Siân Philipps made her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra in July 2004 and was subsequently invited to perform at Bridgewater Hall Manchester, Symphony Hall Birmingham and in April 2006 performed for the President of Austria in the Ferstl Palace in Vienna. She has performed with conductors including Ilan Volkov, José Cura, Nicolae Moldoveanu and André de Ridder with London and Manchester orchestras.She has performed at all of the major London recital Halls including the Wigmore hall and St. John's Smith Square in 2006. In 2007 she performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the Henley Festival, at the Musikverein, Brahmsaal at the invitation of the British Ambassador and at the International Schubert Tage in Vienna.
She began to learn the violin aged 5, soon gaining a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School and taking part in masterclasses with Lord Menuhin, Felix Andrievsky and Sidney Griller. A scholar at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, her tutors were Faith Whiteley, David Takeno and Pauline Scott. After a year in Vienna, she concluded her studies with Zakhar Bron in Germany. She has won many national and international prizes, including the Ian Fleming, Emily English, John Lill and Ryan Davies awards and the Blue Riband at the Eisteddfod of Wales.
Siân Philipps has broadcast for BBC TV and radio including Radio3 "In Tune", NDR Germany, Radio Stephansdom, Vienna, S4C and BBC Wales. She has appeared at numerous festivals including Schleswig Holstein, Aldeburgh Britten Pears, Brancaster, Henley and Plush. She has given recital and concerto performances in Britain and abroad including recitals with Antony Hopkins, Benjamin Luxon and at the invitation of Lady Solti in Dusseldorf. Since her Purcell Room debut in 1997 engagements have taken her from the Mirabel Palace in Salzburg to Newcastle City Hall. Recently Siân Philipps was invited to perform for HRH the Duke of Kent at the Royal Academy of Arts and at the Bösendorfer Saal, Vienna with pianist Manfred Wagner-Artzt.
A keen chamber musician, she plays regularly with Adrian Brendel and in Vienna with Ensemble 20th Century, with whom she recently toured Taiwan.
International Record Review wrote of her CD with Sophia Rahman, Homage a Lorca - In Search of Duende “This is an astonishing disc … it is rare to hear such engaged, fiery playing” and El Pais remarked that “their interpretation of de Falla reminded one of those great artists Alicia de Larrocha and Victoria de Los Angeles … one hour of ultimate emotion.” “An international star in the making” wrote Newcastle Journal in 2004.
Siân Philipps plays a Stradavarius violin made in 1699.
