Full Biography
Born in London, Leo Phillips studied the violin both in Europe, with David Takeno and Sandor Végh, and in the USA with Dorothy DeLay and Shmuel Ashkenasi. He has appeared as violin soloist with many orchestras including The London Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, The Orchestre de Chambre de Genève and the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa. A dedicated chamber musician, Leo was a founder member of the Vellinger String Quartet, and leader of the internationally regarded Nash Ensemble of London with whom he toured extensively and has made many critically acclaimed recordings and broadcasts. He is a regular participant at IMS Open Chamber Music, Prussia Cove, and has also recently appeared at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, The Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, The Singapore International Festival of Music, The Nuremberg International Chamber Music Festival and the Akaroa International Chamber Music Festival (NZ). In 2018 he was appointed Director of Chamber Music for Premiere Performances, Hong Kong. In 2025 Leo was invited by RTHK to record the complete set of Sonatas for Piano and Violin by W.A. Mozart alongside acclaimed pianist, Hong Kong APA Faculty Member and fellow Yehudi Menuhin School alum, Dr. Mary Mei Loc Wu. The recordings were completed in June '25 and are scheduled to be broadcast in a series of nine separate programmes in 2026.
Leo has appeared as Leader/Concertmaster and often Director of many world-renowned orchestras in over 60 countries world-wide. These include 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, 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 Sichuan Symphony Orchestra (Chengdu), The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Pro Musica Bangkok and The National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa.
In 2003, Leo was invited to conduct the Thailand 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 then director of the Bayreuth Festspiele, Wolfgang Wagner. Leo has since been performing regularly with The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, The Thailand Philharmonic, The Siam Philharmonic, The Siam Chamber Orchestra, The Bangkok Wind Ensemble, Pro Musica Bangkok and The Galyani Vadhana Institute Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai, the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and has trained orchestras in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
Much in demand as a violin teacher and chamber music coach, Leo was appointed 'Visiting Scholar' at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2024. He has given lessons and conducted master classes at The Royal Academy of Music, The Guildhall School, Chetham's School of Music, The Yehudi Menuhin School, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Princeton University, USA, the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong, UCSI in Malaysia, Sangokan Concert Hall (Toyotashi) Japan, the Universities of Auckland, Canterbury (Christchurch) and Otago (Dunedin) in New Zealand, and for the Chamber Music Society of Colombo in Sri Lanka. He has also been Artist in Residence at the Sydney Conservatorium, Australia, and at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, and he has adjudicated competitions in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. In 2018 Leo published an acclaimed booklet entitled 'Scales and Arpeggios for the Violin: A Musical Approach' , and, in 2025, he followed this up with 'Opus 2, Some thoughts on Playing the Violin' . He also published, in 2019, a new set of original verses commissioned by Pro Musica, Bangkok, to accompany Camille Saints-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals .
In addition to his musical career, Leo studied improvisational comedy in Chicago with Del Close and Charna Halpern, 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. A keen contract bridge player, Leo is proud to have played in the UK at county level representing Oxfordshire.
Abridged Biography
Born in London, Leo Phillips studied the violin both in Europе, with David Takeno and Sandor Végh, and in the USA with Dorothy DeLay and Shmuel Ashkenasi. He has performed as violin soloist with many orchestras including The London Philharmonic, The Orchestre de Chambre de Genève and the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa, and has appeared as concertmaster with orchestras throughout the world including The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Bergen Philharmonic, The Sichuan Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. A dedicated chamber musician, Leo was Leader of the internationally regarded Nash Ensemble of London with whom he toured extensively and has made many critically acclaimed recordings and broadcasts. He is a regular participant at chamber music festivals worldwide including IMS Open Chamber Music, Prussia Cove, and Beare's Premiere Music Festival, Hong Kong.
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, Princeton University, USA, the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong, the Universities of Auckland, Canterbury (Christchurch) and Otago (Dunedin) in New Zealand, and at the Yehudi Menuhin School. He has also been Artist in Residence at the Sydney Conservatorium, Australia, and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. In 2024 he was appointed Visiting Scholar at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Short Biography
Born in London, Leo Phillips studied the violin both in Europе, with David Takeno and Sandor Végh, and in the USA with Dorothy DeLay and Shmuel Ashkenasi. He has performed as violin soloist with many orchestras including The London Philharmonic and The Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, and he has appeared as concertmaster with Symphony and Chamber Orchestras throughout the world. A dedicated chamber musician, Leo was Leader of the Nash Ensemble of London and he is a regular participant at chamber music festivals worldwide. Much in demand as a violin teacher and chamber music coach, Leo was appointed as a Visiting Scholar at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2024.
Dynamic Résumé
Leo Phillips is perhaps one of the most quietly influential figures in today's classical music world: a violinist of exceptional pedigree, a chamber musician of rare depth, and a mentor whose artistry and insight transcend generations. As a former leader of the Nash Ensemble, The London Philharmonic and L'Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve, a Principal player of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe and co-founder of the acclaimed Vellinger Quartet, Leo has navigated a rarefied career spanning continents, disciplines, and decades.
What sets Leo Phillips apart, however, is not just the richness of his performance résumé, but the extraordinary impact he now brings as a mentor, pedagogue, and performance coach. Whether guiding a gifted student toward musical maturity or working at eye-level with renowned conductors, soloists, and ensembles across Europe and Asia, Leo offers something increasingly rare in classical music: the wisdom of experience, paired with the energetic curiosity of a lifelong learner.
In a world where elite athletes routinely rely on top coaches deep into their careers, Leo Phillips brings that same model to classical music. He is not merely a teacher; he is an insightful strategist, an artistic therapist, and a finely tuned radar for musical excellence. His work has influenced orchestral leaders in Bangkok and Berlin, helped chamber groups in Singapore and Sydney refine their approach, and has inspired international conservatoire students the world over.
His musical DNA is rooted in legendary - and varied - tutelage: Dorothy DeLay, Sandor Végh, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and David Takeno. He has worked closely with conductors such as Sir Georg Solti, Alexander Schneider, Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and he has performed chamber music with the likes of Steven Isserlis, Cho Liang Lin, and Brett Dean. This profound lineage, absorbed and refined through years on stage and in the studio, is what he now channels into coaching sessions that unlock artistry, solve technical impasses, and reignite musical purpose.
Leo's reach is truly global. He has led and conducted ensembles in the UK, Europe, The US and Asia, appeared in major international festivals, and recorded seminal chamber works for the world's most respected record labels.
His most enduring contribution, though, now takes place away from the bright lights of the stage and the frenetic pace of the studio; it is instead concentrated within the smaller halls and modest practice rooms where the next generation of artists finds clarity and direction through his expert guidance. At institutions like The Yehudi Menuhin School, Hong Kong's Baptist University, and the Sydney Conservatorium, he has shaped hundreds of aspiring musicians-not only in how to play, but how to think, listen, and lead. Whether on faculty as a visiting professor, behind the scenes as a chamber music coach, or in one-on-one artistic sessions with rising stars or veteran performers, Leo Phillips is reshaping what mentorship means in music.
‘I have known Leo for many, many years and have always appreciated his genuine musicianship, his imagination, his instrumental skill and his individual approach to the music he plays....’
'Leo has been based in Bangkok for the best part of two decades, during which time I have greatly enjoyed working closely with him in his many capacities as conductor, teacher, player and chamber music guru. Leo’s contribution to music-making in Thailand has been immense, and his dedication and commitment, particularly towards our younger string players in the areas of both technique and musical style, has without doubt improved standards in Bangkok and nationally over two generations.'
