I am a conductor and composer specializing in choral music, new music, and community-engaged singing. At Laurier, I direct the Laurier Singers, and I also serve at University of Toronto Scarborough where I direct the Concert Choir. Previously, I taught at Western University as Interim Coordinator of Choral Activities (2018-2020) and University of Illinois as director of the University Chorus.

As a guest conductor, I have collaborated with numerous choral and new music ensembles and festivals including the Guelph Chamber Choir, Cor Amica (London, ON), Huron Chorus (London, ON), Ad Astra Music Festival (Russel, KS), Illinois Summer Youth Music (Urbana, IL), FAWN Chamber Creative (Toronto), Thin Edge New Music Collective (Toronto), New Music New Haven (CT), and the University of Toronto New Music Festival.

As a composer, my choral works have been commissioned and performed by ensembles across Canada and the United States and are published by Cypress Choral Music and Renforth Music. As a volunteer, I lead a community singing program for the London Intercommunity Health Centre focused on social connection and well-being. I hold degrees from University of Illinois (DMA), Yale School of Music (MM) and University of Toronto (BMus.).

My ongoing research explores how contemporary choral composers are using their art and practice to create new platforms for specific communities to tell their stories through choral performance. My research was supported by a SSHRC doctoral fellowship, and I have been invited to present at choral and interdisciplinary arts conferences including Podium (Canada’s choral conference), National Collegiate Choral Organization, Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities, and the Social Impact of Music Making Symposium Paris.

I also have an interest in choral diction pedagogy, specifically the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the choral rehearsal. I’ve presented my work on teaching diction through choral warmups at American Choral Director’s Association conferences and for high school students and teachers in Canada and the United States.

I am active as a choral composer, with recent commissions for the Carmel Bach Festival, New York Polyphony, Holy Cross College (Worcester, Massachusetts) and Metropolitan United Church (Toronto).

• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2018-2021)
• National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs: National Finalist for Western University Singers (2019)
• SOCAN Young Composer’s Award (2012)
• DaCapo Chamber Choir NewWorks Award (2011)

Compositions

• Murray, Patrick. “At Thy Voice.” SATB Choir. Vancouver: Cypress Choral Music, 2020.
• “In Slumber Deep.” SATB Choir. Vancouver: Cypress Choral Music, 2020
• “Morning Hymn.” SATB Choir. Vancouver: Cypress Choral Music, 2018.
• “Book of Lamentations.” TTBB Choir. Rothesay, N.B.: Renforth Music, 2016.

• DaCapo Chamber Choir. NewWorks. Leonard Enns, conductor. 2018. (Featured composer of “The Echo.”)
• Yale Schola Cantorum. New England Choral Works. David Hill, conductor. London, U.K.: Hyperion, 2018. (Singer)

At Laurier, the emphasis on connecting to community, envisioning possibilities for new and interdisciplinary musical creation, and individual freedom for students to find their own creative pathways is truly unique in a music institution. In choirs, we emphasize these priorities through collaboratively designing our musical programming for the season, opportunities to work with other musical artists and ensembles in a variety of genres, championing the new work of student and faculty composers, and taking our singing off-campus through partnerships with community organizations. Through these opportunities, Laurier students are being prepared for well-rounded and diverse musical careers that meet the challenges of accessible music making in the twenty-first century. It is a privilege both to teach and continue to learn alongside our singers.