Dr. Peter Phillips (AUS) is a legend when it comes to music rolls and reproducing pianos. He is probably the only PhD with a dissertation on this topic. His doctoral thesis, entitled “Piano Rolls and Contemporary Player Pianos: The Catalogues, Technologies, Archiving and Accessibility”, is a standard work and is accessible here on the University of Sydney website. Many of his other publications are equally valuable, and not only in the field of pianola rolls – for example, he is also the author of standard works in the field of electronics.
His interest in reproducing rolls was inspired in 1976 by Denis Condon (1933–2012). Peter is known and valued worldwide for his outstanding expertise and friendly helpfulness. Numerous studies and research projects, events and concerts have only been made possible by his work and support. His achievements are groundbreaking, especially in the digitization of music rolls and the emulation of MIDI files for modern player systems such as the Bösendorfer CEUS project or the Yamaha Disklavier.
In this fascinating video, Peter explains the roll reader he developed himself, with which he can play the music from, for example, a Welte red music roll directly on the Yamaha Disklavier. On his website “PetersMidi” he offers thousands of titles as MIDI and audio at extraordinarily low prices, since his main interest is the music and its use. In numerous talks and presentations around the world, he shares his findings and inspires people about this topic. Here is a talk that Peter gave at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in the final year of his dissertation. Thanks to his inexhaustible energy and passion, the successful 3rd Global Piano Roll Meeting in Sydney in 2024 became possible. The opening concert and the closing concert show the high art of his MIDI emulations and his passion for the subject.
It was through Peter that I really immersed myself in this field. I owe him and his wonderful husband an immense amount – our encounters are always extraordinarily inspiring, both personally and professionally. His dedication honors and moves me deeply.
