Phil Merrill

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Deceased
English
English

Phil Merrill - mid 1970s - Courtesy of the CDSS

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Phil Merrill - 1974 - by Marliss Muller - Courtesy of the CDSS

Phillip Merrill became the long-time, accomplished and beloved Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) Music Director. He was a major influence on the early work of the organization.

A student at Eastman School of Music, Phil was soon a wonderful Morris, sword, and country dancer, as well as an endlessly inventive and irresistible dance musician who played regularly for classes in New York and later at Pinewoods.

Phil died in 1985. A fund was established in his name to provide funds for special programs that advance the aims of the CDSS.

Dances Phil taught include A Trip to Paris, Apley House, The Beggar Boy, The Boatman, The Comical Fellow, The Dressed Ship, The Hole in the Wall, The Merry Merry Milkmaids, Mr. Beveridge's Maggot, Nonesuch (A La Mode de France), The Old Mole, and Oranges and Lemons.