Brandon Phillips is artistic director and conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra as well as a regular conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO). He is also principal bassoon in the CPO.

Brandon graduated with a BMus Honours from the SA College of Music at the University of Cape Town. He plays a number of instruments besides the bassoon. In 2010, he won the CPO’s inaugural Len van Zyl Conductor’s Competition, which led to him furthering his studies in conducting, first under Victor Yampolsky at Chicago’s Northwestern University and then with Arjan Tien in the Netherlands. While in the US, Brandon was also a conducting intern with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Brandon works with many of South Africa’s orchestras and choirs, including the MIAGI Youth Orchestra, Sasol National Youth Orchestra, The Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Unisa Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra, Free State Symphony Orchestra, The Black Tie Ensemble, the New Apostolic Symphony Orchestra and Choir, the Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town and, of course, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. He has conducted at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival and is regularly invited as an adjudicator and conductor for ATKV music competitions, the Artscape National Youth Music Competition, and Unisa Winds Competition.

Brandon was also the conductor of the “Valentine under the STARS” concerts in 2014 and 2015.