PLATTSBURGH--Bill Phillips packed an enormous amount of living into his 85 years.  Before his peaceful passage with his wife and daughter by his side, he was a well-known trumpeter, conductor, composer and a beloved husband and father. Born in Guelph, ONT, Bill was a bit of a rebellious teenager taking out his frustrations playing high school football (broke his nose twice!) and getting into mischief which resulted in his being handed a trumpet to play in the 1950 Guelph Police Boy's Band.  He often said this was the best thing to ever happen to him.  The Police band's director became a much-needed mentor to Bill and played a huge role in his decision to pursue playing trumpet professionally.  He went on to earn an Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) and in 1958 a BA in Music Education from the London Royal College of Music.

His studies led him to play with, direct, and compose for orchestras such as the CBC Winnipeg Symphony, the National Festival Orchestra in Stratford, and the Hamilton Philharmonic before moving to Europe in 1963.  He studied piccolo trumpet with Maurice André: Paris, and trumpet with Joseph Umbrico: Toronto, Bud Herseth: Chicago.  He later studied conducting with Sir Neville Marriner, Walter Susskind and Ernesto Barbini.  Circa 1968 he founded the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble which he took on a world tour, recorded 9 Deutsche Grammophon Angel LPs and performed before the Queen of England! On the US tour they played in Carnegie Hall and were reviewed by the NY Times.  He lived in a London flat right around the corner from Abbey Road's famous Beatle's crossing.  It was only when his father became ill that he had to return to Canada to care for him.

He conducted, played with and composed for the London BBC Symphony Orchestra (for five years under Pierre Boulez), the English Chamber Orchestra, and was assistant conductor for the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.   In 1974, after returning to Canada, he conducted the Orchestra de Chambre de Hull, Toronto Jewish Folk Choir, the Ottawa Police Chorus, he was a founding member of the original Canadian Brass and of the Toronto Classical Brass. He was founder/conductor of the University of Toronto Hart House Orchestra, and most proud to have been founder/music director/conductor of the Toronto New Chamber Orchestra of Canada from 1973-1987.  The NCO was made up of all professionals from the Toronto Symphony.

In 1987 Bill moved to British Columbia to conduct the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and discovered VanCouver and Victoria.  It was in British Columbia that Bill became obsessed with fly fishing.  His great love of fishing followed him throughout the rest of his life.   Trips were planned around fly fishing. For ten summers Bill and Robin explored the coast of the St. Lawrence River along the ocean up to the Gaspesie and tiny hamlet of Perce taking every side road to find lobster or a ferry to the other side and back looking for whales and puffins.  Bill was always quick to say, "Is it time for a road trip?".  Although he loved the St. Lawrence road trips Bill's most beloved journey was taking the ferry from PEI to the archipelago of Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, a trip which he planned and surprised Robin with for her birthday.

Bill loved learning and teaching.  He was an author on the Ontario Arts Council's Arts and Education policy.  This became a model for all the provincial arts council's programs in Canada. He began commuting between Toronto, Ottawa and Plattsburgh in 1979 where he first conducted the Plattsburgh Community Orchestra, later the Plattsburgh Symphony Orchestra and helped to found the Adirondack Youth Orchestra. In between he met and married his wife, Robin Cameron-Phillips in 1993 and they settled on the scenic peninsula of Cumberland Head across from the Grand Isle ferry.

After a debilitating right brain stroke in 1997 from contaminated chlorine stabilizer tablets, Bill had to recover loss of speech, swallowing, left arm and leg function and more.  His determination paid off and he managed to persevere with therapies over a period of 7 months (during the famous ice storm) and gained back 95% of all function, but his playing and conducting were severely impacted.  He learned to play the tuba for the SUNY concert band and began subbing for local school system's music programs.

In 1994 he formed the local Adirondack Brass and also worked with the North Country Ballet to use a live orchestra for the first time for their annual Nutcracker performance. A few years later he lured his Canadian Brass colleagues to perform to a sold-out concert in Plattsburgh where they recognized him with a standing ovation.  When the group Phish was planning the Plattsburgh Clifford Ball, Tray Anastasio contacted Bill to put together a North County-Montreal-Vermont orchestra to open the concert in front of 90,000 people and included a variety of local chamber ensembles to play throughout the grounds. Bill also volunteered endlessly, serving on the new base Oval board and helping to raise money to renovate the City Hall Auditorium and paint the Rotunda with City Clerk, Keith Herkalo.

In addition to fly fishing Bill loved to work with his hands.  He built an idyllic farm complete with two barns on 100 acres of rolling hills in a valley just north of Ottawa in Val-des-Monts where his daughter now lives.  Aside from the great love he shared with his wife, he cherished and looked forward to each of his daughter's visits above all else.  They shared an amazing bond and had many things in common like a love of fishing, art and animals.  She was his pride and joy, and he was endlessly proud of her many accomplishments and talent.

Bill built his own beautiful harpsichord and outdoor decks for his in-laws in Valhalla, NY.  He built a greenhouse, complete with fenced in English garden complete with 9 raised beds and climbing Mackenzie roses over the four entrances. Bill loved gardens and was an extreme romantic.  He gave his wife a rose bush or flowering shrub every anniversary and somehow managed to turn her into an obsessed gardener as well.  Although he was a man's man fishing and hunting, Bill took great delight in watching, identifying birds and animal life.  He had many adored pets during his life, Afghan hounds, terriers, rescue cats, a Samoyed, Siamese, chickens and more!  He tended 50 beehives and harvested the honey to sell in the Ottawa market.

Bill's legacy remains, in the love of his wife, Robin Cameron-Phillips and his daughter, Gabriel Ewen Phillips, his many compositions, recordings, and in the multitude of musicians whose lives he touched as a conductor, teacher, and colleague.

As requested by Bill, in lieu of a service there will be an open house in remembrance

Friday, March 3, 2023, from 6:00-8:00 pm at 901 Cumberland Head Road, parking across the street

Please stop in, grab a bite, share a story and help us celebrate his amazing life.

Donations may be made online to the American Kidney Fund at: Kidney Fund.org/mygift

or to: Hospice of the North Country , 358 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, NY   12901

To share a memory or condolence with the family, please visit www.rwwalkerfh.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the R.W. Walker Funeral Home, 69 Court Street, Plattsburgh, NY.