Performer

Singer - Songwriter - Storyteller - Clairvoyant Medium

Biography

Rosemary Phillips: Singer - Songwriter - Storyteller - Clairvoyant Medium

Young Rosemary

From my initial introduction to performing, at the tender age of four, singing “Animal Crackers” for a London orphanage benefit (in no way did I resemble curly-top Shirley Temple – my hair is naturally dead straight – in addition I believe I got ushered off the stage before I finished because I wouldn’t face the audience – I was rebelling because I wanted to sing “Teddy Bear’s Picnic”) I have been singing for audiences large and small wherever I happen to be.

Vocal Training

Rosemary singing for Commander Connell and his guests, summer 1968. Tips were very good that night.

I took a few vocal lessons when I was four, sang in a school choir until I was eleven and then stopped singing after a stern matronly teacher, who must have been having a bad day, told me I didn’t have a voice. I rather took that to heart until I was about 18 and got a guitar for $25, thanks to Jane. I learned a whole bunch of songs to sing for guests at Allen’s Restaurant, run by Jane’s mum Lean (who was short and a bit rotund) and dad, Walter. The chicken-house restaurant was situated on a Canadian island in the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, the boating playground off New York State. (Never tasted chicken like that since – it was delicious.) Oh, the stories I could tell!

Guests were often known to whisper in my ear, “You gonna sing ‘The Shrimp’ tonight?” My picking up the guitar was a guaranteed boost to tips for all the waitresses on those evenings, and an excellent way for me to get out of washing dishes – by hand. Except for one night when Joan Crawford’s daughter came for dinner. I was so nervous I hid in the woods out back. I had lots of dishes to wash that night.

Glo Ferrer - vocal coach

At age 21, after my often-swollen tonsils were removed, I was invited to take singing lessons from Glo Ferrer in Toronto. I was in my fourth year at Ryerson at the time, taking interior design, so I didn’t take the singing too seriously – I mean, wasn’t I supposed to be an interior designer? So when Glo sent me off to audition for Godspell (1972) I guess I really didn’t have my heart in it. I was too shy, standing beside all those professionals, rather those who became professionals, like Martin Short and Gilda Radner.

All the while I was writing strange poetry, and sensing things far beyond my ken. I was writing about the bud on a tree that comes time by time, life by life (reincarnation). I was designing cities in different dimension. I had always sensed things, known things, and didn't know why. It wasn't until my grandmother suggested I go see a medium while I was in London (UK) did it all start to unfold for me. A few years later Cockney Joe Benjamin (one of the UK's top mediums of the time) told me I was psychic. So that was what it was all about.

So over the last 25 years the singing has developed, confidence has grown, and the gifts of mediumship have begun to flourish. The voice has mellowed and matured, and I do feel more comfortable on stage even though I may trip and get tied up in cables.

Performing now takes on several avenues: for children, One Seed presentations, casual dinner music, full healing concerts, Music as Healer workshops and presentations, and the new package - Talking and Singing with Heaven.

Awards

I don’t have any awards or anything, just lots of thank you cards and smiles, and warm handshakes. Knowing that someone has been touched by my singing and performance is award enough.

Some performances to date include:

Children's Festival, Campbell River, 1994

Talking & Singing with Heaven: International Spiritualist Alliance, New Westminster (twice); Brotherhood Spiritualist Church, New Wesminster; Inner Garden Balance Point On-Line Chapel, Surrey; Celebration Centre, Penticton; Grand Forks, BC.

Music as Healer workshops or concerts for Hospice: Shushwap Hospice Convention; Retreat for Chilliwack Hospice Society; Kootenay Region; Fort Nelson; Boundary Hospice for Grand Forks, Rock Creek, Midway, Castlegar, BC.

“One Seed” Tours of schools in British Columbia – Kootenays, Okanagan, Northern B.C.

Concerts and Shows

** "Over the Rainbow", Port Theatre, Nanaimo October 1999

** "Rosemary & Friends", Sid Williams Theatre, Courtenay March 18th 1995

** "Love Songs", Tidemark Theatre, Campbell River February 11th 1995

** "Rosemary & Friends", Tidemark Theatre, Campbell River September 1994

"Nunsense", role of Sister Leo, Rivercity Players Spring, 1993

** Community Concert, Tidemark Theatre Fall, 1992

** Healing Concert with Ann Mortifee, Tidemark Theatre April 1992

Coffee Houses & Concerts, Quadra Island 1992-1995; Lansdowne, Ontario 1978-81

Touch the Sky - Toronto OISE Auditorium with Duke Redbird 1972

Weddings and Celebration of Life Ceremonies, BC and Ontario

Performance for seniors, all the time.

**Produced, promoted, and performed.

Television Shows

For CRTV-10 Campbell River (producer and host):
“Spotlight” - bi-weekly show for the Tidemark Theatre to promote shows and activities

“Campbell River Unlimited” - bi-weekly live phone-in show on Healthy Community issues

“Opening Doors, Keys to Health and Happiness” - a weekly series on issues of health, conventional and alternative.

Discography

Rosemary sings... - Demo CD - June 1998

Homemade with Rosemary - CD released December 2001

"One Seed" – CD released September 2002

Me and My Guitar - CD released summer 2007

Kids Stuff - CD released Summer 2007

For bookings

For bookings, please contact me for information.