Phamie Gow
Quick Facts
Biography
Phamie Gow is a Scottish singer, harpist, pianist, accordionist, composer, and recording artist.
Early Life and Education
Phamie was born in the Galashiels District of the Scottish Borders. She first publicly performed at Moffat Academy at the age of 11. In her teens she studied with famed composer and concert pianist Ronald Stevenson. At only 16 years old Phamie was one of the first to be accepted to study a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Scottish Music at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, Scotland whilst continuing to study classical piano.
Music
Phamie released her debut album, Winged Spirit, when she was 19. She has been invited as a leading musician to perform all over Europe, the United Kingdom, North and South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay) Canada, and China, She has lived in London (England), Barcelona (Spain), Montpelier (France), New York (USA) and Edinburgh (Scotland).
Her eighth album, Softly Spoken, was chosen as "Album of the Week" by John Suchet at Classic FM. Her seventh, released in August 2012, The Angels’ Share which includes The Edinburgh Suite, was a commissioned work featuring Classic Brit Award winners, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the London Metropolitan Orchestra, recorded in Metropolis Studios, Chiswick, London. A composition from the album was incorporated and choreographed for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2012, and was also broadcast on BBC 1 TV. Phamie's work has been featured on the BBC 4 TV documentary about Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
Phamie has performed around the world on such occasions as the Opening of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in July 2011, where Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (Elizabeth I of Scotland) was present; the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics 2012 in Scotland House, Pall Mall, London, commissioned by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland. Phamie has performed for the Dalai Lama; Princess Anne and Nicola Sturgeon First Minister of Scotland.
She had previously starred in Tapeire, a sell out show on Broadway, which led to her performing on the Regis and Kelly Show in the USA. Phamie has worked and collaborated with many international artists such as Philip Glass (USA), Carlos Núñez Muñoz (Spain), Marisa Monte (Brasil), Ashley MacIsaac (Canada), and Alan Stivell (France).
Phamie was commissioned to write and musically direct the Vox Motus production of The Infamous Brothers Davenport, which had a run of 32 performances in Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum, Glasgow's Citizen's Theatre and the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness.
Phamie is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wildfire Records and Publishing,
Her piano piece War Song has been released on two Classic FM/Universal compilation albums. Her works on piano are regularly given airplay on Classic FM.[3]
She is officially the number one most played Artist in Caffe Nero.
Phamie was commissioned by Hector Christie to compose The Death of Tibbie Tamson to raise awareness of this Scottish Borders' story.
Charity Concerts
Phamie was the first World Peace Tartan Ambassador promoting peace in the world from the heart of Scotland. She is an ambassador for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. In 2010 Phamie organised benefit concert 'A Cry Out for Chile', with the money raised going to the Chilean Red Cross and the Victor Jara Society to help victims of the earth quake and tsunami there. In 2008 Philip Glass invited her to take part in the 'Tibet House Benefit Concert' at the Carnegie Hall in New York. She performed with Band of Horses, Marisa Monte, Ashley MacIsaac, and Ray Davies.[2]. She also sang in Mahler's Symphony no 8 in the Carnegie Hall, New York in January 2013. In 2015 she won the kindred spirit award for music.
Commissions
1997: commissioned to write for the opening of the extension to Edinburgh Airport. 'Highflyer'
1998: commissioned to write the sound track to a short film about Dumfries and Galloway. 'Annandale'
1999: 'New Voices' Commission for Celtic Connections, Glasgow, Scotland. 'Lammermuir'
Same year commissioned to write the musical score for The Winters Tale theatre production directed by Hugh Hogart at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Glasgow. Scotland
2000: commissioned to write a song for the Gaelic Choir of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Same year commissioned to write the music for Le Roi Cerf by Le Petit Pied Theatre Company, Paris, France, directed by Josephine de Meaux
2001: commissioned to write a composition for Real CD and wrote Death of Tibbie Tamson
2001: commissioned to write sound track for Morpheus Theatre production of Pilot
2002: commissioned to write the sound track for film Across the Waters by director Sana Bilgrami
2011: commissioned to write The Edinburgh Suite by Tim Hollier of Atlantic Screen Music
2012: commissioned by Vox Motus to write the sound track to the theatre production of The Infamous Brothers Davenport
Discography
- 1999 – Winged Spirit
- 2001 – Lammermuir
- 2005 – Dancing Hands
- 2007 – Moments of Time
- 2008 – La Vida Buena – The Good Life
- 2011 – Road of the Loving Heart
- 2012 – The Angels' Share
- 2013 – Softly Spoken