Bill Phillips packed an enormous amount of living into his 85 years. Before peacefully passing at home with his wife and daughter at his side, he was a trumpeter, conductor, composer, loving husband and father and all-around music legend.

Born in Guelph, Ontario, Bill went on to earn an Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and a BA in Education from the London Royal College of Music in 1958. His studies led him to play with, direct, and compose for the CBC Winnipeg Symphony, National Festival Orchestra-Stratford and the Hamilton Philharmonic before moving to Europe in 1963. His teachers included Sir Neville Marriner and Maurice Andre among others. He conducted, played with and composed for London BBC Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble with which he recorded 9 Deutsche Gramophone Angel LPs and played before Queen Elizabeth!

After returning to Canada to care for his father he conducted the Orchestra de Chambre de Hull, Toronto Jewish Folk Choir, Ottawa Police Chorus, B.C. Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, and more. He was a founding member of the original Canadian Brass and of the Toronto Classical Brass, founder/director of the University of Toronto Hart House Orchestra, and founder/director of the Toronto New Chamber Orchestra of Canada of which he was most proud.

Bill's local community contributions over a period of four decades were many. In 1979, Bill began commuting between Toronto, Ottawa and Plattsburgh, where he first conducted the Plattsburgh Community Orchestra, Plattsburgh Symphony Orchestra and helped found the Adirondack Youth Orchestra. In 1994 he formed the Adirondack Brass and also worked with the North Country Ballet to use a live orchestra for the first time for their annual Nutcracker performance. He was instrumental in luring his colleagues from Canadian Brass to perform to a sold-out concert in Plattsburgh.

Tray Anastasio from the group Phish contacted Bill to put together a North County-Montreal-Vermont orchestra to open the Clifford Ball in front of an audience of 90,000 along with a variety of local chamber ensembles to play throughout the grounds before the concert.

Bill's legacy remains, in the love of his wife Robin and his beloved daughter Gabriel, 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 to 8 p.m. at 901 Cumberland Head Road; parking across the street. Stop in, share a story and help us celebrate his wonderful 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.

For a more complete obituary go to: www.rwwalkerfh.com