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.
-
$1 – $999
-
$1,000 – $9,999
-
$10,000 – $49,999
-
$50,000 – $99,999
-
$100,000 – $499,999
-
$500,000 – $999,999
-
$1,000,000+
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” — Psalm 150:6
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.