SEASON No. 6

PASSPORT TO EUROPE

a musical tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alan Murray has appeared extensively in solo and chamber music recitals and as concerto soloist with symphony orchestras in the US and abroad. The 2019/20 season marks his eighth consecutive as soloist, having previously performed Bartók (No. 2), Beethoven (No. 4), Brahms (Nos. 1 & 2), Chopin (Nos. 1 & 2), Liszt (Totentanz), Prokofiev (Nos. 2 & 3), Rachmaninoff (Nos. 2 & 3 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), Ravel (for the Left Hand), Saint-Saëns (Nos. 2 & 4) and Tchaikovsky (No. 1).

 

In addition to his February 2020 appearance with PACO in Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2, Alan’s remaining 2019 concerto engagements include Ravel’s G major and Scriabin’s concertos this August in Bulgaria and Prokofiev No. 3 in October with the Yonkers Philharmonic (New York). His concerto appearances (including with PACO) in the US have been arranged primarily via not-for-profit Moxart.org and in Europe via the International Musicians Academy. His concerto and other performance recordings and schedule can be found at www.studio-hollywood.com. An active and dedicated chamber musician, his 2019 season also included recent appearances at the annual RiverArts Music Tour in the lower Hudson Valley in 16 duo and trio masterpieces for violin, cello and piano by Arensky, Brahms, Debussy, Franck, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky; his 2018 Music Tour appearances featured a Beethoven Series comprising the composer's complete Sonatas for Violin & Piano and for Cello & Piano and ‘Archduke’ Trio.

 

In prior seasons, Mr. Murray presented the Masters Series and Sunrise Series Concerts in the New York area, over 100 recital programs in total, comprising multiple performances of the cycles of solo piano music of Chopin, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel and J.S. Bach, as well as  Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas and Diabelli Variations and major works of Schubert, Brahms, Liszt, Albéniz (Iberia), Granados (Goyescas), Rachmaninoff,  Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Mr. Murray also initiated Collectanea, a series of multi-media performances in collaboration with other distinguished artists, combining art/poetry/dance-inspired classical piano masterpieces with simultaneous on-stage illuminated displays of still art, live modern dance and poetry readings; the initial program featured Bach-Busoni's Chaconne, Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, Liszt's Vallée d'Obermann, and Granados' Goyescas.

 

A career professional in finance, Mr. Murray was a long-term member of the Global Financial Institutions Group management team at Moody’s Investors Service in New York, where he oversaw the firm's operations in the Latin America region and managed client portfolios in the US, Canada, Bermuda, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions, prior to which he served as a corporate actuary with American International Group. He resides in Westchester County, New York with his family where they also own and operate an independent specialty bookstore, Galápagos Books.  He began his music studies with Frances Wazeter and Allen Weiss and continues with his long-time performance coach Robert Preston, distinguished piano soloist and chamber music collaborator with the very finest of his generation, as well as a professional artistic photographer. Mr. Murray holds a diploma from the International Musicians Academy in Europe, and a degree in theoretical physics and languages from Cornell University, where he also received a special University Award  for distinguished piano soloist.