WSO Announces Kelly-Marie Murphy as New Composer-in-Residence

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is delighted to announce the appointment of award-winning Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy as its new Composer-in-Residence, beginning with the 2026/27 season. A leading figure in Canada’s contemporary music scene, Dr. Murphy becomes the fourth composer to hold the position in the WSO’s history.

“I am often amazed by my own good fortune,” shares Dr. Murphy. “I am honoured and excited to be the next Composer-in-Residence with the WSO. I feel like I’ve grown up with the orchestra during its New Music Festivals over the years, and this appointment brings it full circle. The ties are deep; the bonds are strong, and I look forward to building on those connections during my term.”

Dr. Murphy’s relationship with the orchestra began in 1995, when then-WSO Composer-in-Residence and Winnipeg New Music Festival (WNMF) co-founder Glenn Buhr invited her to have her piece This Is My Voice performed at the festival. The following day, former Music Director Bramwell Tovey commissioned her first orchestral work, which was premiered the next year, marking the beginning of a creative partnership that has continued to flourish for three decades.

Since then, Dr. Murphy’s music has been performed by the WSO more than a dozen times, including the deeply expressive Give Me Phoenix Wings to Fly in 2001 and the world premiere of her orchestral work Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters in 2023. Music Director Daniel Raiskin, who conducted the latter work, welcomes the appointment.

“I have been privileged to meet Kelly-Marie, work with her, and conduct some of her compositions myself,” says Raiskin. “Her sincerity, care for details, and abundance of exciting ideas have intrigued me from the very beginning. She has generously shared her knowledge and experience with the young composers attending the WNMF Michael Nesbitt Composers Institute and has been a wonderfully positive and warm presence. I look forward to both performing her music and writing a new exciting chapter in the festival’s iconic history together!”

Dr. Murphy’s music has been described as “breathtaking” (Kitchener-Waterloo Record), “imaginative and expressive” (National Post), and “a pulse-pounding barrage on the senses” (The Globe and Mail). Her works have been performed by leading orchestras and ensembles across Canada and internationally, in venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and the Seoul Arts Centre. Her music has been interpreted by renowned conductors such as Bramwell Tovey, Peter Oundjian, Gustavo Gimeno, and Alexander Shelley. She has held numerous residencies with major arts institutions, including serving as Composer-in-Residence with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada from 2006 to 2008.

Dr. Murphy will be in attendance this week at the newly renamed Michael Nesbitt Composers Institute, honouring WNMF premier patron Michael Nesbitt, where she will serve as a mentor composer to a cohort of emerging Canadian composers.

Founded in 2017 by the current Composer-in-Residence and WNMF Co-Curator Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis, the national, juried, six-day program provides a rare professional training opportunity for early-career composers, immersing participants in the orchestral world through mentorship by leading Canadian composers and close integration with the WNMF.

“As a young undergraduate composer, I vividly remember hearing Kelly-Marie’s Dark Energy for the first time and being immediately gripped; it was visceral, propulsive, lyrical, and yet decidedly new-sounding,” shares Stafylakis. “Some 15 years later, I’m proud to count Kelly-Marie as a friend, colleague, and still one of my favourite composers making fresh, powerful, and appealing new classical music. I couldn’t be more proud to pass the mantle of Composer-in-Residence on to her, and to entrust her with our beloved WNMF Michael Nesbitt Composers Institute, in which she has served on more than one occasion as mentor composer.”

Each year, five emerging composers are selected to have their works premiered live by the WSO and receive an archival recording of the performance for their professional portfolios. The jury comprises WNMF guest composers and Composers Institute mentor composers.

The 2026 Michael Nesbitt Composers Institute sessions begin, Monday, January 19, and culminate with the WNMF Showcase: Launchpad on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:00 pm at the Centennial Concert Hall. This free public concert offers audiences the opportunity to experience world premieres of new orchestral works by the Institute’s participants, performed by the WSO, just ahead of the festival’s opening concert, WNMF 1: Sunrise, on Friday, January 23.

Throughout its history, the WSO has played a leading role in championing the creation of new music in Canada. Dr. Murphy’s appointment as Composer-in-Residence continues this tradition, reinforcing the orchestra’s commitment to artistic excellence while supporting the future of Canadian composition.