Phil Dallais playing a short of jawsaphone designed by Harm Linsen (Leiden). Photo: Harm Linsen, 2006.
International Jew’s Harp Society
TREASURER, Executive Board, Webmaster
Philippe Dallais
Born in Geneva in 1969, Phil studied anthropology, archaeology, and art history at the University of Neuchâtel. Although his first experience with the jew's harp in childhood was not particularly successful, a pivotal moment came during his fieldwork among the Ainu people of Japan in 1991. There, an Ainu woman taught him to play the mukkuri, igniting his deep passion for the instrument both as an anthropologist and a musician.
Influenced by the work of scholars like Fred Crane, Phil developed a keen interest in the history and diversity of jew's harps across Europe, Siberia, and Asia, within the fields of ethnomusicology, archaeology, and history. In 2001, he embarked on a fieldwork trip to the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine to research the last remaining drymba makers, exploring the musical, social, cultural, and economic significance of the instrument.
Since 1996, Phil has organized numerous jew's harp concerts in Switzerland, delivered lectures, and developed an educational program for primary schools. In 1999, he created a multimedia teaching kit designed to introduce the music of the jew's harp from a variety of cultural perspectives. Between 1998 and 2004, he taught the jew’s harp in primary schools, developing an approach he called ethnomusicopedagogy – using the instrument not only to teach musical skills but also to explore and connect with diverse musical traditions from around the world.
In 2000, Phil launched the 'Boîte à Guimbarde' (B.A.G.), a dedicated jew's harp unit within the Museum of Ethnography in Neuchâtel. The B.A.G. aims to showcase the global diversity of the instrument while expanding the museum’s collection. Along with CDs and booklets, visitors can purchase the same instruments which are part of the museum’s collection (online database http://www.men.ch/). The initiative also provides a platform for jew’s harp makers worldwide to exhibit and sell their instruments, reaching a broader audience.
In 2004, Phil joined the Visual Anthropology department of the Zurich Museum of Ethnography, where he began compiling a collection of historical and contemporary photographs of jew's harp players worldwide. This research was presented in a small exhibition for the 5th International Jew's Harp Festival in Amsterdam in 2006, titled Jew’s Harp Players in Old Photographs: Scenes and Portraits from Different Cultures.
Phil has been an active member of the International Jew's Harp Society (IJHS) since 2006, serving as treasurer on the Executive Board. In 2017, he spearheaded the creation of the IJHS’s new website, which he continues to develop.
In 2020, Phil founded a cultural association and center called KVO (www.o-kvo.ch), located in an 18th-century wine cellar in Neuchâtel. The KVO functions as a multimedia cultural laboratory, with a strong focus on music.
In 2022, Phil initiated Switzerland's first jew's harp festival, the TRÜMPI FESTIVAL, with the third edition planned for June 2026. The festival seeks to unite Swiss and international artists, promoting the transmission of jew’s harp craftsmanship and playing skills through workshops and performances. With the slogan S’kuulschti Trümpifäscht i de Schwiiz !!, the festival aims to bridge Switzerland's linguistic regions through a shared appreciation for the instrument.
Primarily a soloist, Phil performs improvisations on various types of jew's harps and has a particular interest in blending the instrument with electronic music, as well as exploring contemporary and experimental forms of jew's harp music. His main mentors include Spiridon Shishigin, John Wright, Tran Quang Hai, and Anton Bruhin.
Email: phidkat@bluewin.ch
Article on the Hutsul drymba from Ukraine
Tümpi Festival 2023
Trümpi Festival 2024
