Ryan Murphy, cello

Ryan Murphy began making his mark in the classical music world as a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Stephen Geber. While still studying, he made his solo debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and subsequently performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, achievements that followed his second-place win in the 2003 Sphinx Competition. He went on to complete his Master’s degree with Bonnie Hampton at The Juilliard School.

An avid orchestral musician, Mr. Murphy joined the San Antonio Symphony in the 2012-2013 season and later played with the Phoenix Symphony during the 2021-2022 season. He participated in the Pittsburgh Symphony's Orchestral Training Program for African American and Latino Musicians (OTPAAM) and spends his summers at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder. He served as assistant principal cellist with the World Youth Orchestra for Peace, performing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings, and as principal cellist of the Red Bull Artsehcro at Carnegie Hall, premiering a concerto for DJ and orchestra.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Murphy was a member of The Young Eight and has performed with the Mid Texas Chamber Players, Musical Offerings, Camerata San Antonio, and is a regular artist in the Ravenscroft Chamber Music Series. He has toured nationally with the Sphinx Virtuosi and has been featured in chamber music programs at the Colorado Music Festival.

Recently, Mr. Murphy has embraced period performance, playing in St. Mark’s Recital of Baroque Chamber Works in San Antonio and with Sonido Barroco San Antonio. He also performs with Bach Academie Charlotte, AZ Bach Fest, and the Handel and Haydn Society orchestra.

Mr. Murphy performs on a 2017 Nicolas Gilles cello for modern repertoire and a 1998 Peter Staszel baroque cello, on permanent loan from the Chicago workshop of William Harris Lee & Co. He resides in Phoenix with his wife Morgen and daughter Tallulah, both of whom are also cellists.