Collection of Andrew Phillips Photographs

Scope and Content

This collection contains c. 12,000 digital photographs of opera and ballet productions dating from c. 2000 to 2005.

Administrative / Biographical History

Born in 1965, Andrew Phillips was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 11. From then on he endured many years of ill health. He died in 2005.

From an early age Andrew had a strong passion for music and as a child he studied cello and timpani and played in local orchestras. He won a place at The Purcell School, then at Harrow-on-the-Hill to pursue his music studies. When his health allowed, he attended many performances, particularly at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, but also in New York, Salzburg, Madrid and Paris.

During his time travelling, Andrew developed an interest in photography. In the last two years of his life he was given permission to photograph at dress rehearsals of revival productions at the Royal Opera House, London. He was also permitted to photograph at the Royal Albert Hall, when Simon Rattle rehearsed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also asked by the Wagner Society and Amici di Verdi to take photographs at presentations for recognition of services to music by, amongst others, Placido Domingo, Bryn Terfel and Ricardo Muti.

As a result of this success he hoped to embark on a professional career in photography. At the time of Andrew's sudden passing he left a legacy of some 12,000 photographs of ballet and opera productions.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is available for consultation in the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance's Reading Room, which is located at Blythe House, 23 Blythe Rd, Olympia, London, W14 0QX. The Reading Room is open Tuesday to Friday between 10.15 am and 4.30 pm. Access to it is by appointment only. To request an appointment please email tmenquiries@vam.ac.uk or telephone 020 7942 2698.

Conditions Governing Use

Archival material may not be photocopied. Arrangements can be made to photograph material in the reading room using non-flash photography.

Acquisition Information

Gift by the Phillips family, Oct. 2011

Related Material

See also the core collections of the V&A Theatre and Performance Department. Material relating to the Royal Opera House (London, England) and performers depicted in this collections may be found in several collections, including the biographical, productions, company and photographs files.

Please ask for details.

Subjects
Stage photography -- England --London
Personal Names
Phillips, Andrew. ( 1965-2005)
Corporate Names
Royal Opera House (London, England)
Geographical Names
Royal Opera House (London, England)