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Dr. Philip Baldwin, SYS Artistic Director and Symphony Conductor

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Phil Baldwin is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Spokane Youth Symphony and Violin Professor and conductor of the Whitworth University Symphony Orchestra.  He earned a D.M.A. at The Ohio State University where he received the Distinguished Dissertation Award for his work on the violin sonatas of William Bolcom.  His distinguished violin teachers include Rafael Druian, Raphael Hillyer, Yuri Mazurkevich, Andrew Jennings, Alan Bodman and Michael Davis.  As a fellowship recipient, he attended the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina and studied under distinguished teachers Paul Vermel, Kate Tamarkin, and Donald Portnoy.  He has also trained with Wayne Toews at the Saito International Conducting School.

 

Baldwin is the concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony, and has appeared as violin soloist in concertos by Samuel Barber, Henry Wieniawski, Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Brahms’ Double Concerto.   He is a former member of the Spokane Symphony (and continues to play as a substitute) and served previously as principal second violin of the Akron Symphony and principal viola of the LaCrosse Symphony.  He has also performed with the Tacoma, Canton, and Columbus symphonies and played on several movie soundtrack recordings.  An active recitalist, he has performed frequently with Whitworth pianist, Judith Schoepflin, and recorded a CD of clarinet trios by Khachaturian, Ives, and Bolcom with clarinetist Michael Dean and pianist Carol Stivers. 

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As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the members of the Spokane Symphony, conducted the WMEA Junior All-State Orchestra, and twice directed the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp.  In 2023, he will conduct the orchestra of the Asia Christian Schools Conference in Taiwan. 

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A dedicated artist-teacher, his students have won top prizes in competitions such as the Coeur d’Alene Symphony’s National Young Artist Competition, and earned scholarships to prestigious graduate schools and summer programs such as the Meadowmount School, the University of Texas at Austin, Eastern Music Festival, and the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific.  Many of his former students are successful teachers and performers who are influencing the next generation of string playing.

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Dr. Baldwin has served on the boards of the Maryland and Utah American String Teachers Association state chapters, is the  president-elect of the Washington chapter.  He has chaired the ASTA state solo competition and certificate-program examinations.  He has presented lectures at eight ASTA National conventions and also invited to present at the Texas Music Educators Association convention and the Arkansas Music Educators Association.  His interest in literature and music has earned two invitations to lecture at the International Short Story Conferences in Ireland and Portugal.  In his free time, he is an avid distance runner, woodworker, and tries to keep up with his three sons.