Philippe Wittwer
Philippe Wittwer was born in Switzerland. He began piano lessons at the age of 8 at a music school in Berne. In 1993 Philippe moved to London to study painting at the Chelsea School of Art. During this time he learnt to play the accordion, studying regularly with touring Romanian gypsies and also returning for master classes in Berne with Professor Sergio Castelli.

In 1996 he co-founded the group Mukka, which became well known for its high-powered eastern European gypsy music, and included Roma-nian diva Dana Berciu.During this time Philippe also performed regularly in London venues, with a Polish violinist in an ensemble called Gypsy Voices. From 1998 until 2002 when he left London for Sydney, Philippe performed regularly with theatre group The Cosmic Sausages.

Highlights of his performance career include; a live broadcast with Mukka on BBC World service, a recording session with the legendary John Peel that was broadcast on radio BBC1, and an appearance at Buck-ingham Palace for the Queens Golden Jubilee event. His touring schedule has taken him all over Europe and the United Emirates. Festival appearances have included Glastonbury, Montreal Jazz Festival, Woodford, and Bellingen.

He has written and recorded music for several films including My Left Ear, a series called The Incredible Adrenalini Brothers and TV commercials including Finnish Sauces. Since arriving in Sydney in 2002 Philippe has worked in many line-ups that include Monsieur Camembert, Kush Cabaret, Plum Loko and Arabesk.