Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian began his violin studies at the age of 5. He obtained a first prize in chamber music at the Paris National Conservatory of Music in 1984 and the following year a first prize in violin. He completed two advanced training cycles in the classes of Gérard Poulet and Jean-Claude Bernède. Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian then studied in Cremona, Italy under Salvatore Accardo, then at the Juilliard School of Music in New York with Dorothy Delay for one year. He has won numerous prizes at international violin competitions including Carl Flesch, Zino Francescatti, Lipizer, Palm Beach.

Alongside his career with the Trio Wanderer, Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian performs as a soloist with numerous orchestras such as the orchestras of Lille, Avignon, Brittany, Caen, Poitou-Charentes, Cannes and the Orchestre des Siècles. He regularly plays in duo with pianist Marie-Joseph Jude. With accordionist Richard Galliano, he founded a septet around a Piazzolla program that has performed around the world.

Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian is a professor at the Paris National Conservatory of Music. With his colleagues from the Trio Wanderer, he has opened a piano trio class at the CRR de Paris for concert preparation and international competitions. "The presence of violinist Jean-Marc Phillips in the Trio Wanderer is an invaluable asset. He possesses the charm of a warm and full-bodied sound, the ease that comes from total technical mastery as well as a sense of dialogue." (Le Figaro – Paris).