Robert Murphy
Robert began his violin studies as a young child on Long Island. After an early introduction to music in school, he began studying privately which eventually lead to the Suzuki method. Suzuki laid a solid foundation and became the springboard to meeting and studying with Irene Lawton. At Stony Brook University, he was given the unique and privileged opportunity of studying and performing with the graduate level orchestra as a high school student. As high school drew to an end, Robert enrolled at New York State University at Fredonia, where he majored in audio engineering and continued violin and music studies with Margaret Cooper and Charles Joseph. During this period, he performed with such professional ensembles as the Erie Philharmonic and the Fredonia Chamber Players. Post college, Robert began a career in the audio field working at the legendary Hit Factory recording studios in NYC. During his time here, he engineered recordings for a varied and eclectic mix of artists. All the while he was engineering, he maintained his passion and enthusiasm for violin. Eventually relocating to the Hudson Valley region, Robert fully immersed himself in violin performance and pedagogy.
He is currently the assistant concertmaster of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. He maintains positions in the first violin sections of the Newburgh Symphony, Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra, and the Hudson Opera Theatre Orchestra. During summers, he is a member of the Conductor’s Institute Orchestra at Bard College. Most recently, Robert began playing with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic under the direction of Randall Fleischer. In addition to orchestral playing, he is a member of the Regiment string quartet. Along with other members of Hudson Pro Musica, he has recorded numerous times for commercial releases in both film and music. Robert continues to teach privately in the New York region, including at the Mountain Laurel School in New Paltz, as well as the Black Bear Conservatory in Pennsylvania.
