It happens. When the music world begins to grow weary, and audiences yearn for something new, a rare talent suddenly surfaces from the muddy pond of unknowns and enchants the public. This time it is 17-year-old soprano Kristyn Murphy, hailing from a small town in Maine USA, who is captivating an international audience with her vocal excellence. While some enamored fans are describing Kristyn's voice as, "like the best velvet: rich, luxurious, strong, and eminently approachable," others compare her unique talents to those of, Renata Tebaldi, Josh Groban and Julie Andrews. With a steadily growing fan base and two CDs to her credit, this classically trained teen is ready to take her fresh style to a world audience of a much larger scale.
" I believe that when a person is born with a gift, it is his or her responsibility to nurture and develop it. In order to do this, that person must have passion, determination and devotion for the talent," Murphy said in a recent interview, "My gift is this voice; singing is my passion. I will continue to work hard, train and share, with others, this voice with which I have been blessed. It's exciting to imagine what the future might have in store. "
Murphy stepped into the world of solo performing at the age of eight and has been performing around Maine and the greater New England area since 1998, adding to her fan base with every performance. On the internet, her official website www.kristynmurphy.com, has attracted an online fan following who have dubbed Murphy the Barefoot Soprano, for her fun and relaxed, yet serious and professional way of performing.
"I try not to limit myself to the formal styles many people associate with classical music," Murphy explained. "When you take away that barrier of formality many people seem to approach classical music more open mindedly. I applaud those who gave me the nickname Barefoot Soprano; it has given me a head start when it comes to breaking away some of those barriers. People usually do not think of being barefoot as being formal. Quite often people associate the word soprano with formality. So when you stick the two words together nobody knows exactly what to think," laughed the teenager.
Murphy reminds people that "it is possible to sing and enjoy beautiful music without formality, however, both approaches are wonderful and both are important."
Kristyn Murphy began her professional training with voice instructor Dale Williams of Brewer when she was twelve; she began studying piano with Lois Williams shortly before that. At the age of 13 this energetic and engaging teen recorded her first CD, Sweet Freedom, as a member of a quartet. A few years after the 2004 release of Sweet Freedom, Kristyn's first solo album, To The Glory of God, which has sold in England, Japan, Finland, Canada and the USA, was released in December 2006 by Teen Grace Music. Kristy plans to attend college to major in vocal performance. She hopes to have a successful career as a performer and promises to make many more CDs.
Kristyn Murphy's solo CD is available through www.cdbaby.com/kristynmurphy, or through most digital download sites including iTunes and Rhapsody. If you would like an autographed CD please send $15.00 to Teen Grace Music; P.O. Box 75; Orrington, ME 04474.
