Jack Phipps
Encyclopedia
John Richard Noel Phipps C.B.E. (known as “Jack Phipps”) (24 December 1925 – 6 August 2010) was a British arts administrator
.
(then "Fort Jameson") in Northern Rhodesia
(now Zambia
), the son of John Nigel Phipps, a tea planter. The Phipps family originated in Wiltshire, John Nigel Phipps being the great-grandson of the coffee merchant John Lewis Phipps
.
Phipps was educated at Harrow School
(briefly), St John’s College, Johannesburg
, and at Merton College, Oxford
.
, Phipps went to work for Ian Hunter
at the Harold Holt music management agency, before he and his wife set up their own management agency in 1965. Their clients included Benjamin Britten
(who was also godfather to Phipps’s son), Pilar Lorengar
, Jessye Norman
and Jill Gomez
. During his career Phipps forged close links with many musicians, including Colin Davis
, Daniel Barenboim
, Bernard Haitink
and Yehudi Menuhin
.
In 1969, Phipps acted as co-director of the Bath International Music Festival
. This led to an approach from the Arts Council of Great Britain
, which in 1970 asked him to organise regional tours of opera, ballet and drama. In his capacity as director of touring, he did much to encourage the development of the regional opera companies and regional theatre. Apart from a brief interlude as general manager of the Aldeburgh Festival
, he remained at the Arts Council until his retirement in 1991. In the year of his retirement, he was appointed C.B.E.
. By his first wife he had two children, Polly and Simon. By Sue Pears, he had a son, the composer Martin Phipps.
Arts administration
Arts Administration is the business end of an arts organization responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operation of the organization and fulfilling its mission...
.
Origins and education
Phipps was born at ChipataChipata
Chipata, population 98,416, is the capital of the Eastern Province of Zambia. The two languages spoken are Nyanja and English, though you might find some Indian languages, as there is a large number of Zambian Indians located in the town...
(then "Fort Jameson") in Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
(now Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
), the son of John Nigel Phipps, a tea planter. The Phipps family originated in Wiltshire, John Nigel Phipps being the great-grandson of the coffee merchant John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps , of Leighton House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was a Brazil merchant, briefly Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire ....
.
Phipps was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
(briefly), St John’s College, Johannesburg
St John's College (Johannesburg, South Africa)
St John's College is a private school for boys in Houghton, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.-History:St John's College was founded in Johannesburg on 1 August 1898 and is an Anglican school....
, and at Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
.
Career
After a spell as a management trainee at the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Phipps went to work for Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (impresario)
Sir Ian Bruce Hope Hunter was a British impresario of classical music. Known as ‘Mr. Festival’ to many in the arts world, Hunter was one of the most important figures in a post-World War II cultural renaissance in the United Kingdom...
at the Harold Holt music management agency, before he and his wife set up their own management agency in 1965. Their clients included Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
(who was also godfather to Phipps’s son), Pilar Lorengar
Pilar Lorengar
Lorenza Pilar García Seta was a Spanish soprano who used the professional name Pilar Lorengar. She was best known for her interpretations of opera and the Spanish genre Zarzuela, and as a soprano she was known for her full register, a youthful timbre as well as a distinctive vibrato.Pilar was...
, Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music...
and Jill Gomez
Jill Gomez
Jill Gomez is a Trinidadian and British soprano of Hispanic origin.She was born in Guyana to a Trinidadian father and British mother; was raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and has made her career primarily in the United Kingdom. After studying briefly at St...
. During his career Phipps forged close links with many musicians, including Colin Davis
Colin Davis
Sir Colin Rex Davis, CH, CBE is an English conductor. His repertoire is broad, but among the composers with whom he is particularly associated are Mozart, Berlioz, Elgar, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Tippett....
, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
, Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
and Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
.
In 1969, Phipps acted as co-director of the Bath International Music Festival
Bath International Music Festival
The Bath International Music Festival, also known as the Bath Music Fest, is held each summer in Bath, South West England. Inaugurated in 1948, the festival includes many genres such as orchestral, contemporary jazz, folk and electronica...
. This led to an approach from the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
, which in 1970 asked him to organise regional tours of opera, ballet and drama. In his capacity as director of touring, he did much to encourage the development of the regional opera companies and regional theatre. Apart from a brief interlude as general manager of the Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
, he remained at the Arts Council until his retirement in 1991. In the year of his retirement, he was appointed C.B.E.
Private life
Phipps married twice, his second wife being Sue Pears, the niece of Sir Peter PearsPeter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten....
. By his first wife he had two children, Polly and Simon. By Sue Pears, he had a son, the composer Martin Phipps.