FAC E S
’Tis the Season to be Harmonious Phil Thompson shares his musical endeavors through annual charity album.
THE HOLIDAYS bring out jolly good feelings, and, for acclaimed pianist and vocalist Phil Thompson, it brings out his desire to give back with an annual charity album. Thompson, a Woodbury native, fell in love with music at an early age. He started playing piano when he was just 4 years old. “My first piano teacher really instilled a love for music in me. She let me play the songs I wanted to play,” Thompson says. From there, he took his passion for music into middle school and high school, playing the piano at Woodbury High School, where he graduated in 2003. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in entrepreneurship, Thompson still knew he was bound to music, so he transitioned the passion into a full-time endeavor. He started playing at corporate events and locally for the Woodbury Community Foundation, Woodbury Lions Club, at the Woodbury Rotary Miracle Field and Connecting With Woodbury events. “I always want to stay in touch with the community I grew up in,” he says. One thing led to the next, and Thompson began to play on larger stages, such as the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in New York City, and overseas in Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Australia and New Zealand. However, Thompson says his talent always rooted itself back in Minnesota, where he created his first charity album. Similar albums are released every year A Minnesota Holiday Vol. 14 features several area musicians, including Phil Thompson.
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December 2022
woodburymag.com
Photo: Phil Thompson
By Hanna McDaniels
