About Phil
German native Philip Weberndörfer is a guitarist and composer, who has been thriving in the pursuit of music since his early childhood in the countryside of Bavaria.
He has been portrayed as a resourceful visionary with a highly expressive yet sensitive and intricate voice on the instrument. Inspired by European Classical as well as Gypsy Music and with a profound love for the American Songbook, his compositions resemble a deep exploration of colorful soundscapes without stylistic boundaries. Entertaining a fable for fragile harmonic structures, the sound of his ensemble is also characterized by the give and take between chordal complexity and the beautiful simplicity of soulful melodies.
Since his arrival in NYC in 2016, Philip has steadily been contributing to the Jazz scene as a bandleader and sideman. He has performed at esteemed music venues all across the city, including Blue Note, Cornelia Street Cafe, Club Bonafide, Rockwood Music Hall, Room 623, Chelsea Table & Stage, The Atlantic, City Vineyard’s “Voices on the Hudson” concert series, and more.
He also had the honor of representing Germany at the “European Sound Series” of the “Blue Note Jazz Festival” in collaboration with the Consulate General of Germany.
Philip began playing the classical guitar at the young age of 7 years. After completing his early education, he studied Jazz with leading German guitarists Helmut Kagerer and Paulo Morello. He graduated with an Artistic Diploma, a Diploma for Music Pedagogy, and a Masters’s Degree from the University of Music at Nuremberg.
In addition, he studied in various masterclasses with Pat Martino, Peter Bernstein, Jack Willkins, Paul Bollenback, Jesse Van Ruller, Howard Alden, Karl Ratzer, Jim Mullen, Bruce Arnold, Frank Möbus, Dick Oatts, Aaron Goldberg, Bob Mintzer, Kenny Werner and many more.
At age 26, Philip accepted a teaching position for jazz and popular guitar at the University of Music of Nuremberg.
He and his trio became semifinalists at the “Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition” in 2015.
The jury consisted of Jazz guitarist Pat Martino, journalist Bill Milkowski, WBGO Radio music director Gary Walker, and Jazz producer/historian Todd Barkan. Additional judges included Robert Montgomery, son of Wes Montgomery, and George Klabin, founder of Rising Jazz Stars/Resonance Records.
He shared the stage with various artists such as Onaje Alan Gumbs, Chuck Mc Pherson, Duane Eubanks, Bernhard Pichl, Tobias Weidinger, Peter Cudek, Henning Sieverts Don Hanson, and John Davis, to name a few.
He has toured Europe extensively with his own projects and has participated in theater productions and musicals for the Landestheater Coburg and the Nuremberg Opera House. Moreover, he performed with chamber music ensembles of the Bamberg Philharmonic and the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Bavaria.
