Kelly-Marie Murphy
Kelly-Marie Murphy’s compositional voice is well known on the Canadian music scene. She has created a number of memorable works for some of Canada’s leading performers and ensembles, including the Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, The Gryphon Trio, James Campbell, Shauna Rolston, the Cecilia and Afiara String Quartets, and Judy Loman.
Dr. Murphy’s music has been performed around the world by outstanding soloists and ensembles, and has had radio broadcasts in over 22 countries. Her music has been interpreted by renowned conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, David Brophy, Bramwell Tovey, and Mario Bernardi. Her music has been heard in iconic concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, The Mozarteum in Salzburg, and The National Concert Hall in Dublin.
Recent, Current and Upcoming
PROJECTS
Upcoming:
- Flowers Band, June 2026
- Pentaèdre Quintet, April 2026
- Viola + Cello duo, 2026
- Brainstorm Project (Guy Few), 2026
- Winnipeg Composer’s Institute, January 2026
- European Tour with Toronto Symphony, January/February 2026
Current:
- Cello duo, India Gailey and Leah Plave, September 2025
- Shhh!! Ensemble, October 2025
- Piano Trio, October 202
Recent:
- Violin concerto for Kerson Leong and Violons de Roy, February 2025
- Viola and piano for Elvira Misbakhova
- Septet for clarinet and strings, Foundation Boubo-Music, Switzerland
- Cantiamo Girls Choir, Ottawa
CURRENT
PERFORMANCES & EVENTS
Vetta Chamber Music kicks off 40th anniversary season with Murphy’s DARK ENERGY
Artistic director and violinist Joan Blackman says Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy’s interstellar Dark Energy is challenging but worth the effort.
FOR FOUR DECADES, Vetta Chamber Music has done a stellar job of delighting audiences in Vancouver and elsewhere with high-level musicianship, thoughtful programming, and cross-cultural initiatives. But for the organization’s 40th anniversary, “stellar” isn’t good enough. Interstellar is Vetta’s new watchword, and chamber-music enthusiasts can look forward to an unusually expansive series of five concerts that span everything from new Canadian commissions to ensemble favourites revived from Vetta’s past.
Major Canadian Orchestras Feature Murphy’s Work on New Albums
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) have both included works by Kelly Marie Murphy on their new album releases.
NACO’s new album Poema is the first in four-part series exploring tone poems by Richard Strauss, and features NAC-commissioned companion pieces by Kelly-Marie Murphy and Kevin Lau. In Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, Murphy responds to Strauss by examining other notable events that occurred while he was writing Don Juan. Release date: January 17, 2025. Learn more
TSO’s Pulcinella recording includes Murphy’s Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark, which was commissioned by the TSO and performed in 2024.
Release date: February 14, 2025. Learn more
Press
“The scintillating piece [Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe] makes good use of instruments like the harp, vibraphone, windchimes, flute and solo violin to evoke the shining stars, whereas large tuttis plunge the listener into the dark vastness of the universe. The assembled orchestral masses were impressive both in the subtle and in the large passages.”
– By Béatrice Cadrin on Ludwig-van.com, March 1, 2024
“The piece [Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark] is marked by an air of breezy discovery, dotted with biting rhythms that undercut dense chords from the strings and brass. There was a fullness to the orchestra’s sound in these sections, propelled forward by unrelenting syncopations and fiery rips of plucked notes by the double basses, thrilling both aurally and visually.”
– By Joshua Chong, Culture Reporter, Toronto Star, May 8, 2024
(Photo: Danylo Bobyk)