Gateway City Big Band | Phil Vonder Haar

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PHIL VONDER HAAR (tenor sax) — After first learning about the band by finding one of its records at a garage sale, Phil Vonder Haar started subbing and knew he wanted to be a regular member. When long-time band saxophonist Jim Knox retired in 2000, Phil filled his position.

Phil graduated from Southside Catholic High, now St. Mary's. He joined the army, attended the Army Band School and played in the 24th Division Band in occupied Japan. Feeling that his career was to be in music, he took courses at the Ludwig College of Music. The urge became great enough that he left school to "go on the road". One of his first jobs was with Nick Stuart, a 20’s era movie star who was labeled “The Man with the Band from Movieland”. He was with this group for about 18 months, during which time they broadcast, appeared on television and recorded. After leaving the band, he went to work in data processing and spent most of his working years in that profession.

Phil is a versatile musician. He plays tenor saxophone and clarinet in GCBB (and flute with Nick Stuart), and has sung in and arranged music for vocal groups. He's enjoyed backing performers like Lena Horne at the Chase Hotel and Victor Borge and Liberace in Las Vegas; playing the Trianon Ballroom, the Blue Room, in Gaslight Square, on the streets of New Orleans; and the Casa Loma Ballroom 165+ times.

One of Phil's fondest memories is easily refreshed - he has a tape of the band’s broadcast from the Chase Club on the day he asked his wife Jane to marry him. They married in October, 1949, and now have four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

As an entertainer, Phil is a natural. He loves to perform and "would go out of my tree" if he didn't have the opportunity to play. There've been more bands than he can remember during his teens, places he wouldn't have gotten to, people and experiences he can't forget. He feels very lucky to have been on the road during the end of the big band era and now be with the Gateway City Big Band.

Click on a name below to read about other members of our Sax Section.
JIM MOORE (alto sax)	DON CLAUSON (tenor sax)
JERRY WOOD (alto sax)	PHIL VONDER HAAR (tenor sax)
GARY BUECHELE (baritone sax)