Philip Higham

Cellist Philip Higham maintains an active profile both in solo performance and in his role as principal cello of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Early recognition came through a striking sequence of competition successes that brought him top honors at three prominent international contests. He ranks among the prominent attractions at festivals throughout Britain and farther afield, and his recital engagements have taken him to venues as distant as Istanbul. Several recordings document his work, among them his contribution to tenor Robin Tritschler’s 2024 release Songs for Peter Pears.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1985, Higham received his initial training at the city’s St. Mary’s Music School under Ruth Beauchamp. He continued his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where Ralph Kirshbaum and Emma Ferrand served as his principal teachers. Upon completing his degree with first-class honors in 2007, he was selected for the institution’s International Artist Diploma program. Cellist Steven Isserlis provided additional guidance during this period. Higham’s profile rose sharply after he became the first British cellist in some time to claim top prizes at three major international competitions: first prize at the Bach Leipzig Competition in 2008, first prize at the Lutosławski Competition in 2009, and second prize at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann Competition. In 2009 he joined the roster of the Young Classical Artist Trust. His first recording appeared on the Delphian label in 2013, presenting Benjamin Britten’s Suites for solo cello.

Higham has appeared as soloist with leading British ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. International engagements have included performances with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kammerakademie Potsdam. As a recitalist he has presented Bach’s complete Suites for solo cello at Tokyo’s Musashino Cultural Foundation, repeating the program at London’s Wigmore Hall, the Lammermuir Festival, and Perth Concert Hall, as well as in Germany, Istanbul, and Washington, D.C. Summer festivals that have featured him encompass the Brighton and Lichfield Festivals in Britain together with the Gioventù Musicale d’Italia and the Victoria Arts Festival in Malta. In 2015 he recorded Bach’s Suites for solo cello for Delphian and has participated in numerous additional chamber-music projects. On the Signum Classics label he accompanied tenor Robin Tritschler on the 2024 album Songs for Peter Pears.