Phillips, Andrew., 1965-2005

Born in 1965, Andrew Phillips was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 11. From then on he endured many years of ill health. He died in 2005.

From an early age Andrew had a strong passion for music and as a child he studied cello and timpani and played in local orchestras. He won a place at The Purcell School, then at Harrow-on-the-Hill to pursue his music studies. When his health allowed, he attended many performances, particularly at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, but also in New York, Salzburg, Madrid and Paris.

During his time travelling, Andrew developed an interest in photography. In the last two years of his life he was given permission to photograph at dress rehearsals of revival productions at the Royal Opera House, London. He was also permitted to photograph at the Royal Albert Hall, when Simon Rattle rehearsed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also asked by the Wagner Society and Amici di Verdi to take photographs at presentations for recognition of services to music by, amongst others, Placido Domingo, Bryn Terfel and Ricardo Muti.

As a result of this success he hoped to embark on a professional career in photography. At the time of Andrew's sudden passing he left a legacy of some 12,000 photographs of ballet and opera productions.

From the guide to the Collection of Andrew Phillips Photographs, c. 2000-2005, (V&A Department of Theatre and Performance)