The Canon Dr. Craig Phillips Distinguished Chair, Director of Music
An endowment to preserve Craig’s 38-year legacy while paving the way for a remarkable future for the music ministry at All Saints’.
“Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”
— Psalm 119:54
For 38 years, Craig Phillips has blessed All Saints’ with a ministry of music defined by brilliance, devotion, and loyalty.
Through his compositions, direction, and service, Craig has shaped the spiritual life of our parish and the wider Anglican Church in ways that will echo for generations.
With Craig's impending retirement, we asked ourselves how do we honor someone whose influence on All Saints’ is immeasurable? How do we codify a gift to Craig in a way that will be meaningful to him, to the church and to the magnificent music program he has created and shepherded all these years?
The answer, we believe, is as enduring as his legacy:
The creation of an endowment fund that would live on in perpetuity to provide the financial resources necessary to maintain the parish’s commitment to excellence in sacred music for the future.
Music has always been at the heart of All Saints’ — a source of inspiration, unity, and spiritual depth.
Establishing this endowed chair ensures that future generations will continue to experience the transformative power of sacred music at All Saints’.
The fund is both a tribute to Craig Phillips and a gift to the future of our parish.
We are honored to introduce:
The Canon Dr. Craig Phillips Distinguished Chair, Director of Music
This will be our first endowed chair in All Saints’ history; a landmark step as we prepare for our new Rector and chart the future of our music ministry.
Our goal is to raise $3-5 million dollars to establish the Endowed Fund, which would initially provide around $150,000 in revenue each year for attracting and retaining the most gifted Director of Music candidates and provide vital support for our beloved music program.
This endowment will also strengthen the parish’s overall fiscal health by building a permanent financial foundation for one of our most vital ministries by securing the long-term future of the All Saints’ Music Program.
Endowment Donor Giving Levels
Reflecting the Order of the Mass in Sacred Music Tradition
These giving levels are inspired by the movements of the liturgy, each representing a moment in the sacred rhythm of worship.
Every contribution, from the first gathering to the final prayer, sustains the music and ministry that unite our community in faith.
Pledges may be fulfilled over a three-year period, with payment completed by December 31, 2028.
Donors at all levels will be acknowledged in online and printed Endowment Fund reports. Donors at the Credo Circle and above will be recognized on a permanent plaque displayed near the All Saints’ Parish Music Room.
Gathering Circle
$1 – $999
Procession Circle
$1,000 – $9,999
Kyrie Circle
$10,000 – $49,999
Gloria Circle
$50,000 – $99,999
Credo Circle
$100,000 – $499,999
Sanctus Circle
$500,000 – $999,999
Agnus Dei
$1,000,000+
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” — Psalm 150:6
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Music Endowment Fund is a permanent, restricted endowment established by the Vestry of All Saints’ Beverly HIlls to provide long-term financial support for the church’s music ministry. Gifts are to be invested, and only the earnings are to be used first to support the Director of Music position, and second for general music expenses.
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All pledges can be made online here.
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Pledges can be made payable over a three-year period to enable parishioners to give as generously and sacrificially as they can. Most parishioners have structured their pledges to be paid in 2026, 2027, and 2028.
All pledges are to be completed by December 31, 2028.
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The Fund may accept gifts in the form of cash, stock, bonds, exchange traded funds, and mutual funds.
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No, they are two separate donations.
The Church’s Fall Stewardship Campaign provides the funds necessary for the General Operating Budget, which funds the church’s annual expenses.
The earnings on the Endowment Fund would provide revenue each year to attract and retain a gifted Director of Music and provide vital support for our beloved music program.
The revenue from the Endowment Fund will strengthen the parish’s overall fiscal health by building a permanent financial foundation for one of our most vital ministries by securing the long-term future of the All Saints’ Music Program.
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The Endowment Fund and the Music Guild Fund are completely unrelated and separate.
The earnings from the Endowment Fund will provide revenue each year to attract and retain a gifted Director of Music. The Music Guild will continue to exist for funding musical outreach beyond normal parish worship.
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Donors at all levels will be acknowledged in online and printed Endowment Fund reports. Donors at the Credo Circle ($100,000+) and above will be recognized on a permanent plaque displayed near the All Saints’ Parish Music Room.
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The Vestry has adopted a formal resolution creating the Music Endowment Fund as a permanent, restricted endowment, with its principal preserved in perpetuity and its earnings limited to supporting the Director of Music position and related music ministry purposes.
The resolution states:
Establishment of Endowment Fund
The Vestry hereby establishes a restricted, permanent endowment fund to be known as the Canon Dr. Craig Phillips Music Endowment Fund (the “Fund”).Purpose of the Fund
The primary purpose of the Fund shall be to generate annual revenue to support compensation and related costs necessary to attract and retain the most gifted Director of Music candidates, consistent with the mission and priorities of the Church. The secondary purpose of the Fund shall be to support the Church's music program, as described and limited in Paragraph 3.Contributions to the Fund and Uses of Funds
Contributions to the fund may be made in perpetuity and shall be called the Principal Amount of the Fund. The Principal Amount of the Fund shall not be allocated for any purpose and shall be invested to generate earnings to pay all or a portion of the compensation costs of the Director of Music.
In the event that earnings on the Principal Amount of the Fund generates Annual Spend (as defined in the Investment Policy) in excess of the amount necessary to cover all the costs of the Director of Music position, the Vestry is restricted to either allocate such excess earnings to support the Church's music program, or to retain such excess earnings as a reserve for the long-term sustainability of the Fund. Such reserves may be allocated by the Vestry to support future music expenses of the Church, consistent with the Investment Policy's spending guidelines.
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The Vestry has authorized the establishment of one or more investment accounts for the Fund at Morgan Stanley, or such institution as may be approved by the Vestry, for the purpose of holding and investing the assets of the Fund.
The assets of the Fund shall be invested and managed by the Finance Committee in accordance with the Church's existing Investment Policy. The Finance Committee will monitor the investment performance and report periodically to the Vestry.
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In the event of excess earnings, the Vestry is restricted to either allocate such excess earnings to support the Church's music program, or to retain such excess earnings as a reserve for the long-term sustainability of the Fund. Such reserves may also be allocated by the Vestry to support future music expenses in the event of lower earnings.
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No. The Principal Amount of the Fund must remain invested and may not be used for any purpose. Only earnings may be used to pay all or a portion of the compensation costs of the Director of Music. The Principal Amount of the Fund shall not be allocated for any purpose.
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Should the Church dissolve or cease to operate, the Vestry at that time, by majority vote, would redirect the assets of the Fund to one or more Episcopal churches within the Diocese of Los Angeles for purposes as similar as possible to the original purposes of the Fund.
Meet Canon Dr. Craig Phillips
Canon Dr. Craig Phillips, our organist and Director of Music, is a distinguished American composer. You can hear his choral and organ music every Sunday in churches and cathedrals across the country, and many of his works have been performed in concert throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He was named the American Guild of Organists’ Distinguished Composer in 2012, making him the seventeenth recipient of this prestigious award. In 2015, Dr. Phillips was named an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St Paul, and in 2016 was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary. He was further honored as an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Musicians & Singers in the United Kingdom in 2023.
Dr. Phillips was the featured soloist at the opening service of the 2012 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Nashville, where he premiered a newly-commissioned work called Three Sketches for Organ, in addition to other works for organ, brass, and percussion. In 2010, he premiered his commissioned work Sojourn for Organ and Winds at the National Convention of the AGO, and was the featured soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in a performance of his Concertino for Organ and Orchestra in 2002. He has also appeared as a soloist with members of the Eastman Philharmonia, the Oklahoma Symphony, the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, and Musica Angelica.
Craig’s music has been the subject of pieces in The American Organist, The Los Angeles Times, and The Diapason, and he has received commissions from organizations like The American Guild of Organists, The Episcopal Church, The Association of Anglican Musicians, Stellar Brass, The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthews, CoroAllegro, The University of Iowa, Syracuse University, UC Riverside, the Washington National Cathedral, and many other churches and institutions. He’s also received numerous ASCAP Awards, as well as a Meet the Composer grant for a work premiered at the Ojai Festival, in addition to having his organ, choral, and chamber works published by a variety of prestigious firms.
Many of his works have been recorded, including several recordings on the Gothic Records label, many of which feature the All Saints’ Choir with Dr. Phillips as organist. Other works have been recorded on the Arkay, JAV, Summit, and Pro Organo labels, as well.
Dr. Phillips has been named Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music, and holds a Performers’ Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied under the pedagogy of Russell Saunders. He also earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, and his earliest musical studies were at the Blair School of Music, in Nashville. He is also a member of the American Guild of Organists; the Association of Anglican Musicians; and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; in addition to serving on the boards for the Ann Stookey Fund for New Music, as well as the Clarence Mader Foundation.
Dr. Phillips came to All Saints’ in 1988 directly from graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he was recruited by then director Thomas Foster to serve as Associate. He has a deep love of travel and has long spent part of each summer in Southern France, where he writes music and draws inspiration.