Phillip Triggs
Viola
Phillip Triggs is a viola player active throughout Southern California. He can be heard playing his viola as far north as Santa Barbara County where he is assistant principal viola of the Santa Barbara Symphony, in Ventura County as principal viola of the New West Symphony, in Los Angeles County as a section member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and in Orange County where he is a section member with Pacific Symphony.
Born and raised in Orange County, Phillip began on violin through his local public elementary school music program. He began studying privately with Stephanie Wan and later with legendary violin pedagogue William Fitzpatrick, who promptly discovered that he should have been playing viola the whole time! After switching to viola during his senior year of high school, he continued his training at Chapman University under the guidance of Pacific Symphony principal violist (retired) Robert Becker. Instead of attending his undergraduate commencement ceremony, Phillip was taking his first orchestral audition, winning a position with the Opera Pacific Orchestra. He later attended Northwestern University, studying with Roland Vamos to earn his master's degree. He also spent two summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School where he studied with James Dunham and Jeffrey Irvine.
A dedicated and sought-after teacher, Triggs is on faculty at Chapman University, Santa Ana College, the Orange County School of the Arts, and JSerra Catholic High School. Past students of Triggs have gone on to prestigious music schools across the country and some are now professional musicians themselves.
Triggs currently lives in Orange County with his wife and two children. When he's not playing his oddly-shaped Otto Erdesz viola and his reliable Hill bow, Triggs can be found smoking meat in his backyard, capturing photos of life with his digital camera, or listening to music with his planar magnetic headphones.
Born and raised in Orange County, Phillip began on violin through his local public elementary school music program. He began studying privately with Stephanie Wan and later with legendary violin pedagogue William Fitzpatrick, who promptly discovered that he should have been playing viola the whole time! After switching to viola during his senior year of high school, he continued his training at Chapman University under the guidance of Pacific Symphony principal violist (retired) Robert Becker. Instead of attending his undergraduate commencement ceremony, Phillip was taking his first orchestral audition, winning a position with the Opera Pacific Orchestra. He later attended Northwestern University, studying with Roland Vamos to earn his master's degree. He also spent two summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School where he studied with James Dunham and Jeffrey Irvine.
A dedicated and sought-after teacher, Triggs is on faculty at Chapman University, Santa Ana College, the Orange County School of the Arts, and JSerra Catholic High School. Past students of Triggs have gone on to prestigious music schools across the country and some are now professional musicians themselves.
Triggs currently lives in Orange County with his wife and two children. When he's not playing his oddly-shaped Otto Erdesz viola and his reliable Hill bow, Triggs can be found smoking meat in his backyard, capturing photos of life with his digital camera, or listening to music with his planar magnetic headphones.