Murray Kearney began playing the viola at the age of eight in his hometown of Sydney, and was initially drawn to the viola over other string instruments for its unique and rich sound. At the end of high school, he made the move to Brisbane to study under Michele Walsh at the Queensland Conservatorium, where he completed his Bachelor of Music in Performance in 2020.
Murray is particularly enthusiastic about chamber and orchestral music. He was a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra’s flagship ensemble in 2017-19, participating in the International Tour to Europe and China in 2019. Murray has a strong affinity for the string quartet genre, having travelled and performed in Townsville, Stradbroke Island and Montreal with his Queensland Conservatorium-formed quartet throughout his undergraduate years. The group received masterclasses and coaching from Peter Wiley, Kim Kashkashian, Paul Watkins, Dene Olding and Umberto Clerici.
Some highlights of Murray’s musical journey so far include multiple performances with Ensemble Q as part of their mentorship program, and performing Mendelssohn’s Octet alongside Peter Wiley and Andrew Wan at the Musical Chairs Festival in Montreal. While he loves all opportunities to perform chamber music, an opportunity to perform any of Beethoven's sixteen string quartets is always especially exciting.
Murray is undertaking lots of further musical discovery through his third year of training at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in 2023, under the guidance of Caroline Henbest.
FROM: Sydney, NSW. Lands of the Gadigal people.
Murray’s training at ANAM is supported by ANAM Syndicate donors Mark Debeljak and Daniel Lehrer, Graeme Hairsine, M Elizabeth Douglas, James Phillips, Pam Montgomery
Photo by Pia Johnson