Last Update 3/11/2009

John Philip Hannevik was born in Tromso, Norway in 1970.  His first experiences with music came when his parents became corps officers in Cardiff Canton (Wales) when he was only four months old.  He very soon showed a great interest for music, and when his parents farewelled from Wales, he was presented with his first conductor’s baton from corps bandmaster Ivor Bosanko.  Philip was three years old!

Philip grew up as a Salvation Army bandsman.  He got his first professional tuition from composer Eiliv Herikstad, who was Philip’s music teacher when Philip went to the Salvation Army’s Jeloy College.

Philip completed a BA in Social Science at the University in Oslo in 1994.  During that summer, something very important happened for him.  Philip was appointed as the Commissioner Richard E. Holz Memorial Program Staff Chair winner at Star Lake Musicamp.  This was a great inspiration to him.  At the end of musicamp, back home in Oslo,  Philip decided to apply for a study in music at Oslo University.  He completed his MA in Musicology in 1998.

Philip was bandmaster for the Oslo Temple Band between 1994 – 2006.  He led the band on tours to Africa, South America and all over Europe.  He also led them in numerous TV and CD recordings.  Philip has also been bandmaster of the Norwegian Territorial Band since 2001, a band that also has travelled around the world.  The band has become a well known band in Norway with several “radio hits” – including 9 weeks on top of a Norwegian radio chart for pop music (with one of Philip’s arrangements)!

Philip has received tuition from some of Scandinavia’s top professional conductors.  He was a prize winner at the European Young Conductor’s Competition in 2003 and he has conducted some of the finest brass soloists in Europe in several of the best concert houses in Scandinavia.

Philip now works as a professional conductor and is an active Salvationist in the Oslo Temple Corps.  He is engaged to be married to his girlfriend Trine-Lise in May 2009, and she will be coming along with Philip to Star Lake Musicamp.

Philip sees it as a great gift from God to be able to work as a musician and to be a member of a church that always wants to spread the message of God’s love to all people.  His greatest ambition is to be a witness for Jesus.