Philip Borter, DMA

Philip Borter is a cellist and educator whose performing career has been shaped by a dedication to expanding the artistic possibilities of the violin–cello duo. Together with violinist Hirono Borter, he founded Duo-B, an ensemble committed to exploring and broadening the repertoire for this distinctive chamber music pairing. Their performances have taken them to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Minatomirai Hall in Yokohama, Japan, and numerous universities and concert series throughout the United States and abroad. Their latest album, Tango y Choro, released on MSR Classics in 2025, celebrates the musical traditions of Argentina and Brazil through original arrangements and new compositions for violin and cello.

An advocate for Latin American music, Borter has devoted much of his recent artistic and scholarly work to exploring Brazil's rich musical heritage and its contributions to the cello repertoire. In 2025, he received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for Cultural Expressions in Brazilian Cello Music, a research residency in Rio de Janeiro hosted by the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) and Instituto Casa do Choro. His work focuses on rediscovering underrepresented repertoire, collaborating with Brazilian musicians and composers, and exploring the influence of traditional musical genres, particularly choro, on contemporary cello literature. He has shared his creative work through recitals, lectures, and presentations at the College Music Society, American String Teachers Association, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, and universities throughout the United States and Brazil.

Extending this commitment beyond the concert stage, Borter and his wife established Duo-B Press, a digital sheet music publishing venture dedicated to making original compositions and arrangements for violin and cello more widely accessible. With a growing catalog spanning classical favorites, Argentine tango, Brazilian choro, and contemporary works, Duo-B's publications have reached musicians in more than 20 countries, bringing their arrangements and compositions to performers around the world. Borter is also a core cellist with ROCO, Houston's innovative chamber orchestra dedicated to commissioning and performing new music.

Borter is Associate Professor of Cello at Baylor University, where he has served on the faculty since 2020. He previously held teaching appointments at Luther College and the University of Rochester. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, with additional studies at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany.