Affectionately known as "The Phil", the Philharmonic Society of Selangor is one of the oldest and most established music societies in Malaysia. Founded in 1958, it has gone on to forge a reputation for staging memorable productions of quality. Enshrined within its Rules and Constitution are the two pillars on which the Society was formed. The first aim was to stage quality musical productions and to encourage the arts, drama and dancing fields, and the second is to provide aid to charitable organizations by donating the proceeds from staged productions to said entities.

The Phil’s first musical production was Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” at the British Council. Running from 21^st to 26^th July 1958, admission was $1 and the Phil donated the profit of $400 towards buying an oboe to present to the Police Band. Since then, The Phil has gone on to produce more musical productions, and has donated thousands of dollars to various charitable organizations. Among The Phil’s well-known productions are musicals such as The Mikado (1958, 1989), The Wizard of Oz (1973), Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1984), Guys & Dolls (1987), The King & I (1969, 1994) and The Sound of Music (1999). Aside from plays such as Blithe Spirit and Play It Again, Sam, The Phil has also presented classical offerings such as Rutter’s Requiem (1996), Haydn’s Creation (1997) and Orff’s Carmina Burana (2000). The Phil has also demonstrated its diverse repertoire by showcasing contemporary and Broadway offerings in musical productions and revues such as last year’s Heart & Soul Charity Concert and Music from Movies & Musicals 2, which played to packed halls and received enthusiastic response and encouraging reviews.

As an organization that equitably promotes the arts, the Society’s only stringent entry requirement on its members are that they have a love for the arts. There are four types of membership available – Ordinary, Honorary, Junior and Life. And members are kept up to date via the Society’s website and the Society’s quarterly online newsletter, The Phil News, which provides news of upcoming productions and activities dates for the diary and photo galleries on recent activities.