Bio

Ewan Murray is a young musician from Teesside. He recently became Director of Music at Holy Trinity, Hereford, where he enjoys leading a choir of admirable size and talent. He hopes to encourage more choristers into their ranks in the coming months.

In July 2024, Ewan graduated from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) after four years of organ studies with Daniel Moult and Nicholas Wearne. Highlights of his degree course include: organising multiple ‘Discover the Organ’ events for children; spending an invaluable four months in Leipzig, Germany under the ERASMUS scheme; and department trips to France, Holland and Germany. Whilst in Germany, Ewan received tuition on several historical instruments, including in Thomaskirche, Leipzig and St Wenzel, Naumberg, from his professors Martin Schmeding and Nicolas Berndt.

His earliest musical adventures were violin lessons with his mother, but piano lessons with his grandmother proved to be much more successful. Later, under Barbara White PGRNCM, he achieved diplomas in both piano performance and piano teaching. He also became an accomplished trumpet player, holding the position of principal trumpet in Tees Valley Youth Orchestra for a time. Whilst at Egglescliffe Sixth Form, he had the opportunity to perform in a variety of ensembles and performed at venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall and the cathedrals of Durham and Ely.

Ewan began studying organ with Alan Barber LTCL in 2015, later also travelling for lessons with David Pipe at Leeds Cathedral. Between 2017-2020, he held the post of organist and choirmaster at Christ Church, Great Ayton and worked as an accompanist for several choirs on Teesside. Whilst in Birminghamin, Ewan worked as Senior Organ Scholar at St Alphege, Solihull and later as organist of Shirley Parish Church, where he helped reinstate their church choir.

Folk is also a big part of Ewan’s musical output. Bluegrass music around campfires on the North Yorkshire Moors are core memories from his childhood. He began learning the banjo, aged ten, to join in with his family and family friends. Ewan has since performed in numerous concerts, festivals, and even featured on BBC 1 playing a restored banjo on “The Repair Shop”. He currently plays with Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, touring extensively each Summer, as well as with his five-piece, Underway.

Image captured by Luke Harrison: Conservatoire Folk Ensemble perform at Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, France 2023