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jazz composer and conductor

"Olivia is a real diamond, creating great work still so early in her career  ... (her jazz orchestra) is a project that deserves to be seen on as many stages as possible"

Alex Carr, Cheltenham Jazz / Southbank Centre

Olivia Murphy has quickly established herself as an innovative, creative and colourful artist working in large ensemble jazz composition and has developed her own distinct and personal voice.
Her music fuses contemporary composition and song-writing with elements of free improvisation, while always keeping story-telling at its core. 
 
The Olivia Murphy Orchestra was established with the support of the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award in 2021 and has since gone on to perform sold out performances across the UK, and release its debut EP, Somewhere, Not So Far Away, which was recorded live at Birmingham Symphony Hall. The Orchestra recorded its debut studio album in October 2024, with support from the Help Musicians Next Level Award
 
In 2024, Olivia became a Resident Musical Director for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, following a successful period as composer-in-residence in 2020-22. As resident MD, she leads leads weekly rehearsals and regularly conducts national performances with the flagship Emerging Professional Band.
 
Olivia is regularly commissioned and in 2022 was honoured to be invited by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to re-arrange the Mike Gibbs' piece “The Time Has Come" to celebrate the legendary and influential composer's 85th birthday. She has also been commissioned by the ABRSM (2024), Sonorite Saxophone Quartet (2023), University of Birmingham (2021), and Around The Houses Festival (2021).

 

Olivia loves to be collaborative and diverse in her compositional work, from her 2024 piece Europa, written for GOKUMI large ensemble and improvising vocal chorus, to her commissioned solo vibraphone work (for percussionist Gloria Yehilevsky), to lyrical song-writing for her award-winning Moonrise Trio (clarinet, voice and piano).

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large ensemble works & commissions

Europa (8 minutes) - improvising vocal chorus, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin 1 & 2, cello, lever harp, jazz guitar, double bass, percussion. London, May 2024.

Sister Suite (25 minutes) - 18-piece jazz orchestra. Four movement suite. Birmingham Symphony Hall (B:Jazz Festival), August 2023.  

 

The Time Has Come (Mike Gibbs arr. Olivia Murphy) (7 minutes) - 15-piece jazz orchestra. Commissioned by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, December 2022.

Somewhere, Not So Far Away (30 minutes) - 21-piece jazz orchestra, four piece live album. recorded live at Birmingham Symphony Hall, February 2022.

 

The Music of Amy Winehouse (arr. Olivia Murphy) - 22 piece jazz orchestra, arranged for a 20-date UK tour with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, 2021-2022.

 

There Is A Hill (5 minutes) - Jazz Orchestra Educational Programme, commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, June 2020. 

        Olivia has also been commissioned to write small ensemble / solo works by Sonorite Saxophone Quartet, Stoney Lane Records,  percussionist Gloria Yehilevsky, and guitarist Daniel Kemshell.

 

 

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“her arrangements bring to mind Gil Evans, elsewhere… are reminiscent of Maria Schneider, wistful and moody…. clearly a name to watch out for” UK Jazz News

“her conducting style is almost like expressive dancing...very distinctive, clearly communicating nuance to the players. She’s almost entering the realms of shadow puppetry shapes!” Jazzlines

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