Composer, conductor, pianist, organist and music educator based in St Peter’s church in Mumbles, Swansea, Wales.

Phil Orrin is a Welsh composer, conductor, organist and music educator whose work encompasses choral, solo vocal and instrumental music. His compositions are rooted in a strong understanding of the voice and the possibilities of ensemble performance, with particular emphasis on text, atmosphere and the expressive potential of choral sound.

His music has been performed by choirs in Wales and beyond, including Mumbles A Cappella – notably in Westminster Abbey – the choir for which he serves as Musical Director. His compositions range from sacred motets and Christmas music to works inspired by contemporary experience, literature and the natural world.

As a composer, Phil is particularly interested in creating music that is performable, communicative and meaningful — music which speaks directly to performers and audiences while remaining grounded in the traditions of European choral performance.

Phil Orrin is Musical Director of Mumbles A Cappella, an ensemble based at St Peter’s Church in Newton, Mumbles. Under his direction, the choir has developed an ambitious programme of performances, commissions and premieres, with recent work taking the ensemble to major venues in the UK and Europe. His musical activities also encompass church music, organ performance, accompanying one of Wales’ best-known choirs, Valley Rock Voices, and running Mumbles Music Tuition.

Phil’s work as a composer has developed alongside his work as a performer and conductor. He writes principally for voices, with a particular interest in the expressive possibilities of the choir and in the relationship between words and music. His output includes sacred motets, Christmas music, works inspired by literature and the natural world, and compositions responding to contemporary experience.

Many of his works have been written with particular performers or ensembles in mind, reflecting his belief that new music should be created to be performed, heard and experienced rather than simply placed on the page. His compositions often combine traditional choral language with contemporary subjects and ideas, seeking to create music which is both accessible and artistically distinctive.

*Final point! In the 1990s, when Phil Orrin was beginning his career as a music teacher, he chose to keep his composing separate from his work with students. He adopted the name Ron Hilrip, an anagram of Phil Orrin, as a pseudonym for his early compositions. This allowed him to develop his creative work independently, without it becoming part of his professional relationship with his pupils.

Today, these compositions can be understood as part of the same creative journey, and the pseudonym has become an intriguing part of their history.

A selection of Phil’s compositions can be explored on the Music page.

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