Biography
Phil Hopkins completed a BA Hons at Oxford University while travelling to London to study drums with Guildhall School of Music professor Trevor Tomkins. While at university Phil played drums with many of the UK's top jazz soloists such as Peter King, Hank Shaw and Stan Robinson. Phil then went on to study chromatic harmonica with the world's finest classical harmonicist, Tommy Reilly. On graduation at the age of 21, Phil immediately started work in London's West End, playing drums for Snoopy the Musical at the Duchess Theatre and recording the cast album at Abbey Road Studios. More theatre work followed, and soon Phil was getting invited to deputise as percussionist on major West End shows such as Guys and Dolls and Aspects of Love.
At this point Phil was called by legendary Irish songwriter and producer Phil Coulter who invited him to join Coulter’s recording and touring band. Over a period of six years Phil played on seven Coulter-produced albums and toured the USA four times, performing in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall N.Y., Symphony Hall Boston, the Kennedy Center Washington and Roy Thomson Hall in Canada. With Coulter at the helm, Phil got to play with many of Ireland’s finest artists including Rory Gallagher, The Dubliners, Maura O’Connell and Liam Clancy - as well as featuring in the Boyzone video filmed at Wembley Arena!
Returning to London, Phil worked for the Royal National Theatre on some of their most acclaimed hits, including Sweeney Todd (with Adrian Lester), A Little Night Music (with Judi Dench), Oklahoma! (with Hugh Jackman. Maureen Lipman) and Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. Phil also found himself busy in London’s recording studios, playing on original cast albums such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark and recordings of original music for plays at Shakespeare’s Globe. He also played on many sessions for TV and radio shows including drumming for the iconic 1996 Christmas Special of Only Fools and Horses which remains the most watched non-documentary programme of all time in the UK.
Since then Phil has continued to work extensively in London theatre. At Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre he has been performance musical director for twenty one productions and played percussion and harmonica for many more featuring actors such as Sir Mark Rylance and Vanessa Redgrave. In 2012 Phil played in the fanfare group which welcomed the Olympic torch to the Globe Theatre on its way through London. In 2018 Phil played percussion for the worldwide cinema broadcast of The King and I filmed at the London Palladium in front of a live audience.
Phil has also had an active career as a jazz musician and has performed with many of the UK and USA's most well-known jazz artists including Leon Redbone, Duncan Lamont, Claire Martin, Guy Barker, Stacey Kent and Julian Joseph. In 2020 he was percussionist for the album 52nd St and Other Tales featuring Tina May, Mark Nightingale and the James Pearson Trio, produced by Duncan Lamont. Phil's tribute to Toots Thielemans, The Toots Project, has played at jazz venues throughout the UK including 2021 London Jazz Festival- for more information on this please visit tootsproject.com.
2021 saw Phil playing percussion on the Broadway transfer of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre (as dep for Dom Sales).
2022 saw the release of Phil's classical album Harmonica Paradiso ("a tremendous journey through familiar classics, songs from the shows and more" - Musician magazine Winter 2023) . To mark its release Phil embarked on a tour of UK music societies, including Assembly House Classical (Norwich), and a performance for Surrey's Arts Alive festival.
Phil is regularly asked to coach actors who need to play harmonica for shows and has worked as harmonica consultant for many West End plays including Girl from the North Country (Old Vic and Gielgud), One Man Two Guvnors (National Theatre, Broadway and Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Night of the Iguana (Lyric Theatre), Peter Pan (Barbican and Stratford) and Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory).
REVIEWS
"Phil Hopkins is a veritable virtuoso on the chromatic harmonica" - Jazz Journal September 2018 review of Scarborough Jazz Festival
"Mr Hopkins is an exceptional harmonicist and his music is essential to anyone who loves the instrument." Bandcamp review of Harmonica Paradiso by S.J.Black.
"Wonderful concert at Egham and District Music Club today. Philip Hopkins and Lindsay Bridgwater were superb on chromatic harmonica and piano. They played a wonderful variety of music and catered for every taste. Their rendering of Cinema Paradiso brought tears to my eyes with the sheer beauty of the music and interpretation! Another lovely Sunday afternoon of entertainment." Egham concert audience review Facebook, January 2023.
"Atherton's players- including...Phil Hopkins's harmonica - revelled in both the music's difficulties (delivered with panache) and the requirements of their "other" instruments". Classical Source review of London Sinfonietta performing Hans Werner Henze's Voices at St John's Smith Square, October 2017.
"Many thanks for last Friday. Brilliant concert extremely warmly received." Chobham Music Festival October 2022
"Your professionalism and confidence puts an audience in a good place. We are safe in your hands, you know what you are doing. So we can relax and enjoy ourselves." Leatherhead Music on Thursdays June 2022
"Thank you both so much for a wonderful performance today. I hope you could sense how much the audience enjoyed it. Listening to the chromatic harmonica was an education for me! The articulation was so precise." St Anne's Lewes June 2023
"Thanks again for a brilliant evening on Friday. People here are still buzzing about it." Concert promoter, St Leonard's Flamstead June 2023
"The November lunchtime concert at Cranleigh Arts, with Phil Hopkins on classical harmonica and Lindsay Bridgwater piano accompaniment, was the best attended ever. A triumph of musical versatility and an imaginative programme (with music from West Side Story and pieces by Handel and John Barry)." Cranleigh Magazine November 2022