Joseph Phibbs

Born in London in 1974 Joseph Phibbs has been described as "one of the most successful composers of his generation" (BBC Music Magazine). He studied at The Purcell School with Param Vir, before continuing his education at King's College London, under Sir Harrison Birtwistle, and Cornell University (NY) with Steven Stucky. Over the last 25 years Phibbs’s music has been championed by many of the world's leading conductors, including Edward Gardner, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Vassily Petrenko, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Leonard Slatkin. 

Music
His chamber opera Juliana, which was premiered in 2018, was much lauded in the press, Opera Today hailing it as “a ‘naturalistic tragedy’ for our times”, while elsewhere it was praised as "brilliantly written, with a spaciousness and sure sense of timing” (BBC Music Magazine) and "that rare thing nowadays, a genuinely well-made, effective new opera that achieves exactly what it sets out to do” (The Guardian, 4* review). 
In 2024, following a series of portrait concerts at Wigmore Hall, Phibbs celebrated his 50th birthday at Kings Place, where premieres of his Clarinet Quintet (performed by Mark van de Wiel and the Brodsky Quartet) and Six Pieces for Solo Clarinet were hosted. His String Quartets Nos. 2-4 were released on Nimbus Records later that year, played by the Piatti Quartet, with whom he has maintained a close collaborative relationship stretching back over a decade. The album received widespread international acclaim: "Phibbs has only grown in stature over the last ten years" (BBC Music Magazine), “excellent music” (Gramophone), “one realises not only just how powerful the music is, but also the superb nature of the performances” (Classical Explorer). 
Phibbs has written much for orchestra, receiving numerous commissions from the Philharmonia, LSO, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Major works include a percussion concerto for Evelyn Glennie, Partita, Rivers to the Sea (for the Philharmonia/Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the recipient of a British Composer Award), and a Clarinet Concerto for Mark van de Wiel and the Philharmonia, premiered under Edward Gardner. This work was recorded on Signum Classics, and subsequently selected by The Sunday Times as one of the 100 Best Albums of 2019. His vocal music is performed regularly by choirs including Tenebrae, The Sixteen, and ORA Singers. 
Phibbs's new Cello Concerto for Guy Johnston will receive its world premiere with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in January 2026.He is currently developing Mrs T, a musical drama about Margaret Thatcher’s 11 years in office, created with librettist Dominic Sandbrook, director Lucy Bradley, and soprano Lucy Schaufer, with its first public R and D showcase scheduled in 2026. 