Since his acclaimed conducting debut in 2003, Leo Phillips has been performing regularly with The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, The Thailand Philharmonic, The Siam Philharmonic, The Siam Chamber Orchestra, The Bangkok Wind Ensemble and, most recently, The Galyani Vadhana Institute Orchestra. Leo has also appeared with the recently formed Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai, and he has trained orchestras in Australia and Singapore. 

In addition to his many concert performances, Leo also conducted the South East Asian premiere of Benjamin Britten's opera ‘The Turn of the Screw’ at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The opening night was graced with the attendance of H.R.H. Princess Galyani Vadhana, and also present was the director of the Bayreuth Festspiele, Wolfgang Wagner.

Born in London, Leo studied the violin both in Europe, with David Takeno and Sandor Vegh, and in The United States with Dorothy DeLay and Shmuel Ashkenasi.

He has appeared as violin soloist with many orchestras including The London Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, The City of Oxford Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa. Leo has also appeared many times with L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève and in 1996, in addition to performing and directing all five Mozart concerti with them in Montreux, he was the violin soloist on their recording, conducted by Thierry Fischer, of Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ Serenade.

A dedicated chamber musician, Leo was a founder member of the Vellinger String Quartet, and Leader of the internationally regarded Nash Ensemble of London (1996–2000) with whom he toured extensively and has made many critically acclaimed recordings and broadcasts.

Leo has appeared in over sixty countries worldwide as Leader of many world-renowned orchestras including The London Philharmonic, The Hallé Orchestra, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and The Ulster Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, East of England Orchestra, The Premiere Ensemble and The London Bach Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Bergen Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, Orchestra Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Heidelberg Kammerorchester, Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and The National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa.

Much in demand as a violin teacher and chamber music coach, Leo has given lessons and conducted master classes at The Royal Academy of Music, The Guildhall School, Chetham’s School of Music, Silapakorn University, Bangkok, Princeton University, USA, and the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong. He has also been Artist in Residence at The Sydney Conservatorium, Australia, and The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore.

In addition to his musical career, Leo co-wrote a full-length comedy screenplay: ‘Vivaldi – The Movie’, and was commissioned to devise the six-part documentary series ‘Living Music’ for Channel 4 television (1991). Articles of his have been published in The Daily Telegraph, ‘Art’ magazine and ‘Autocar’, and his photographic portraits of Dame Iris Murdoch have been displayed in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery.