Margaret Phillips

Margaret Phillips is a bassoonist and contrabassoonist based in the Boston area. She has established herself as New England’s most sought¬ after freelance contrabassoonist, and has performed in all the major ensembles of the region. She has been a regular substitute and extra musician, both on bassoon and contrabassoon, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops Orchestra since 1992. As part of the touring Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Margaret has performed across the United States, toured Asia, and appeared at special events, including Super Bowl XXXVI.

Margaret has been a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, the Portland (ME.) Symphony Orchestra, and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been performing and recording pioneering new music with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project since its inception, and can be heard on numerous recordings under the BMOP/Sound label, including the Grammy-winning opera Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a chamber musician, she was a member of the Chameleon Arts Ensemble, a Boston¬-based chamber ensemble highly regarded for its outstanding performances and award¬-winning programming. Through her teaching appointment at Berklee College of Music, Margaret has performed and made Grammy¬-nominated recordings with artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Danillo Perez, and Trey Anastasio of Phish.

As an educator, Ms. Phillips holds faculty positions at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music. She joined the faculty at Boston University, establishing a teaching studio in 2015.

Margaret earned degrees from the University of Michigan and Boston University, studying with L. Hugh Cooper and Matthew Ruggiero, respectively. She pursued contrabassoon studies with Gus Draal of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble in Amsterdam.

In 2021, Margaret became the first Certified Music Practitioner on the bassoon. She has played for over one hundred patients, with dementia and end-of-life care being her specialty.

Margaret lives in suburban Boston.