About

William Vyvyan Murray left moonlighting Melbourne nightclubs as a jazz/funk/ska pianist to pursue life as a violist and composer in Europe. He studied as an undergraduate at the UdK in Berlin, and then attended august institutions in Paris, Cremona and Amsterdam.
He performs in chamber music ensembles and with orchestras such as Ensemble Reflektor (Germany), the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Spira Mirabilis (Italy), the Berliner Kammerorchester, the Brandenburg State Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.

William’s compositions have been presented in solo and chamber music concerts in Europe, Asia, America and Australia. His chamber music and arrangements have been performed in concerts in Tokyo, San Francisco, Singapore, Amsterdam and Berlin.

An active performer in music festivals throughout the world, William’s appearances include Kuhmo - Finland, Verbier - Switzerland, Prussia Cove - England, Accademia Chigiana and Mantova Chamber Music Festivals - Italy, and Otaru - Japan.

As a chamber musician, William appears regularly in quartets and quintets alongside leading classical musicians like Salvatore Accardo, David Geringas, Antje Weithaas, Bruno Giuranna, Rainer Honeck, Nobuko Imai, Phillippe Graffin, Richard Wolfe, Rocco Fillipini and the Inventi Ensemble.

He holds undergraduate qualifications from UdK Berlin and Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. He was awarded two Masters degrees - the most recent from CvA Amsterdam where he helped organise Nobuko Imai’s class. At the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana he felt privileged to be one of Bruno Giuranna’s final students. He also spent 5 years working with Maestro Giuranna at the acclaimed Stauffer Accademia in Cremona.

William has taught classes at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Australian National Academy of Music.

He feels very fortunate to play on a composite viola made by Antonio and Hieronymous Amati of Cremona in 1620.