Philip Myers

Philip F. Myers was born on June 24, 1949 in Elkhart, Indiana. He attended Carnegie Mellon University from 1967—1971, where he studied French Horn with renowned Horn pedagogue Forrest Standley. During the summers of 1970 and 1971, Myers attended the Blossom Festival where he studied music with the Principal Horn of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Myron Bloom.

From 1980 to 2017, Myers served as Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic and frequently appeared as soloist with the orchestra. Before arriving at the New York Philharmonic, he was Principal Horn of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1971 to 1974, Third Horn of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1974 to 1977, and Principal Horn of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1978 to 1980. Presently Myers is on the faculty at the Haute École de Musique, part of the Lausanne Conservatory in Fribourg, Switzerland.

Myers released his first solo CD under Cala Records in 1998. He plays music by Leonard Bernstein and David Amram, among others.. Myers can also be heard on the CD Take 9, featuring the horns of the New York Philharmonic and the American Horn Quartet., as well as a New York Philharmonic digital release, featuring a 2011 recording of him performing the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1.

In August 2014, Myers was elected an Honorary Member of the International Horn Society at the 46th International Horn Symposium in London. Currently he plays F/B-flat/f alto Engelbert Schmid Triple Horns. Formerly, Myers played Silver Conn 8D Double Horns.

Myers is renowned for his unique sound, musical interpretations, and virtuosic abilities on the French Horn. He is capable of varying his sound from soft "dulcet" tones that can mirror qualities of the human voice to "controlled" powerful tones that can command an orchestra, such as The New York Philharmonic, with incredible ease. In addition, Myers prepares each piece of music that he performs by first studying the musical score in order to better understand how his part fits into the whole and any intentions the composer may have had for the piece. As a result, Myers' performances provide an intellectual approach to works ranging across symphonic, chamber, and solo repertoires, which, along with his vast dynamic range and sound palette, provide him with a legacy that is—as of yet—unparalleled amongst American horn players.

• CNN interview with Philip Myers
• Philip Myers biography
• Mannes College The New School for Music