Philipp Maier

About Philipp Maier

PHILIPP MAIER BRIDGES THE WORLD OF ORCHESTRAS WITH ROCK-, POP- & WORLD-MUSIC
He is considered to be one of the leading specialists for orchestral cross-over projects

After his studies as a concert pianist and conductor at the Leopold Mozart - Conservatory in Augsburg, Germany, Philipp was already interested at an early stage in his life in the combination of classical and modern forms of music from various backgrounds. With his band AIRBORN he had a recording contract with CBS in the 80s and learned the craft of recording in the studio and performing rock music on big stages. As a teenager he had already performed some of the major solo piano works and concertos (amongst them works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Grieg) and recorded many of them on CD. Later on he became resident pianist of the „Quintet - Soloists of the German Opera Berlin“. Apart from being a passionate musician he then also fulfilled his other dream in life - flying airplanes - and became a pilot on long-range routings on DC8 and B 747 for 12 years. In addition to that he continued performing as a pianist and collecting many different musical experiences.
His life as a pilot eventually brought him to Durban - South Africa where he moved to in 1999. In Durban he revived the oldest orchestra in the country - the Durban City Orchestra - and also managed his own recording studio - The Soundfactory. During 6 years he conducted numerous concerts in South Africa to great acclaim, often combining many different styles of music and cooperating with national and international artists. His own Symphonic Rock Spectacular „Open your eyes“ was a huge success. Amongst many other awards Philipp was also rewarded as „Man of Honor“ by Oprah Winfrey for his efforts in nurturing cultural understanding.
A VISIONARY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Philipp is the founder of the first orchestra on the Arabian peninsula - the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra

2006 Philipp moved to Dubai where he founded the first resident orchestra on the Arabian peninsula - the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra. As it‘s artistic director and resident conductor Philipp‘s work was highly acclaimed worldwide. His arrangements and compositions gave the orchestra it‘s unique sound and quality and supported cultural understanding between the many different ethnicities in this region.
Contributing to musical education has always been an important part in Philipp‘s life - especially by combining various different cultural elements and backgrounds. At the National University of the UAE Philipp founded the first musicology program and was educating many female muslim students - a very special experience in his life. In 2009 Philipp was a member of the international council and juror during the World Choir Games in Graz, Austria - representing the UAE as a country.
2010 and 2011 Philipp was musical director, arranger and conductor of „Rock meets Classic“ and was touring with the original singers of legendary rock bands such as Toto, Foreigner, Deep Purple or Barclay James Harvest.
In 2012 Philipp returned permanently to Germany. He worked with orchestras such as the Hagen Philharmonic, the Young Philharmonic Cologne, the Essen Philharmonic or the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra - also including his own arrangements in his concert performances.
Philipp‘s orchestral arrangements are highly acclaimed. He is worldwide considered to be one of the leading specialists for orchestral crossover projects - especially in the symphonic rock genre.