Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra
Phillip Holland, trumpet player and teacher from North Texas began his trumpet studies in 7th grade under Jeff Bailey of the Nashville Symphony in Tennessee. As a high school student Phil was the first chair All-State trumpet player each of his high school years in Tennessee. During his Junior year in high school he was participated in the John Philip Sousa National Honor Band as the band’s Solo Cornetist. His senior year he was selected as lead trumpet in the McDonald's All American High School Jazz Band. Being co-sponsored by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences he was a Grammy Nominee's for "Outstanding High School Musician of the Year” with the honor of being a Grammy Award Show attendee.
Phil’s earliest memories are of his mother’s nightly piano recitals in the Holland family living room. His mother is a classical pianist who grew up on a ranch in Colorado pouring herself into her pursuit of musical excellence. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at the Eastman School of Music in the late 1950’s and surrounded the four Holland kids with music, love and creativity. As his senior year wrapped up he followed in his mother’s foot steps by attending the Eastman School where he studied with Charlie Geyer. After his four years at Eastman, Phil was appointed Co-Principal trumpet in the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band and Brass Quintet. Following the four years in the USAF he played a one year position as Associate Principal in the Virginia Symphony.
In 2001 Phil moved to North Texas to teach and freelance in the Dallas area. Shortly after moving to Texas, Phil met the former Lee Smith. Phil and Lee, a stellar trumpeter trained at CIM, Yale and Northwestern fell in love and were married soon after in 2003 and have stayed in Texas where they raise their two children.
Phil maintains a studio of 80 weekly trumpet students in Plano, Texas just north of Dallas. Having taught over 70,000 trumpet lessons since moving to Texas he takes a great deal of pride in his personal relationships with each and every student, teaching the majority of them a full seven years before they graduate high school.