Philip Harper became Musical Director of the Cory Band in 2012. Since then he has won all the major trophies many times, including an unprecedented Grand Slam of major titles in 2016: the European, the British Open, the Nationals and Brass in Concert, all won in a single calendar year, and then repeated in 2019. Philip won the coveted 4barsrest.com Conductor of the Year Award in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. In recent years he was a guest conductor of the Manger Musikklag Band in Norway, the National Youth Brass Bands of Great Britain, Switzerland and Wales and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonic Brass, amongst many others.

A resident of Gloucester, Philip was the Editor of Brass Band World magazine between 2009 and 2015 and, since 2005 has been the Music Editor of the historic Wright and Round publishing company.

Philip is a prolific composer and his original works and arrangements are played all over the world. In 2016 he composed A Shakespearean Triptych for a 650-strong joint ensemble and choir conducting the first performance in a packed Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Schools Prom.

En route to this point in his life, Philip graduated from the University of Bristol in 1994 before going on to take a Masters Degree in Composition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. He had a successful performing career and was the principal tenor horn of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the Sun Life Band in Bristol, as well as winning through to the Brass Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1991. Between 1996 and 1998 he lived in Japan and was a guest soloist with most of the 'British-style' brass bands with whom he still keeps a close connection, visiting annually (pandemics notwithstanding!)