“Clarinetist Jessica Phillips filled the role with liquid, silvery tone & powerful musicianship.”
— OPERA America
“Wind soloists again were breathing a remarkable air, with Jessica Phillips, acting principal clarinet at the Metropolitan Opera, sitting in and more than holding her own.”
Jessica Phillips won the position of Second Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2001. She served as Acting Principal Clarinet during the 2003-2004, 2011-2013, 2014-2016, and 2021-2023 seasons. In 2013, she received the honor of having her clarinet chair named by Ruth and Harvey Miller. She graduated cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Music. While at Barnard, she was accepted into the joint lesson program at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Ricardo Morales. Her other teachers have included David Weber, Ted Oien, and Todd Levy.
She has appeared as Guest Principal Clarinet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and New York City Ballet, as well as performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, Mainly Mozart Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Ballet Theater, Santa Fe Opera, St. Bart’s Music Festival, Caramoor, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, and the American Symphony Orchestra. She can be heard on numerous “Live from Lincoln Center” performances with the Grammy award-winning Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, select Philadelphia Orchestra recordings on the Ondine label, numerous commercial and motion picture soundtracks, and the Emmy award-winning PBS broadcasts with The All-Star Orchestra.
An active chamber musician, Jessica has performed at Carnegie Hall numerous times with the Met Chamber Ensemble, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s chamber music and education series, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, San Luis Obispo Mostly Mozart Festival, and appeared in concert with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra.
Jessica has given masterclasses and performed in recitals all over the world. In 2017, she was featured in a solo recital tour presented by Backun Musical Services and the Dolce Musical Instrument company in Korea and Japan. She has performed in recital at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, Lisbon International Clarinet Meeting, International Woodwind Festival, and Peabody Conservatory. She has performed at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarFest in Japan, Canada, and Nebraska, where she was a featured soloist with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. She has given recent masterclasses at Juilliard Summer Winds, NYU, Stony Brook University, Manhattan School of Music, Frost School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Northwestern, Western Washington University, University of Alabama, and Boston Conservatory.
A Backun and a Silverstein Artist, Jessica has worked closely with Backun Musical Services to promote and design products for E-Flat clarinet.
“Jessica Phillips started the first evening recital with virtuosity and style…the Saint-Saëns Sonata…displayed her lovely lyrical tone and sensitive phrasing”
“…The Mozart Concerto [was] performed by Jessica Phillips, with the tasteful, dignified phrasing that is integral to the Classical. Her dark, mellow sound, fluid finger technique, and light, clear articulation led to a nuanced and graceful performance.”