Rate My Professor Nicole Murphy

Dr. Nicole Murphy serves as Lecturer in Contemporary Creative Practices (composition) at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, within the Arts, Education and Law group. She earned her PhD in composition from the University of Queensland in 2017, with a thesis titled Folio of Compositions and Critical Commentary. Her doctoral studies built on earlier training, including a Master of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, and studies with composers Gerard Brophy and Gerardo Dirié. As an active composer, Nicole Murphy creates works for the concert hall, theatre, and dance. Her music has been characterized as 'exquisite and sensitive' by the Sydney Morning Herald, 'strong and compelling' by Loudmouth, and full of 'exhilarating tension' by Arts Knoxville. Commissions include those from the Australian Ballet, Royal Academy of Dance (London), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Experiments in Opera/Symphony Space (New York), Orchestra Victoria, Wild Rumpus (San Francisco), Chamber Sounds (Singapore), and the Definiens Project (Los Angeles). Her compositions have been performed by ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound, NOWensemble, the Goldner String Quartet, and the Dover Quartet.

Nicole Murphy's contributions extend to festivals worldwide, including the Mizzou International Music Festival, Norfolk Yale Chamber Music Festival, Dallas Festival of Modern Music, Nief-Norf Festival (Tennessee), Risuonanze Festival (Italy), and Vox Feminae Festival (Tel Aviv). Notable awards and honors encompass the inaugural Layton Composer Fellowship at the University of New South Wales (2018), Ensemble Offspring’s Noisy Women Commission (2019), MAFB International Commissioning Prize (2015), and Theodore Front International Orchestral Prize (2013). In 2020, she was named one of AMP’s 'Tomorrow Makers'. Key creative outputs include the piano trio Spinning Top (2016), featured on ABC Classic’s album Women of Note: A Century of Australian Composers; Collected Short Stories; and Sonatine, premiered in 2026 at the State Library of Queensland's Research Reveals event. At Griffith University, she teaches composition, mentors emerging composers, and guides students in creating original scores for productions such as Queensland Conservatorium's collaborations with the Royal Academy of Dance. Her work fosters innovation in contemporary music practices and influences the next generation through teaching and residencies.