Ryan Murphy
Ryan T. Murphy (born 1971), a native of Newtown, Connecticut, has been the associate music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir since 27 March 2009, working with music director Mack Wilberg. He is an alumni of Brigham Young University (BYU) where he earned bachelor’s (1997) and master’s degrees (2002). While he was a student at BYU he served as an assistant to then BYU professor Wilburg. He received a doctorate in choral conducting from Boston University in 2009 which open the doors for opportunities to conduct in several local venues.
Murphy has a diverse musical background. By the age of 5 he was playing the piano. He was a member of a boys’ choir, conducted his high school choir, played the role of Danny Zuko in “Grease,” and was a keyboardist for the band The Current which performed Led Zeppelin covers. In an interview for the Taunton Daily Gazette, he commented:
I was the music director at St. Malachy Parish in Burlington. I taught and had a choir at Walnut Hill School [for the Performing Arts] in Natick, and I did two choirs for New England Conservatory Preparatory School.
Murphy has also been music director at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts and the Sundance Institute in Provo. Among his responsibilities are assisting Mack Wilberg with the Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in rehearsals, concerts, tours, and the weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. He also helps to produce recording sessions (they just finished a recording of Handel’s “Messiah”), and serves as the conductor of the Temple Square Chorale, the preparatory ensemble for new singers in Choir service. When Murphy isn’t working with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, he teams up with his wife, Jennifer, and directs the choir at a local elementary school.
Follow Ryan Murphy
Recent Posts
Myster Su’a Expresses Importance of Family in New Music Video
This week’s “Video Find of the Week” features a music video by Saimasina Su’a (professionally known as Myster Su’a). The song that he sings called “Before I Die” is a powerful message to us all of just how important family should be. In the description of the video...
New Music Video Beautifully Reminds Us of Our Heavenly Father’s Love
Father's Day celebrates more than our dads, grandpas, and uncles. In a new Father’s Day music video, Brigham Young University’s Young Ambassadors remind us all that Father’s Day doesn’t just honor our earthly dads and grandpas, but also our Father in Heaven. Their...
Face To Face With Beyond Measure
I had the great opportunity to meet with Eric Corpuz- founder and current manager of Beyond Measure, and another wonderful group member, Janet Vallem, who just recently became alumni of Beyond Measure. Both Eric and Janet provided exciting and important information...
Tyra and Sander’s “Jesus of Nazareth”
A lot of the music we listen to these days is upbeat and has catchy lyrics that we like to sing along to, but sometimes a pure musical number is what we need to feel a calming presence and peace in our life and escape from songs that constantly play in the background...
David James Archuleta Finds the Balance Within
Since returning home from his two-year mission in Santiago, Chile, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, singer/songwriter David Archuleta has been on the move sharing positive messages of hope and encouragement in many different venues. He recently...
Found a Friend by James the Mormon
Suicide and drug overdose are major stigmas in our society today and are issues that need to be more openly talked about and addressed. People do not like to speak about painful or hard things in life. It is not often that you hear serious subjects such as depression;...