Kevin Murphy, piano

Pianist Kevin Murphy has been director of music administration at the New York City Opera since September 2008. Prior to joining the New York City Opera staff, he was appointed by Gerard Mortier as the directeur des etudes musicales at the Opéra National de Paris. In 1992, he was the first pianist invited by Maestro James Levine to participate in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and continued as an assistant conductor from 1993 through June 2006. He has played continuo harpsichord with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in productions of Cosí¬ fan tutte, La Cenerentola, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, La Clemenza di Tito, and Idomeneo and traveled with the company on tour in Japan. In August 2011, he assumes the position of director of the vocal program at Ravinia's Steans Music Institute.

In addition to his on- and off-stage partnership with soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, he has collaborated in concert and recital with many of today's leading artists, including Michelle DeYoung, Bejun Mehta, Gary Lakes, Nathan Gunn, Olaf Bär, Bryn Terfel, Marcelo Alvarez, Placido Domingo, Frederica von Stade, Renee Fleming, Paul Groves, and Cecilia Bartoli. Murphy is also respected for his work in master class and as a private coach and has performed in chamber music collaborations with the Zukerman Chamber Players as well as members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

He has appeared on The Today Show with soprano Renée Fleming, Good Morning America with soprano Cecilia Bartoli, and The Tonight Show with tenor Gary Lakes. He has been musical assistant and played continuo harpsichord for the Seiji Ozawa Opera Project in Japan, at the Tanglewood Music Festival and Verbier for James Levine, and worked with Esa-Pekka Salonnen at La Jolla's SummerFest. Additional festival appearances have included Music @ Menlo, Bellingham Festival of Music, and Vin et Musique in Burgundy. Murphy has been in residence with the Canadian Opera Company and the Vocal Arts Program at The Juilliard School. He is a regular adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and will collaborate with members of the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera in May 2012.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Murphy received his Bachelor's of Music in Piano Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Master's of Music in Piano Accompaniment from the Curtis Institute. He currently makes his home in Bloomington, Ind., with his wife, Heidi Grant Murphy, and their four children.