Conductor of the Birmingham Royal Ballet since 1990, PHILIP ELLIS is widely recognised as one of the most versatile conductors working in dance today. Following his appointment by Sir Peter Wright, he has worked with the company for over 25 years, giving between 40 and 100 ballet performances every season and conducting almost the entire BRB repertoire.

He is now increasingly in demand as a guest conductor. Philip Ellis has appeared regularly with The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden (Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote and Gala work), Paris Opera Ballet (Fille mal gardée), La Scala Ballet (Bayadère), Mikhailovsky Ballet (Fille mal gardée, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty) and Australian Ballet (Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Merry Widow, Icons Triple, La Sylphide, Paquita).

He has also conducted Sarasota Ballet (Nureyev Tribute), Angel Corella Ballet throughout Spain (Bayadère), Semper Opera Ballet in Dresden (Bayadère), English National Ballet (Alice, Nutcracker), Gothenburg Ballet (Fille mal gardée), Hong Kong Ballet, Polish National Ballet and Kobayashi Ballet in Tokyo.

He combines his broad experience and musicality from many years as a concert conductor (working at the highest level with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic, National Symphony of Mexico, Württemburgische Philharmonie Reutingen, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Belgian National Orchestra, Flanders Symphony, Western Australian Symphony and Sydney Symphony), with a passion for dance and an innate understanding of the musical needs of dancers. This is born out of long collaboration, sympathy, support and admiration for what it takes, musically speaking, for a dancer to create a great performance.

Although mainly in demand for his experience and flair with the classic ballets he is equally at home with new work, contemporary music and dance styles.

This year he was nominated in the "Best Conductor” category for the inaugural "Taglioni European Ballet Awards”

Philip Ellis has made many CD recordings with the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He is Music Director of the Jersey Symphony Orchestra and was winner of the 1992 Leeds Conductors' Competition.