Spencer (Fred) Phillips, Orchestra London Canada's Principal Bassoonist since 1995, has also served as the Principal Bassoonist of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra since 1983.

A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and of Duke University, Mr. Phillips also holds an MS degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (in Environmental Management and Policy) and a Premier Prix de Virtuosite (Classe de Basson) from the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve.

Orchestras of which Mr. Phillips is a former member include Orquestra Gulbenkian (Lisbon, Portugal), the Orchestre des Rencontres Musicales de Lausanne, the Albany Symphony Orchestra (New York State), Detroit's Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic (New York State) and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (New York State). Others with which he has performed include the Windsor Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He can be heard on recordings released by Naxos, Chandos, Nimbus, Lyrinx and Erato.

A native of the United States, Mr. Phillips is pleased to have become a Canadian citizen in 2000. When not playing the bassoon, he - an active member of both the London Centennial Wheelers and the London Cycling Club - can most often be found on his bicycle (on which he averages in excess of 10,000 kilometres per year).