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!