Phil was raised in Pella, Iowa into a family of musicians, and began playing the drums at a very early age. His grandfather was a jazz pianist in Joplin, Missouri and his father was a music professor & clarinetist with the Des Moines Symphony for 28 years. His older brother Joe is a jazz bassist based in NYC, and has toured with world with Jane Monheit, Anat Cohen, Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Mark Turner, amongst others.
By the age of nine, Phil was already learning jazz standards while playing in a jazz trio with his grandfather and brother. While still in middle school, he was given the opportunity to play with the Central College Jazz Ensemble, where his father was a professor. Having the opportunity to play with such experienced musicians allowed Phil to hone his music reading skills and musicianship at a very young age. In high school, he was fortunate to win scholarships to the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camps at Elmhurst College & the University of Louisville, and the Yamaha Bands of America summer music camp at Illinois State University. He also spent two summers at the University of North Texas drum set camp in Denton, Texas. Those opportunities allowed him to study with great teachers including: Steve Davis, Gregg Field, Steve Houghton, Gary Chaffee, Bob Breithaupt, and Ed Soph.
Upon graduation from high school in 1998, Phil accepted a jazz studies scholarship to the University of North Texas, where he was fortunate to study drum set with Ed Soph and classical percussion with Ron Fink. While at North Texas, Phil played with many of the top jazz lab bands, the UNT Jazz Singers, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion ensembles, and with numerous jazz small groups. In the Fall of 2000, Phil decided to take the knowledge he gained at North Texas to another respected music institution, the University of Northern Iowa. There, he was a member of the UNI Jazz Band One and the UNI Wind Symphony for 3 years, and earned a bachelors degree in music in the Fall of 2002. As a student at Northern Iowa, Phil performed concerts with many great jazz artists including Maria Schneider, Rich Perry, Dick Oatts, Bob Mintzer, and Ray Anderson. He was also fortunate to perform at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) Convention in Long Beach, California in 2002, where the band performed with trumpeter Bobby Shew, pianist Mark Levine, and percussionist John Santos; and recorded the album Westcoasting with the UNI jazz ensemble featuring Bobby Shew, on the Sea Breeze label, at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood.
In the summer of 2001, Phil was one of two drummers selected to play in the Disney Collegiate All-Star Band in Anaheim, California. He performed that summer at the Disneyland Resort with artists including Jeff Kashiwa, Rick Baptist, Wayne Bergeron, Sal Lozano, Alex Iles, Ron McCurdy & Jiggs Whigham. He also recorded an album with the Disney band at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. In the summer of 2003, Phil worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines playing shows aboard the "Enchantment of the Seas."
Phil moved to Chicago in the fall of 2003, where he has been fortunate to perform with great artists in all genres. Since that time, he has been in demand at many of Chicago's major theaters. Phil toured with the smash, Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, and played the world premiere of War Paint, featuring Patti LuPone & Christine Ebersole at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Currently he is on tour with Disney’s The Lion King.
By the age of nine, Phil was already learning jazz standards while playing in a jazz trio with his grandfather and brother. While still in middle school, he was given the opportunity to play with the Central College Jazz Ensemble, where his father was a professor. Having the opportunity to play with such experienced musicians allowed Phil to hone his music reading skills and musicianship at a very young age. In high school, he was fortunate to win scholarships to the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camps at Elmhurst College & the University of Louisville, and the Yamaha Bands of America summer music camp at Illinois State University. He also spent two summers at the University of North Texas drum set camp in Denton, Texas. Those opportunities allowed him to study with great teachers including: Steve Davis, Gregg Field, Steve Houghton, Gary Chaffee, Bob Breithaupt, and Ed Soph.
Upon graduation from high school in 1998, Phil accepted a jazz studies scholarship to the University of North Texas, where he was fortunate to study drum set with Ed Soph and classical percussion with Ron Fink. While at North Texas, Phil played with many of the top jazz lab bands, the UNT Jazz Singers, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion ensembles, and with numerous jazz small groups. In the Fall of 2000, Phil decided to take the knowledge he gained at North Texas to another respected music institution, the University of Northern Iowa. There, he was a member of the UNI Jazz Band One and the UNI Wind Symphony for 3 years, and earned a bachelors degree in music in the Fall of 2002. As a student at Northern Iowa, Phil performed concerts with many great jazz artists including Maria Schneider, Rich Perry, Dick Oatts, Bob Mintzer, and Ray Anderson. He was also fortunate to perform at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) Convention in Long Beach, California in 2002, where the band performed with trumpeter Bobby Shew, pianist Mark Levine, and percussionist John Santos; and recorded the album Westcoasting with the UNI jazz ensemble featuring Bobby Shew, on the Sea Breeze label, at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood.
In the summer of 2001, Phil was one of two drummers selected to play in the Disney Collegiate All-Star Band in Anaheim, California. He performed that summer at the Disneyland Resort with artists including Jeff Kashiwa, Rick Baptist, Wayne Bergeron, Sal Lozano, Alex Iles, Ron McCurdy & Jiggs Whigham. He also recorded an album with the Disney band at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. In the summer of 2003, Phil worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines playing shows aboard the "Enchantment of the Seas."
Phil moved to Chicago in the fall of 2003, where he has been fortunate to perform with great artists in all genres. Since that time, he has been in demand at many of Chicago's major theaters. Phil toured with the smash, Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, and played the world premiere of War Paint, featuring Patti LuPone & Christine Ebersole at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Currently he is on tour with Disney’s The Lion King.