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Today's Featured Biography

 
Philip Swanson

After graduation, I attended Augsburg College, Mankato State University, and then transferred to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where I received the BM degree (1962) and the MM degree (1964). From 1964-67, I was employed by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra (on flute, piccolo, and as assistant opera conductor, and conductor of the Mastersingers, the SAS chorus). In the off seasons, I played with various other professional orchestras, including Santa Fe Opera, and the North Carolina Symphony (as principal flute). In 1966, I married Helena Weber, a wonderful soprano who made the fateful mistake of auditioning for my symphony chorus and my chamber choir. Helena was at that time an English teacher at Edison High School in San Antonio.

During the next 33 years, I held many faculty/administrative positions in music: Indiana University of Pennsylvania (flute/music history - 1967-69); University of Arizona (flute, assistant director, School Of Music - 1969-75); Eastman School of Music (director of admissions and alumni relations - 1975-78); University of Arizona, again (assistant dean of Fine Arts - 1978-81); University of Redlands (Director of School of Music - 1981-90); and finally, Northern Arizona University (flute, and interim Dean of the College of Creative and Communicative Arts - 1990-2000). While working in all these various places, I presented multiple solo recitals, performed in many chamber ensembles, and played principal flute in many professional orchestras, including the Tucson Symphony, Arizona Opera Orchestra, Arizona Chamber Orchestra, Redlands Symphony Orchestra, Riverside County Philharmonic, Indian Wells Desert Symphony, and Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. In 1972, I became one of the founders of the National Flute Association, which today has become the premier organization for flutists worldwide and which holds large annual conventions each August throughout the US.

Meanwhile, in “real life” Helena and I have raised two wonderful children: Christina – born in 1967, who is a professional violist and also works for The University of Arizona in the Department of Media Arts; and Erik – born in 1969, who is the lead flute repair technician for Miyazawa Flutes USA, in Coralville, IA. Christina lives only five miles away from us and visits here often when she can spare time away from her busy schedule. Erik and Lin have given us two bright and beautiful granddaughters, Elena (10) and Elisa (8). We generally visit with them once or twice a year, either in Iowa or here in Tucson.

We’ve taken several extensive trips to the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium in the past few years, and during an entire sabbatical year (1997-1998), we resided in England, Scotland and Wales, where we pursued our avid interests in the unique British tradition of Brass Bands. Helena’s parents were German immigrants whose entire families still reside in the same small village (Schefflenz - in Baden-Wurttemberg), and the four of us have enjoyed visiting with her German relatives on several occasions.

In June, 2000, we retired from NAU and returned to Tucson, AZ – for the third time! Here we enjoy our very large recorded music collection which contains many vinyl LPs that are played on vintage vacuum tube sound equipment (another hobby). Walking, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, following the sports performances of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, U of Arizona Wildcats, and swimming in our pool are a few other pursuits we keep busy with. I am still playing my flute - in both solo and chamber music recitals – and find time to maintain a private flute studio of a few adult students. I also participate in activities of the Tucson Flute Club, an organization I founded in 1970, the first time we lived here

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