Bronson Norris Murphy

Bio

Kentucky native BRONSON NORRIS MURPHY, summa cum laude graduate of both New York University's Program in Vocal Performance & Western Kentucky University’s program in Music Education, is an active performer on Broadway, regional and symphonic concert stages. After his graduate studies, Murphy toured the United States and Canada to critical acclaim in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical CATS playing Gus, Growltiger & Bustopher Jones. In 2014, Murphy made his Broadway debut in the original Hal Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera as Monsieur Reyer. Throughout his nine-year run in the Broadway company of the "Brilliant Original," he performed ten different roles including his 2017 principal debut as Raoul. He is, perhaps, best known to American audiences for premiering the role of The Phantom in the first North American production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies: The Phantom Returns. His legacy with the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber continues as Bronson was seen in the world premiere of UNMASKED: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber for Papermill Playhouse and the New York City Center Gala Production of EVITA. His regional theatre work includes performances at Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, White Plains Performing Arts Center, The Skirball Center, Theatre By The Sea, John W. Engeman Theatre, The Players’ Theatre NYC, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, West Virginia Public Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Mission, NAMT Festival of New Musicals, The York Theatre and two seasons as Stephen Foster in The Stephen Foster Story in the US and Japan. His NYC-developmental productions include Pablo (Original Concept Album), Faustus, the Musical (MTM’s Best Actor Award), I Hate Holmes, Lautrec at the St. James, Joan of Arc, Catch the Wind, Alan Menken & Tim Rice’s King David and Maybe One Day: A Fable.

As a symphonic concert artist, Bronson’s performances include I Am Harvey Milk at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall with Kristin Chenoweth, Andrew Lippa and the Orchestra of St. Lukes; The Music Man: in Concert with Orchestra Kentucky; the world premiere of Prohibition with the Rochester Philharmonic; West Side Story: in Concert with The Norwalk Symphony; Music City Christmas with The Nashville Symphony as well as evenings with The Springfield Symphony, The Fort Worth Symphony, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Augusta Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Chicago's Grant Park Symphony, The Louisville Orchestra, The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Chattanooga Symphony, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and more.

While at Western Kentucky University, Murphy was featured in productions of The Gondoliers (Luiz), Sweet Charity (Oscar), Ragtime (Tateh), Street Scene (Sam), Inherit the Wind and Children of Eden as well as The Old Maid and the Thief, Die Zauberflöte, Godspell and The Enchanted Attic. Choral work included soloing for Bach’s Cantata No. 140, Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ. He is the four-time recipient of WKU’s “Male-Vocalist of the Semester” award and was awarded the College of Music's “Performer of the Semester" in his senior year. Other WKU honors include being named The Scholar of Potter College, The Jim Fern Music Education Scholarship, The Seymour Spiegelman Award for Vocal Music, Pi Kappa Lambda inductee and a two-time, first-place winner of The NATS Vocal Competition. In 2017 and 2019 respectively, Bronson was inducted into Western Kentucky University Potter College's "Wall of Fame" and the Warren County Public School System's "Hall of Distinguished Alumni" for his post-graduate achievements in the arts. In 2022, Bronson was invited back to WKU to serve as guest director for the Departments of Music and Theatre & Dance coproduction of Little Women: The Broadway Musical.

An advocate for music literacy, Bronson has served as a voice and acting teacher hosting workshops on vocal production, song interpretation, music theory and musical theatre audition techniques at New York University, The New York Film Academy, The Joffrey School of Ballet, Broadway Classroom and The Institute for American Musical Theatre. Mr. Murphy currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director for Kentucky's Official Outdoor Musical: The Stephen Foster Story. For more information, follow: @BronsonBiz

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