He is a violinist born in Boston, Massachusetts who began learning the violin at the String Training and Education Program known as Project STEP, who he later performed a benefit recirtal for at the New England Conservatory. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Music at the Eastman School of Music.
He went on to hold the positions of Associate Concertmaster with the Erie Philharmonic and the Charleston Symphony and Concertmaster with the Savanah Symphony Orchestra. He became a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and remained with them as Principal Second Violin for 11 seasons before moving to the First Violin Section in 2008. In 2012 he moved to Portland to join the Violin Section of the Oregon Symphony.
As a chamber musician he is a co-founder of the Minneapolis Quartet which was awarded a McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2006.
As a soloist he has performed with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra, which he gave several solo performances with, as well as giving recitals at Carnegie Hall and Oregon State University.
As a participant in music festivals he has performed at the Grand Teton Music Festival and was a the Tanglewood Festival for two summers. He also played at the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest 2004.
Recordings he has performed on include Solo Settings by Charles Lazarus, A Day to Remember: Instrumental Music for Your Wedding Day by The O’Neill Brothers, Gospel Christmas by the Oregon Symphony and Northwest Community Gospel Chorus, Get Happy by Pink Martini and Besamo Mucho by Edna Vazquez with Pink Martini.
He is married to the violinist Sarah Kwak who is Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra.
Sources:
- https://www.orsymphony.org/discover/orchestra/strings/vali-phillips/
- https://events.oregonstate.edu/event/music_a_la_carte_sarah_kwak_violin_and_vali_phillips_violin?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=Oregon+State+University#.YqCAIujMJPY
- https://www.projectstep.org/alumni/vali-phillips/
- https://www.orartswatch.org/making-music-in-a-time-of-isolation/
- https://www.mprnews.org/story/2007/07/06/quartetfarewell
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/4870711-Vali-Philips
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/vali-phillips-mn0001664356