Conductor Philip Bayles is an Oregonian with a distinguished career background in both music and computer-related fields.
Conductor Philip Bayles is an Oregonian with a distinguished career background in both music and computer-related fields.Philip Bayles was born in New York City in 1946. His father is a psychiatrist and his mother was a dietician. As a child in Colorado, Kansas, and Houston Texas, he was involved in Boy Scouts, competitive swimming, and musical studies: clarinet, organ, and piano. He graduated from Bellaire High School Houston Texas and was the youngest organist and choir director in the Texas Episcopal Diocese. Later he was awarded a Bachelors degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Kanses, and a Masters degree in Music Composition from the University of Oregon. In addition to conducting, his graduate work included extensive experience with computers and synthesizors, and he worked with mainframe Fortran, Moog, Sinclair and Amiga systems.
Since 1971, conductor Philip Bayles has led symphonic, operatic, ballet, and choral ensembles throughout the Northwest, lending his expertise and knowledge of extensive repertoire. His conducting has received regional and national acclaim for precision, judgment, scholarship, and fire. He has worked with all the various style periods of music, from 20th to 17th century, in both modern and period instrument performances.
In 1977, Mr. Bayles founded the Eugene Opera and was conductor and artistic director for 10 seasons. In 1980 he co-founded and conducted the Hindemith Concerts Festival. In the mid 1980's he was General Director of the Rogue Opera; in addition to conducting he led the company to significant increases in memberships, contributed revenue and artistic quality. He was music director of the Eugene Concert Choir for 12 seasons, and conductor of the Roseburg Chamber Orchestra, and Corvallis Youth Consort for 2 seasons each. He was director of the Northwest Bach Ensemble in Ashland, for over 11 seasons, and harpsichordist and co-ordinator of the Pfaff Ensemble, a period instrument ensemble, for 4 years. For 7 seasons he was music Director for the Eugene Ballet.
Mr. Bayles has made guest appearances with the Eugene Symphony, University of Oregon Symphony, Summer Strings Celebration Orchestra, Roseburg Concert Chorale, Northwest Christian College Choir, Umpqua Community College Choir, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, Carnival Theatre, and the Rogue Valley Symphony.
An enthusiastic collaborator from podium, piano, and harpsichord, Bayles has worked with such artists as opera directors Ghita Hager, and David Ostwald, choreographer Toni Pimble, designers Carey Wong and Peter Dean Beck, the Leontovich Quartet (Ukraine), the Riga Quartet (Latvia), pianist Victor Steinhardt, and trumpeter George Recker.
An accomplished accompanist, he has performed with mezzo contralto Kristina Carlson, tubist Harvey Phillips, 'cellists Dale Bradley and Carol Stipleman, baroque violinists Gerrie Luctenburg and Bill Hunt, and baroque and modern flautist Sherril Kannasto. He served as dance accompanist for numerous ballet instructors.
Bayles' small volume of contrapuntal works has enjoyed a number of performances by various Northwest artists. His Silent Movie Ballet, (1987)was performanced in Portland, Eugene, Boise and toured Taiwan. He has also composed numerous continuo realizations ornamentations and cadenzas to 18th century works. Since 2001 he has written a large number of hymns, psalms, chorale preludes, and vocal canons.
Among his honors, Mr. Bayles was awarded the Eugene Arts and Letters Award for "outstanding contribution to the arts", he was twice the recipient of the prestigious Loraine G. Close Music Fellowship, and earned teaching fellowships at the University of Oregon School of Music and Honors College. A popular speaker, Mr. Bayles has lectured on a variety of musical topics at the University of Oregon Honors College, the University of Washington Opera Department, Southern Oregon State College, Umpqua Community College, the Britt Festival, and appeared in many public and community radio and television broadcasts.
Mr. Bayles has a second career in computers and networking. He has served on the Board of Directors of Oregon Public Networking, a non-profit organization devoted to bringing technology to the disadvanted, for four years. His lecture demonstration "Getting on the Internet for under Fifty Bucks" was mentioned in the New York Times. He has taught numerous courses in computer literacy, word-processing, internet research. He has participated as a computer instructor and installer, and on-line host for National Institute of Health projects on diabetes and smoking cessation administered by the Oregon Research Institute.
In 1999 Bayles founded the Riverside Chamber Symphony, an auditioned ensemble of outstanding non-professional musicians. The group plays 4-6 programs per year, and concerts are frequently recorded and broadcast on Community Television.
In 2001 Bayles returned to church music, and took a position as Music Director at the United Lutheran Church in Eugene. In addition to playing organ and directing the choir, Bayles has composed numerous hymns, canticles, Psalm settings, and canons in collaboration with Pastor Thomas Dodd who writes the texts.
Currently Philip Bayles is conductor of the Riverside Chamber Symphony, Music Director of United Lutheran Church, and Coordinator of the Campbell Center Computer Learning Lab. In the summers he conducts and coaches at the Ashland Chamber Music Workshop.
Contact:
Philip Bayles
420 East 31st Ave
Eugene, Oregon 97405
email:psb@efn.org