Ben Hulme

Ben Hulme was appointed Principal Horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2023, following his previous position as Section Principal Horn of the BBC Philharmonic. Originally from Oldham, Lancashire, he attended Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester before moving on to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Richard Watkins, Michael Thompson, Martin Owen, Katy Woolley and Roger Montgomery. His studies at the Academy were generously supported by a Sir Elton John Scholarship.

Since graduating in 2019, Ben has built a varied career as an orchestral, chamber and session musician. Alongside his orchestral positions, he has appeared as Guest Principal Horn with ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He is also an active chamber musician, with recent appearances with London Brass, Onyx Brass, London Sinfonietta and London Winds. As a soloist, Ben made his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in June 2026, performing in the UK premiere of Joe Hisaishi’s The Border Concerto for 3 horns and orchestra.

Away from the concert platform, Ben maintains a busy freelance career in the recording studio, regularly performing on film, television, video game, and pop soundtracks. Recent credits include Paddington in Peru, Wicked, Mufasa: The Lion King, F1, How To Train Your Dragon, Snow White and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.

In recognition of his achievements so far, Ben was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2023, and in 2024 he was appointed there as Visiting Professor of Horn. Ben will begin as a Professor of Horn at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the 2026/27 academic year.