Having worked in London as a freelance baritone, performing regularly with the BBC Singers, The Tavener Choir, The Sixteen, and the choirs of St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, Philip Lawson was for eleven years a Lay Clerk in the choir of Salisbury Cathedral. He joined The King’s Singers in January 1994, replacing founding member Simon Carrington. In eighteen years singing with the group he performed more than 2,000 concerts, co-presented over 300 workshops, and appeared on twenty-five CDs, several DVDs, and numerous radio and television programs. After the departure of Bob Chilcott in 1987 he was also the group’s principal arranger, contributing over 50 arrangements to the repertoire, including ten for the 2008 album “Simple Gifts,” which went on to win the 2009 Grammy award for Best Classical Crossover Album.

In January 2012 Philip retired from The King’s Singers to pursue his growing arranger/composer/teacher career. He now has a writing and consultancy deal with Hal Leonard Corporation and has been busy on the workshop circuit, with visits to Germany, Italy, the United States, Spain, and Belgium in 2012, and Poland, Italy, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom in 2013.

Philip directs several choirs in Salisbury, the city where he still lives with his wife and their three daughters, and teaches singing at the renowned Wells Cathedral specialist music school.