Today we’d like to introduce you to Philip Himebook.
Hi Philip, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Both my parents are music teachers, so I grew up in a home where we all made music together. At six years old, I was informed that I would be taking piano, and I also had to pick another instrument (because I was six), so I picked trombone, When I was eleven, my father informed me that I needed to learn to play the guitar, as he had signed up our family for a bluegrass festival (I grew up in Huntsville, AL, and just outside Atlanta, GA). He gave me a guitar, four chords and twenty or so songs to learn. My response was “Yes sir” (because it was a different time and I knew I didn’t have a say in the matter). My parents and siblings and myself performed in concerts together and for various conferences, playing and singing bluegrass, Gospel, barbershop quartets, brass quartets, and everything in between. We all play(ed) multiple instruments, and sang. It remains one of the musical highlights of my life. I received my Bachelor of Music degree from Toccoa Falls College (I was a Music Education major until I did my student teaching, which confirmed I was NOT built to be a full-time teacher unless absolutely necessary), and moved to Memphis in 2010 to pursue my Masters degree. During this time I got involved in the theatre community, and also fell in love with performing in operas. That began with performing as Jean Valjean in ‘Les Miserables’ at Playhouse On the Square, which is one of many performances I have been honored to do around the Memphis area (though that role does remain my favorite). My part-time church music director job at Grace Community Church in Cordova became full-time, and I have been working there for the past fifteen years. The session of the church confirmed my calling to the arts, and allow me lenience in work hours when I am doing a show, which has been an incredible blessing. My church accompanist is my younger brother, Peter, who is by far a better musician (which is frustrating, given he’s the only Himebook sibling to not study music past high school. Some people have too much talent), specializing in jazz piano and a mean Johnny Cash impression. A local theatre asked me to put together a concert that was Cash-themed, so I put together a group of friends (mainly from church, but all professional musicians) and we named ourselves ‘Big River Crossing’, and perform at various venues around town. This past St. Patrick’s Day, I was approached to put together a Celtic band for an event, so I formed the ‘Slainte Singers’, including my little sister on the flute & pennywhistle (she is also incredibly talented). We now perform at various events around the Memphis area as well. I am also a tremendous lover of jazz music (Rat Pack music, in particular), having stumbled upon some of Michael Buble’s earlier albums in college. I have been working with my brother on piano and a few other talented friends in putting together a jazz album that I hope will lead to an official band and future concert opportunities, so we’ll see what comes of that. In the meantime, I was a resident artist with Opera Memphis in 2018-2019, and then went on to perform in several of their productions right up until COVID (we were two weeks from opening a Mozart opera at the time). I am currently slated to perform the lead in ‘The Barber of Seville’ with them in January of 2026. My father has always told me that ‘your ministry is people – whatever gifts God has given you is only your outlet to that ministry.’ My goal is to minister through music. Whether onstage or in a band, I love performing, and then coming home to my adorable little one (almost three year old daughter), my lovely wife, and my affable canine, Chesterton. I am finishing up my DMA at the University of Memphis, currently neck-deep in my dissertation on ‘The Musical Influences of Tolkien and How They Shaped His Crafting of Culture Within Middle-Earth’. God has been very good, and I look forward to what the coming years may hold, and will always be looking for an opportunity to create music with friends and put it on a stage for people to enjoy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Lord has ways of keeping us reliant upon grace, and I cling to that. My father was without a job for a number of years when I was a kid. I remember getting out of school and hopping in the van to do paint jobs and lawn jobs around town. We never went hungry – but my parents sometimes did. I will say, for all the stress of wondering how we were going to pay the bills, it did draw us together as a family, and we remain very close to this day. I am incredibly grateful for that refining fire that allowed us to bond in such a deep way. A few years after arriving in Memphis, I had a failed engagement to someone I had known since I was eleven that broke my heart and wrecked my chances at finishing the masters degree (which ended in me taking a few years off for the sake of my mental health – something which theatre was a helpful distraction and a profound blessing). And yet, looking back, I am so thankful for that heartbreak. Without it, I would not have delved into the theatre/opera world as I did, and (more importantly) I would not have met my lovely wife (I walked her down the aisle at my brother’s wedding, and figured I’d do it again ;-). And lastly, in 2020 I came down with muscle tension dysphonia. This wrecked my high range (which, for a tenor who makes his living on high notes, was an identity crisis). I had thought it was nodes or nodules, and had to go in and get scoped (and this was during COVID, so it was a much more tense affair even getting into the buildings for these procedures). Thankfully, through things like voice therapy, I am back and tackling the high C’s. It’s a joy making music, and that time really helped me to appreciate that my identity is not my art – but from my identity I seek to create art. It’s easy to put the cart in front of the horse. But having a grounded identity outside our talents is essential to a healthy mindset as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do a bit of everything. I conduct choirs (I was a high school choir conductor for ten years, and am still a church choir conductor). I play decent rhythm guitar (enough to get by leading some hymns on guitar, playing in the Celtic band and Johnny Cash band, among others). I can sing a variety of genres (I do a pretty good Elvish impression, I sing opera, Celtic, barbershop, Gospel, jazz, pretty much anything). I can’t dance to save my life (but I can move just convincingly enough that you won’t notice if I’m sandwiched between actually talented dancers), but I am at home on the stage – whether it’s leading a worship service, an opera, or a concert. I am comfortable in a variety of settings.
How do you think about happiness?
Hearing my daughter laugh, and getting a hug from her every time I get home. That’s the best.
Also, I collect books and swords. Everyone needs a hobby.
I also enjoy hiking to a scenic location and basking in the accomplishment of completing the (first half of the) hike.
Pricing:
- Depends on the gig, really. Make me an offer.
Contact Info:
- Website: philipandrewhimebook.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@philiphimebook2426
