Philip Hobbs, engineer, producer and the man behind many acclaimed recordings from Linn records, has been named the Royal Academy of Music’s first Visiting Professor of Recording.

The RAM formed a partnership back in 2018 with Linn as part of its £1.7m Bicentenary Scholarships Scheme - scholars were provided with expert consultancy on the artistic, technological and business aspects of recording, and the first set of their recordings has already been released, with the second due imminently.

Hobbs - who was yesterday awarded the Diapason d'Or de l'Année 2020 from the French music magazine - has also worked closely with the Academy’s Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, (a Gramophone critic), staff and students for a number of years, resulting in seven Academy releases on the Linn label, five of which featured Trevor Pinnock, as well as one with Oliver Knussen, and a collaborative recording of Gabrieli with The Juilliard School.

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood said: ‘Our roster of visiting professors has been developed over the years for distinguished artists and friends of the Academy who relish the opportunity of working with the institution’s talented students as part of their professional lives. Philip is a truly remarkable recording polymath. Most crucially, he is someone who offers dedication, mentoring care and generosity to bring the very best out of our young musicians in studio conditions.'