Headliner Clinician
Dr. Brian Murphy
Ryan Murphy was appointed associate music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on 27 March 2009. As associate music director, Murphy is responsible to assist Dr. Mack Wilberg, music director, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in rehearsals, concerts, tours and the weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. He also serves as the conductor of the Temple Square Chorale, the preparatory ensemble for new singers in choir service.
Murphy has extensive choral conducting and professional musical theater experience. Prior to his appointment, he conducted six choirs in the Boston area, including two choirs at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. He served for four years as the choral director at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, an internationally recognized secondary school affiliated with the New England Conservatory. He was the music director for the Tuacahn theatre in the St. George, Utah area from 2005 to 2007 following five seasons as music director at the Sundance Institute in Provo, Utah. While in Boston, he maintained an active performing schedule including collaborations at the Tanglewood Summer Festival.
Murphy graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in piano and organ performance and pedagogy. He also has a master’s degree in choral conducting from Brigham Young University and will receive his doctorate in choral conducting from Boston University in May of this year.
He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children.
Murphy has extensive choral conducting and professional musical theater experience. Prior to his appointment, he conducted six choirs in the Boston area, including two choirs at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. He served for four years as the choral director at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, an internationally recognized secondary school affiliated with the New England Conservatory. He was the music director for the Tuacahn theatre in the St. George, Utah area from 2005 to 2007 following five seasons as music director at the Sundance Institute in Provo, Utah. While in Boston, he maintained an active performing schedule including collaborations at the Tanglewood Summer Festival.
Murphy graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in piano and organ performance and pedagogy. He also has a master’s degree in choral conducting from Brigham Young University and will receive his doctorate in choral conducting from Boston University in May of this year.
He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children.
Headliner Concert
The Grissom Chamber Choir
Tucker Ratcliff, Director
Grissom Choir has held a standard of excellence for the vast majority of its active years at Grissom High School. Upwards of 130 Grissom High School students are current members of one or more of the 4 curricular choirs: The Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, Concert Choir, and premier: The Chamber Choir. As part of the Huntsville City School's School System, the mission of Grissom Choir is to provide an all-inclusive choral music education, and provide it's stakeholders with choral music opportunities of the highest calibre. Holding a standard of excellence for the vast majority of its active years at Grissom High School, Grissom Choir is consistently known for its dedication to classical choral singing, as well as its inclusion of contemporary repertoire. Every year, each choir in the department scores (Straight & Overall) Superior & Excellent Ratings at Choral Performance Assessments, as well as at the Alabama Solo & Ensemble Festival. Many of our students are involved in Huntsville's All-City Choral Festival, as well as Alabama's All-State Choral Festival each year, with students being selected as City, District, and State Outstanding Choral Students. Over the past 8 years, Grissom Choir has risen to be one of Alabama's premier high-school choral programs, receiving invitations to perform across the state, nation, and world. Grissom Choir has performed alongside the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra ('19), on the Carnegie Hall Stage ('18), in the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference ('22), at the ACDA Collegiate Choral Festival (’23) and at the State Capitol ('23, ’24), and internationally on a custom, Costa-Rican Concert Tour to San José and Arenal, sharing music with its citizens and collaborating with Costa Rica ACDA (’23). This coming summer, Grissom Choir will embark on a Performance Tour to New York City, and has also been invited to perform at the Alabama ACDA Summer Conference, an overwhelming testament to the amount of dedication and love our students have towards their passions.
The Chamber Choir was established in 2018 and is the auditioned, advanced ensemble open to students in 10th-12th grade at Grissom High School, taking claim to performing 4-8 part literature at concerts, assessments, and the other prestigious events throughout the Huntsville area and state of Alabama. During its years of existence, the ensemble has grown exponentially in character, morale and skill. The Chamber Choir learns upwards of 20 songs each school year, performing extra concerts and tours throughout the year on-top of their three regularly scheduled concerts. Each year, students are selected based upon their execution of a self-prepared song, sight-reading, scales, work ethic, and attitude during the previous school year. Students must maintain a level of music proficiency that would enable them to be a contributing member of this premier, collegiate-level ensemble.
The Chamber Choir was established in 2018 and is the auditioned, advanced ensemble open to students in 10th-12th grade at Grissom High School, taking claim to performing 4-8 part literature at concerts, assessments, and the other prestigious events throughout the Huntsville area and state of Alabama. During its years of existence, the ensemble has grown exponentially in character, morale and skill. The Chamber Choir learns upwards of 20 songs each school year, performing extra concerts and tours throughout the year on-top of their three regularly scheduled concerts. Each year, students are selected based upon their execution of a self-prepared song, sight-reading, scales, work ethic, and attitude during the previous school year. Students must maintain a level of music proficiency that would enable them to be a contributing member of this premier, collegiate-level ensemble.
