Otis Murphy is professor of music in saxophone at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, joining the faculty at age 28 and becoming one of the youngest faculty members in its history.
Murphy is in great demand as an international artist, having performed in more than 25 countries worldwide across four continents.
He is the recipient of several international awards, including prizes in Belgium’s Adolphe Sax International Saxophone Competition and France’s Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition.
Murphy has appeared in numerous major concert venues, including Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, Merkin Hall (New York City), Casals Hall (Tokyo), Palau de la Musica (Valencia), and Muziekgebouw aan het Ij (Amsterdam).
He has performed on 15 recordings, including four solo CDs that have received critical acclaim. His recent performance of Ellen Taafe Zwilich’s Quintet for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet with the renowned Pacifica Quartet garnered enthusiastic reviews around the world. The Pacifica’s album Contemporary Voices, which features the performance, won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
Murphy has taught at music schools and festivals worldwide, including the Paris Conservatory, Amsterdam Conservatory, Cologne Academy of Music, Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy and Festival, London Royal College of Music, and many more. His students have received accolades in national and international competitions and are members of premier military concert bands in various branches of the U.S. military.
He earned Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Jacobs School of Music, receiving the Performer’s Certificate award. He also pursued advanced studies in France under a Fulbright Fellowship for foreign study at the Conservatoire National Régional de Musique in Cergy-Pontoise, earning the Prix de Perfectionnementà l’unanimité.
Murphy and his wife, pianist Haruko Murphy, live in Bloomington, Indiana, and are dedicated parents of their six children.
