Philip Rawlinson (they/them) is a violist, composer, and improviser whose work centers around new musical sound worlds, resilience, and liberation as those topics relate to both the simplicity and complexity of the natural world and to the exploration of physical and social relationships between beings and locations. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, and now based in Boston at the New England Conservatory for undergraduate studies, they hope to create music that inspires, uplifts, and brings meaning to their audiences—finding the most meaningful experience and loving connection in collaboration and chamber music, and in experimentation, teaching, and constant learning. Through free and organized improvisation, and through an unyielding dedication to sharing works of the present moment, they hope to use artistic creation as a method of bringing about change. Philip’s interest in reading and writing thoughtful literature and abstract visual art also seeps into their musical work as they explore a blurring of disciplinary boundaries and find inspiration in internal and external realms. Outside of their artistic and academic work, Philip loves reading (especially poetic non-fiction and speculative fiction) to gain new perspectives, abstract drawing- and collage-making, writing, getting coffee or tea or food with friends, taking long walks or hikes listening to their favorite music at the moment or just the sounds created by both the natural and artificial world, and getting to know others deeply through conversation and shared experience.