Biographical note.
Born in Birmingham, England, in 1948, Philip Sawyer took organ lessons, while still at school, with George Miles at the Birmingham School of Music. At the Royal College of Music (1966-68) he studied organ with Douglas Guest. In 1967-68 he was awarded the Sawyer and Dr FJ Read prizes for the ARCO diploma.
He continued his studies at the University of Cambridge (1968-71) where he was Bernard Hale Organ Scholar at Peterhouse. In 1970 he was granted a Boris Ord Travelling Scholarship by the University of Cambridge Faculty of Music and the Leaf Studentship by Peterhouse to enable him to study organ with Piet Kee in Amsterdam and Haarlem. In the academic year 1970-71 he was responsible, with Peter le Huray, for arranging a 3-week residency in Cambridge for the Swiss organist Lionel Rogg.
In 1971 and 1972 he was a participant in the Haarlem Summer Academy for Organists, studying with Anton Heiller, Piet Kee and René Saorgin, and playing in the final concert in both years.
In 1973 he won a French Government Scholarship that funded a six-month period of study of Classical French organ music with René Saorgin at the Nice Conservatoire, where he also studied harpsichord continuo-playing with Huguette Grémy-Chauliac.
Philip Sawyer has lived in Scotland since 1975. From 1975 to 1987, as well as being Lecturer in Music at Napier College/Polytechnic in Edinburgh, he held a number of positions as organist and choirmaster at Edinburgh churches, one of them the Parish Church of St Andrew and St George where he was jointly responsible for the design of the Wells-Kennedy organ that was installed in 1985.
Philip was Head of the Department of Music at Napier Polytechnic/University, Edinburgh, from 1987 until 1999. He wrote, and guided through the process of validation, the university’s HND, BMus and BMus(Hons) undergraduate courses as well as a post-graduate MMus course in Jazz that was unique in Scotland. Frustration with ever-increasing bureaucracy, with inexperienced, meddlesome management and with ever-decreasing funding persuaded him take early retirement in 2000 and to return to being a freelance musician – a decision that he has not regretted for one moment.
From 1999 to 2003 he was Director of Music of St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, where the organ, built in 1990, is by Lammermuir Pipe Organs. Philip is currently organist of the church of St Michael and All Saints (Scottish Episcopal) in Edinburgh.
He appears frequently as solo organist, accompanist and continuo-player, the latter on a regular basis with Banquet of Musick, a period-instrument ensemble based in Glasgow.
In September and October 2004 he undertook a tour in Japan where he gave four recitals, a lecture-recital and a series of classes. In August 2005 he returned to Japan to teach on a newly-formed organ academy and to give two recitals.
In 2007 Philip began working with the flautist Louisa Gard (www.louisagard.com & www.musicalconnections.org.uk); they appear together as Duo da Chiesa.