Sean will be creating Soundscapes on the streets of Downtown Memphis! Stay tuned for exact location.
BIO
Sean Murphy is a multidisciplinary artist living in Memphis, Tennessee. He is a musician, ethnomusicologist, instrument maker, sound healer, teaching artist, nature lover, listener, explorer…
Born in Scooba, Mississippi and raised in Memphis, he attended the University of Memphis earning a Bachelor's Degree in Music History with an emphasis on Ethnomusicology. He was trained to play western classical and jazz tuba; but his fascination with world cultures and music has led him to play and make innumerable instruments.
Early in his career, he began performing as a solo improvisation musician accompanying dance and yoga which eventually led him to the practice of sound healing. Sean and his wife, Anne J. Froning, have led workshops in restorative yoga & meditative movement with music throughout the United States.
As a performing and recording musician, Sean has delved into nearly every genre into which music has ever been categorized! From classical to hip hop, world to ambient, jazz to hard rock, new age to jazz, he is equally at home. He is the leader of the Mighty Souls Brass Band as well as regularly playing as a sideman with many jazz groups while also regularly performing improvised music for dance, healing, and yoga. He also has many recording credits to his name as a soloist, bandleader, and sideman. He has also been fortunate enough to perform with many world-renowned musicians and bands including Dr. John, Paul Winter, William Eaton, the Meters, Galactic, Clyde Stubblefield, Rufus Thomas, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, & Mike Tamburo to name a few.
He and Anne co-own Being:Art LLC, a fusion arts company specializing in music, dance, visual art, instrument making, and site-specific design. The company builds musical instruments for outdoor classrooms; and conducts workshops, residencies, and performances throughout the United States. Their largest public installation can be found in the courtyard of Overton Square in Memphis. OS Tower Chimes is one of the ten largest sets of wind chimes in the world.
Sean currently splits his time between performing and recording as a solo artist, presenting healing arts experiences with yoga/dance and live music (often in collaboration with Anne), leading the Mighty Souls Brass Band, building functional art in the form of musical instruments, and spending as much time with his granddaughters as possible!
Upcoming Events
Sounds from the Stacks: Sean Murphy
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Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Lobby Stage, 3030 Poplar Ave, Memphis
oin us on October 14th from 1:00 - 2:00 pm at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library for a music performance by Sean Murphy.
As a multidisciplinary artist with over 30 years of experience, Sean holds a degree in music history with an emphasis in Ethnomusicology from the University of Memphis. He was trained to play western classical and jazz tuba, but his fascination with world cultures and music has led him to play and make innumerable instruments. For this performance, Sean will take the audience on a sound journey across the world with his diverse array of instruments.
Whether you're a world music enthusiast or simply looking to enjoy an afternoon of live music at the library, this family-friendly performance has something for everyone. All ages are welcome!
Turn up the heat at Art on Fire, the Dixon’s annual fall celebration featuring local food and drinks, live entertainment, incredible art, and plenty of fiery surprises.
Gather your friends and experience the Dixon after dark while supporting art and horticulture programs that reach more than 100,000 students each year through onsite and community outreach education.
$75-95
Join the Memphis Youth Symphony Program for an unforgettable evening of music, community, and celebration as we commemorate our 60th Anniversary.
From 7:00–10:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Children's Museum of Memphis, alumni, families, supporters, musicians, and friends will gather to celebrate six decades of inspiring young musicians and the lasting impact MYSP has made throughout the Mid-South.
Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy a buffet dinner, beer, wine, and cocktails, live music and performances by MYSP students, a silent auction, a silent disco, photo booth, and other special activities as we honor our past and look ahead to the future of music education in our community.
$60-75
Contact
Available for Private & Group Sound Healing Sessions, Peformances, Workshops, etc. For more information please use the contact form or email at smbeingart@gmail.com
Listen and Purchase Music by Sean "1Breath" Murphy
In my experimental music I seem to always come back to environments. Be that a building that draws me in (Sketches of Crosstown, 2013) or a series of compositions based around different outdoor places (Wisp, 2011). Then Read more
In my experimental music I seem to always come back to environments. Be that a building that draws me in (Sketches of Crosstown, 2013) or a series of compositions based around different outdoor places (Wisp, 2011). Then there are the compositions that are environments (Imbolc Ice, 2023). This latter concept was the starting point for this album.
Brian Eno coined the term “Ambient Music” with the release of his 1978 album Ambient 1 Music for Airports. In the liner notes he describes ambient music as needing to “accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” This concept is a perfect reflection of the space I often occupy as a musician working with dance, yoga, & healing sound… where truly successful music is a support for the participant! The hope is that you can listen to this album and be enveloped in but not overwhelmed by it.
The three tracks presented here were recorded between July 2024 and October 2025. “Buoyancy” is a response and tribute to Eno’s “1/1” from Ambient 1. It is an improvisation for piano, digital tape loops, and digital delay. I knew the moment I finished recording the layered tuba drones for “Ambient Light” that it needed something more. It felt like walking into a massive building in complete darkness – you ‘feel’ its size, but your physical senses don’t have enough information to give it scale… until a light is turned on and suddenly you realize you’re in a massive space. Bhakti Lam-Mu (Art Edmaiston) and his tenor saxophone are the light that illuminates the massive space that is this composition! “Effusion” is a duet for two didjeridus that ties back to the very beginnings of my interest in experimental, world, ambient, and healing music. It was initially recorded in September 2025 for the closing ceremony of Delta Groove Yoga in Memphis; but I also knew it is the closing statement of this album.
Sean “1Breath” Murphy
November 2025
Brian Eno coined the term “Ambient Music” with the release of his 1978 album Ambient 1 Music for Airports. In the liner notes he describes ambient music as needing to “accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” This concept is a perfect reflection of the space I often occupy as a musician working with dance, yoga, & healing sound… where truly successful music is a support for the participant! The hope is that you can listen to this album and be enveloped in but not overwhelmed by it.
The three tracks presented here were recorded between July 2024 and October 2025. “Buoyancy” is a response and tribute to Eno’s “1/1” from Ambient 1. It is an improvisation for piano, digital tape loops, and digital delay. I knew the moment I finished recording the layered tuba drones for “Ambient Light” that it needed something more. It felt like walking into a massive building in complete darkness – you ‘feel’ its size, but your physical senses don’t have enough information to give it scale… until a light is turned on and suddenly you realize you’re in a massive space. Bhakti Lam-Mu (Art Edmaiston) and his tenor saxophone are the light that illuminates the massive space that is this composition! “Effusion” is a duet for two didjeridus that ties back to the very beginnings of my interest in experimental, world, ambient, and healing music. It was initially recorded in September 2025 for the closing ceremony of Delta Groove Yoga in Memphis; but I also knew it is the closing statement of this album.
Sean “1Breath” Murphy
November 2025
Recorded at home during an ice storm during the Imbolc holiday on 1 February 2023. For nearly a quarter century, I've been the primary musician in a weekly dance & music improv jam in Memphis, TN. A core group of Read more
Recorded at home during an ice storm during the Imbolc holiday on 1 February 2023.
For nearly a quarter century, I've been the primary musician in a weekly dance & music improv jam in Memphis, TN. A core group of dancers and I gather each week in a local dance studio and explore the place where music and dance intersect. Oftentimes we're joined by other dancers, musicians, and artists of all types.
On this particular evening, an unexpected ice storm hit Memphis so we cancelled our regular event and held a more intimate session in our home. The dancers were my wife, Anne J. Froning, and one of the longtime movers, Nat Newberger.
I was the only musician for the evening and was currently exploring the sounds of a recently acquired baby grand piano and an iPad based electronics setup. What we captured that night was completely unexpected, challenging, and quite beautiful!
The artwork for the cover is a capture and modification of a piece of interactive art by one of my favorite artists (and Anne's cousin) Letitia Quesenberry. See more of her work at letitiaquesenberry.com and on Instagram at @lettyq_
For nearly a quarter century, I've been the primary musician in a weekly dance & music improv jam in Memphis, TN. A core group of dancers and I gather each week in a local dance studio and explore the place where music and dance intersect. Oftentimes we're joined by other dancers, musicians, and artists of all types.
On this particular evening, an unexpected ice storm hit Memphis so we cancelled our regular event and held a more intimate session in our home. The dancers were my wife, Anne J. Froning, and one of the longtime movers, Nat Newberger.
I was the only musician for the evening and was currently exploring the sounds of a recently acquired baby grand piano and an iPad based electronics setup. What we captured that night was completely unexpected, challenging, and quite beautiful!
The artwork for the cover is a capture and modification of a piece of interactive art by one of my favorite artists (and Anne's cousin) Letitia Quesenberry. See more of her work at letitiaquesenberry.com and on Instagram at @lettyq_
This EP is taken from a live performance at a "Sweet Soul Restorative" Yoga Workshop led by Anne J. Froning and Sean Murphy of Being:Art. The intention of the workshop and this music is to encourage the Read more
This EP is taken from a live performance at a "Sweet Soul Restorative" Yoga Workshop led by Anne J. Froning and Sean Murphy of Being:Art. The intention of the workshop and this music is to encourage the participant-listener to embody and rediscover the inner child.
The music is a combination of live performance, live looping, sampling, and effects processing.
Instruments:
Shakuhachi
Ocean Drum
Alto Kalimba
Bansuri
Tibetan Bells
Tuba
Vocals
Electronics:
Bose T1 Mixer
EHX Micro POG
Bose OC-3
Strymon Timeline
EHX 16 Second Digital Delay Reissue
EHX 2880
Elektron Digitakt.
Samples:
"Seafloor" by Calvin Corner, New Zealand
"Hoot Owl" by ReMix Memphis Project, Memphis, TN
"Bass Drum 808" by Samples from Mars
"Closed Hat 808" by Samples from Mars
"Coyote Bark & Howl" by Sean Murphy, Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, MO
"Elephant Seals & Seagulls" by Sean Murphy, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
"3rd Granddaughter Sounds" by Sean Murphy, Memphis, TN
"Open Hat" by Sean Murphy, Memphis, TN
"Waves" by Sean Murphy, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
"Normal Heart" by Source Unknown
The music is a combination of live performance, live looping, sampling, and effects processing.
Instruments:
Shakuhachi
Ocean Drum
Alto Kalimba
Bansuri
Tibetan Bells
Tuba
Vocals
Electronics:
Bose T1 Mixer
EHX Micro POG
Bose OC-3
Strymon Timeline
EHX 16 Second Digital Delay Reissue
EHX 2880
Elektron Digitakt.
Samples:
"Seafloor" by Calvin Corner, New Zealand
"Hoot Owl" by ReMix Memphis Project, Memphis, TN
"Bass Drum 808" by Samples from Mars
"Closed Hat 808" by Samples from Mars
"Coyote Bark & Howl" by Sean Murphy, Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, MO
"Elephant Seals & Seagulls" by Sean Murphy, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
"3rd Granddaughter Sounds" by Sean Murphy, Memphis, TN
"Open Hat" by Sean Murphy, Memphis, TN
"Waves" by Sean Murphy, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
"Normal Heart" by Source Unknown
recorded inside the abandoned 1.5 million square feet Sears Crosstown building in Memphis TN from August 2011 to June 2012 I have long been fascinated with the way Space and Sound can influence one another. In particular, Read more
recorded inside the abandoned 1.5 million square feet Sears Crosstown building in Memphis TN from August 2011 to June 2012
I have long been fascinated with the way Space and Sound can influence one another. In particular, the way a location (be it a cave, a forest, or a building) quite literally shapes the sounds that are created in their vicinity. I have spent years exploring sounds within natural environments as is documented on my 2011 album Wisp. But what I was really looking for now was a way to explore sounds within the context of architecture. Many artists have explored this territory, and there are some great albums available that truly express architecture through music. In my opinion, three of the finest examples of this expression are Paul Horn’s Inside (Taj Mahal), Eugene Friesen’s Sono Miho, and Michel Godard’s Castel del Monte. In each of these albums the artist had the opportunity to experiment and collaborate with a particular building through the medium of music.
These thoughts were in the back of my mind when I first entered the Sears Crosstown building in 2011. At the time I was mostly excited to finally enter this mythical building of my hometown. Having grown up in Memphis, TN, the Crosstown building was an icon that I watched (albeit not consciously) slowly deteriorate from a vibrant distribution hub of the region into a forgotten and overlooked ghostly shell. Within minutes of entering the building, I realized that I had found not only a haunting, stark space, but also one that was crying out for musical expression. While inside the building, I put a shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) to my lips and gently blew the first note of many that I would play within this wonderful building. As I stopped playing, I listened to the building play the note back to me for a full seven seconds. In those seven seconds, I knew that I had found a building that I would experiment and collaborate with through the medium of music...
I have long been fascinated with the way Space and Sound can influence one another. In particular, the way a location (be it a cave, a forest, or a building) quite literally shapes the sounds that are created in their vicinity. I have spent years exploring sounds within natural environments as is documented on my 2011 album Wisp. But what I was really looking for now was a way to explore sounds within the context of architecture. Many artists have explored this territory, and there are some great albums available that truly express architecture through music. In my opinion, three of the finest examples of this expression are Paul Horn’s Inside (Taj Mahal), Eugene Friesen’s Sono Miho, and Michel Godard’s Castel del Monte. In each of these albums the artist had the opportunity to experiment and collaborate with a particular building through the medium of music.
These thoughts were in the back of my mind when I first entered the Sears Crosstown building in 2011. At the time I was mostly excited to finally enter this mythical building of my hometown. Having grown up in Memphis, TN, the Crosstown building was an icon that I watched (albeit not consciously) slowly deteriorate from a vibrant distribution hub of the region into a forgotten and overlooked ghostly shell. Within minutes of entering the building, I realized that I had found not only a haunting, stark space, but also one that was crying out for musical expression. While inside the building, I put a shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) to my lips and gently blew the first note of many that I would play within this wonderful building. As I stopped playing, I listened to the building play the note back to me for a full seven seconds. In those seven seconds, I knew that I had found a building that I would experiment and collaborate with through the medium of music...
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Hope 3:020:00/3:02
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Overtone Seers 4:260:00/4:26
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Pulse 3:590:00/3:59
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Ruins Rebirth 2:480:00/2:48
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Fulfillment Cave 6:020:00/6:02
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Crosstown Soul 5:370:00/5:37
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Bones 3:370:00/3:37
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Urban Ocean 5:350:00/5:35
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Tower Red 4:000:00/4:00
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Hope (reprise) 1:410:00/1:41