Phillip Scott

I reside in Sydney, Australia. My father was administrator of the Australian Ballet Company, and later of J. C. Williamson’s, the company that for many years produced Broadway shows in Australia.

I majored in music at Sydney University and, after a brief stint as PA/copyist for the composer Peter Sculthorpe (who was also my thesis supervisor,) I went on to become the first program manager at 2MBS FM, Australia’s inaugural classical FM radio station.

I then got drawn into the theater, where I have worked ever since, as a writer, actor, singer, pianist, composer, and musical director. I have written feature-film scores, worked extensively in cabaret, appeared in several television series, had four novels published, two musicals produced, and written scores for four childrens’ shows. I was co-writer, composer, and a performer in the Wharf Revues, a long-running series of political/social satire shows for the Sydney Theatre Company, which wound up in 2025 after 25 consecutive years. I have performed solo cabaret shows at various festivals, including Edinburgh and the prestigious Adelaide Cabaret Festival. I was script consultant on the international production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the Musical, and finally made my Shakespearean debut as Gonzalo in The Tempest. In 2018 I played Dr. Pangloss / Narrator in a concert version of Bernstein’s Candide at the Sydney Opera House. Future projects include going back on stage in productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Twelfth Night.

A lifelong classical record and CD collector, I have subscribed to Fanfare since 1988, and have been a contributor for over 20 years. I also review recordings and live concerts for Limelight, Australia’s national classical music and arts magazine.