Annette Murphy, Founder and Director

Coming from her native New England with its green mountains and changing seasons, Annette Murphy moved to California in 1996 to be closer to her family. Eager to continue the work she loved, the moment her feet hit Californian soil, she began advertising for singers and built up the Oaks Chamber Singers from scratch. Annette often says her first love was vocal music, and for her, the Oaks Chamber Singers is a labor of love. Of course, the Oaks Chamber Singers would not be here today after 14 years without the generous support of local donors and its loyal audience.

Recordings

The following are MP3 recordings of performances featuring Annette Murphy:

Excerpts from "The Lord Nelson Mass" by Josef Haydn performed at the Methuen Music Hall, Methuen. Massachusetts.

"The Song of the Aster" from the premiere performance of Luis Moyse's "A Ballad of Vermont" performed at the Marlboro College, Marlboro, Vermont, as recorded from National Public Radio from Amherst University, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Professional Biography

Although she was trained as a music teacher at the University of Vermont at Castleton, her first love was singing. Ms. Murphy spent two years at Marlboro in the inception of the Marlboro Music Series, performing with the Moyses. She pursued her professional training in Boston with Elisabeth Phinney (Boston Conservatory), Ray DeVol (New England Conservatory) and performing artists Diana Hoaglund, Clara Shear and Mary Burgess. As a soprano soloist she performed many of the major works in the greater Boston area and throughout New England.

Ms. Murphy's worked with children after receiving guidance at the Boston Archdiocesen Choir School in Cambridge. She organized and directed a 65 voice children's choir while being choir director at St. Joseph's in Haverhill, Mass.

While teaching voice at Brewster Academy, and the Wolfeboro Academy of Music in Wolfeboro, N.H., she organized from the faculty and her students the Consortium for Early Music Chamber Singers which performed in the Lakes Region and Portsmouth, New Hampshire areas. She later organized and directed the Keene Chamber Singers which performed to critical acclaim.