She began her career at the Santa Fe Opera where she created there the role of Katie in Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain in 2015.
Phillips studied at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, obtaining both Bachelor and Master of Arts diplomas.
[1] She was a member of the Santa Fe Opera's studio,[1] appearing as Sardula in Menotti's The Last Savage and as Contessa in Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims.
[2] She joined the company for a year in 2014,[1] performing roles such as Frasquita in Bizet's Carmen and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto.
[4] He wrote that she portrayed her character's development from a naive girl to a suffering victim of power, with the pathos of Greek tragedy, and finally to a disillusioned self-determined woman, with a delicate voice full of nuances, and shining in ensembles.