Dedication to Excellence: Thoughts on a Juilliard Education by Arthur Phillips

Arthur Phillips

"I graduated from Juilliard in 1947 where I met my wife, Myrtle who was studying voice. For the fifty-plus years of our marriage, we served as music directors in churches, and ran a private studio in Harlem where we taught piano, organ and voice. In New York, we performed and produced recitals in Town Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall, and presented our students in yearly recitals at CAMI Hall, Hunter College, and churches and studios in the Harlem area. Myrtle and I also performed abroad. Although I lost my wife in 2001, I have fond memories of our time at Juilliard and of the training I received as a student. Myrtle and I instilled in our students the same dedication to excellence that we were taught at Juilliard. We encouraged them to apply those exacting standards towards whatever goals they pursued, regardless of their profession. It was that dedication to excellence which helped me achieve the accomplishments I have realized. That's why I support Juilliard." Arthur Phillips received a Diploma in Organ ('47) from Juilliard, where he studied with Lilian Carpenter. He is an associate of the American Guild of Organists and a Fellow of Trinity College in London. He was honored by both the Church of St. Mark and the Church of St. Thomas in Brooklyn for over 50 years of service in the ministry of music, and in 2006 was honored by The Riverside Church in Manhattan.