
Following his 1974 relocation to the Northwest, Boulding encountered a Celtic harp at a folk music event. Captivated, he journeyed to Ireland and Scotland to investigate their musical heritage and instruments. His formal training included studies at the Boston Conservatory and the University of Washington’s EthnoMusicology Department, supplemented by private instruction from classical and jazz harpists as well as masters of the Rumanian cymbalom, African kora, and Madagascan valiha.
He first met his future wife when she joined a hammered dulcimer class he was leading. They wed in 1980 and issued their initial duo recording, Glass House, the next year.
Albums
