About Meet our contributors
Philip Eisenbeiss

Philip Eisenbeiss only ever had one real ambition: to become an opera singer. But scores of frustrated voice coaches convinced him to abandon this aspiration. Today he is a partner at a leading Hong Kong based executive search firm, where he runs the Wealth Management practice. He started his career in journalism and spent nearly a decade in banking. He was born in Germany and holds degrees in history and international relations from Columbia University.

Philip Eisenbeiss full pic

Philip’s first book Bel Canto Bully: the life and times of the legendary opera impresario Domenico Barbaja (Haus Publishing) has become one of the most talked-about books on opera, to his own and his publisher’s enormous surprise. An eponymous music CD featuring selections from operas commissioned by Barbaja was issued by Naxos Music. This book has been published in Italian (Il Padrino del Belcanto, EDT) and German (Domenico Barbaja: Schillernder Pate des Belcanto; Sieveking).

Philip spent nearly 10 years as a Board Director of Opera Hong Kong. In 2023 he joined the Board of Trustees of Opera Rara, the London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

He regularly writes and lectures about opera.

Living in Asia for over thirty years, Philip will fly anywhere for a good opera. The airlines love him. He no longer sings.

Contributed Posts
Nov 28, 2023 International Opera Awards Ceremony in Warsaw
Oct 6, 2023 Barrie Kosky Forges a Brand-New Ring for London’s Royal Opera House
Aug 23, 2023 Report From Pesaro – Rossini Opera Festival 2023: Great Casts Trump Directorial Largesse
Mar 17, 2023 Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov at the HK Arts Festival
Feb 26, 2023 Alpha Cast in Alphabet Soup
Jaume Plensa’s Macbeth at Barcelona’s Liceu
Aug 30, 2022 Report From Pesaro – Frivolity and Femicide
Jul 22, 2022 Report From Bad Wildbad – Opera, Spas and Black Forest Cake
Jul 6, 2022 A Worthwhile Wait of 180 Years
Mercadante’s Il Proscritto Brought to Life by Opera Rara
Apr 22, 2022 I Lombardi at La Fenice in Venice
Jan 17, 2022 The Next Operatic Stars
Five Promising Young Singers That You Should Watch Out For in 2022