Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano

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A shimmering soprano with enchanting stage presence, Heidi Grant Murphy is one of the outstanding vocal talents of her generation. She has appeared with many of the world's finest opera companies and symphony orchestras, notably the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, Frankfurt Opera, Netherlands Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, and Opera National de Paris. She has been engaged as soloist with the Vienna, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras; and Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Atlanta, St. Louis, Houston, National and Dallas Symphonies. Ms. Murphy has worked with such esteemed conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph Eschenbach, James Levine, Reinbert de Leeuw, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, Michael Tilson Thomas, Edo de Waart, Christoph Von Dohnányi, David Zinman, Pinchas Zukerman and the late Robert Shaw.

Ms. Murphy's 2008-2009 performance season displays her orchestral, operatic and chamber music vocal talents throughout the United States. She began her season with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 conducted by Bernard Haitink, and appeared at the Ravinia Festival as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Mater Gloriosa in Mahler's Symphony No. 8. She sings the Angel in Messiaen's epic St. Francois d'Assise with De Nederlandse Opera at the BBC Proms and with Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France. Other season appearances include a recording and performances with the Milwaukee Symphony, as well as engagements with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Cincinnati, National, Houston, and St. Louis symphonies. She sings chamber music with the St. Lawrence Quartet and pianist Kevin Murphy in Houston and Iowa City, and in January reprises her role as Amor in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Metropolitan Opera under James Levine.

Ms. Murphy most recently recorded Lullabies and Nightsongs for Koch, due for release in 2009. Other releases include Augusta Read Thomas's Gathering Paradise with Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic on New World. an XM Satellite Radio compilation of Sondheim classics, five additional discs for Koch and recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Arabesque and Delos. She can also be heard on the Grammy-nominated Sweeney Todd (Johanna) for the New York Philharmonic's private label.

Heidi Grant Murphy lives in New York City with her husband Kevin Murphy and their four children. She has been a featured guest on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts and BBC Radio 3. In October 2005, Ms. Murphy received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Western Washington University, where she pursued a bachelor's degree in music performance.

"Heidi Grant Murphy has one of those immaculate silvery, youthful voices that make the listener start with pleasure and scan the program to find her name." - New York Newsday

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