about the orchestra
The English Philharmonia is a freelance orchestra, made up of the finest orchestral musicians in the UK. There is a core membership of players drawn mainly from London although some travel from as far as Newcastle, Cardiff and Dorset. They all share a commitment and a passion to perfect their performance and play to the highest level and regularly play with other leading orchestras.
The orchestra regularly works with internationally renowned soloists including: Richard Watkins horn, James Gilchrist tenor, Steven Osborne, Amanda Roocroft Soprano, Sara Fulgoni Mezzo-soprano, Catherine Wyn-Rogers Mezzo-soprano, Alasdair Miles Bass.
The orchestra is highly flexible and can perform both as a small chamber orchestra and as a large scale symphony orchestra. In this way we can meet the demands of the repertoire, the venue and the finances available.
The orchestra has enjoyed success at a wide range of venues from the leading large scale concert halls, to theatres, cathedrals and more intimate local venues and outdoor events. They perform a wide range of music spanning five centuries and have a reputation of being invited to premiere newly commissioned work.
In addition to the orchestra, English Philharmonia can provide high quality amateur choirs and professional choirs for a wide range of different concerts and functions, under the leadership of Graham Wili.
Every new project is exciting and we are constantly looking to expand our repertoire and bring a wide range of music to new and larger audiences. So if you have an event or project in mind we would like to hear from you.
musical director and conductor ~ graham wili
Graham made his conducting debut
at the Royal Festival Hall in 2003, with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem
and returned two years later to conduct Truly, Madly Mozart – a combination of operatic excerpts and the C Minor Mass.
In addition to his roles as Musical Director and Conductor of the English Philharmonia, he is also Musical Director of Berkhamsted Choral Society, Chorleywood Choral Society and The Gaudeamus Singers. In November 2005 the Gaudeamus Singers released their first CD, English Echoes, under his direction.
Graham has conducted his choirs, performing jointly together with his orchestra, since 1999. The first performance was Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast at St Albans Abbey. He returned to the Abbey in 2001, 2003 and 2005 for highly acclaimed performances of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, and Verdi’s Requiem and Truly Madly Mozart. In 2005 he conducted a concert version of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe.
In February 2004 Graham conducted Pimlico Opera’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins.
He was chorus master for Grange Park Opera in their 2004 festival and in a review for the Guardian of Tchaikovsky's The Enchantress, Andrew Clements singled out the chorus for special mention as being ‘superbly drilled'.
Graham is vocal coach for the National Youth Choir of Wales and also regularly provides voice coaching for the Lloyd’s choir.
Alongside his career as a conductor and vocal coach, Graham enjoys a busy concert schedule, singing regularly as a soloist and with groups such as the BBC National Chorus of Wales, European Voices, Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox Singers and the Choir of the Enlightenment. He has sung with English National Opera Studio in a contemporary opera project, and also with Garsington Opera and Grange Park Opera.