A Day in the Life: Philip Cobb
Philip Cobb (Guildhall alumnus, Trumpet 2009), Principal Trumpet for the LSO and newly appointed Brass Artist in Residence for Guildhall, tells us about the variety in his life.
Diverse and dynamic: that’s the music business in London at the moment, and it certainly sums up my working life. I could be rehearsing in a studio ahead of a live broadcast show one day, or working on the technicalities of a new piece with a brass ensemble the next. Or I could just spend a lot of the day on a bus!
Often, no two days are the same, and it’s that variety I love. It’s the way I’ve always liked it. I went to Guildhall with the intention of coming out the best player I could be, wherever that took me, but I never for a minute thought I’d hit the heights I have. I had a fantastic time here, though, and I made friends that I still have. To be able to give back to a place that kick-started my career is just fantastic, and some days I have to pinch myself about where all the hard work has led me.
I’m currently one of two principals in the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and I balance that with freelance work. In some ways I’d love to be playing with a big symphony orchestra all the time but I do like to be kept second-guessing, and being in up to three different places in a day is exciting! It keeps everything fresh.
And often the pressure to perform is what really appeals — recently I spent a day in the studio at Abbey Road, doing six hours on a recording. I’ll turn up, be given the music and go — and while it is scary, I enjoy working like that. I’m also interested in how the music is made, and I’ve been spending time in Munich developing a cornet with an instrument manufacturer I work with.
My freelance work could see me running brass band music courses on the south coast or working to develop younger kids’ appreciation of the music, something I have a very close connection with. The Brass Band tradition for brass players in the UK is huge, and I’m so proud to have been part of that.
I came up through the fantastic tradition that is the Salvation Army, so I joined a youth band when I was about seven, then later on I graduated to the senior band, and in the process was involved in the National Youth Brass Band, the local borough wind band and also the LSO Brass Academy scheme.
It shaped everything I know and love about music, and that early development of a love of music in kids remains a central part of everything I do today. In a climate where state music provision is continually under threat, I’m keen on extending opportunities to young people wherever and whenever I can, so during the half term I work with youngsters following a similar path I did via the LSO On Track programme, a partnership between the LSO and ten East London Music Services to give young players a chance to shine.
The bottom line is that I never dreamed I’d be doing what I do now. As Brass Artist in Residence, my aim is to embrace the chance to really make a difference — I’m prepared to be very flexible about what’s required in order to inspire the next generation of brass devotees. Someone wiser than me once said that this business chooses you, not the other way round, and so for I’ve been very lucky in that respect. Now I intend to make the most of it.
This article first featured in the Spring/Summer 2019 edition of the Guildhall magazine, PLAY, and was written by YBM for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
