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:
- Violin concerto for Kerson Leong and Violons de Roy, February 2025
- Concerto for Guy Few and Surrey City Orchestra, September 2025
- Cello duo for India Gailey and Leah Plave, August 2025
- Duo for viola and cello, Elvira Misbakhova and Stéphane Tétreault, July 2025
- Cantiamo Girls Choir, Ottawa, May 2025
Current:
- Septet for clarinet and strings, Foundation Boubo-Music, Switzerland, May 2024
- Viola and piano for Elvira Misbakhova, July 2024
Recent:
- Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, National Arts Centre Orchestra
- Prima-Goodman Fantasy for La Fiammata Duo
- The Unstoppable Fear Machine, 2 Saxophones and Piano
- Flowers Band, UK, O Frabjous Day, Alice Slays
CURRENT
PERFORMANCES & EVENTS
Sächsischer Orchesterwettbewerb 2025- Orchestra Competition
Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra
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)