MURRAY KHOURI
enchants at Ismail Marzouki Gardens
"Performances of precision and aplom making the audience crave to hear more. At the end of the recital the applause was so insistent that the performers were forced to appear again and again and encore the Brazilera movement from Milhauds Scaramouche Suite"
"Djakarta Kompas"

The New Zealand clarinettist Murray Khouri has worked extensively with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, with BBC radio and television, with conductors such as George Szell, Georg Solti, Leopold Stokowski, Rudolph Kempe, Eugen Jochum, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Eric Leinsdorf and Sir Adrian Boult, and on the lighter side with Robert Farnon, Bernard Hermann, Duke Ellington, Frankie Howard, Morton Gould and many others. In Australia there were many tours for Musica Viva including his own wind ensemble in performances of Dvorak and Mozart Serenades, and concertos with the Sydney Symphony and New Zealand Symphony. He now gives recitals both nationally and internationally.

In the sphere of chamber music, Murray Khouri has appeared with such fine pianists as John McCabe, Roger Smalley, Larry Sitsky, Geoffrey Parsons, and Peter Pettinger.

Besides appearing in most Australian and New Zealand centres, he has undertaken two extensive Asian tours and appeared in over three dozen American cities. Audiences at his recitals in Esperance in Western Australia and Djakarta in Indonesia were surprised by the richness and diversity of the clairnet repertoire as well as the instrument’s affinity to the human voice.

Much of his life has been spent playing new music and there have been several important composer friendships/collaboration, notably with Don Banks who wrote his epic 4x2x1 for clarinets and tape for Murray. Other composer colleagues have been Alexander Goehr, Larry Sitsky, Joseph Horowitz, Berthold Goldschmidt and John McCabe.

His teaching work includes a post at Auckland University as well as many projects. In Auckland, the "Interaction" project (in association with students and staff of Auckland University) brought to intermediate school students a programme spread over three visits which illustrated the compositional process. He has also organised and participated in a Summer Academy in Denmark at Fuglsang, the home of the Danish Chamber Players of whom Murray Khouri is Artistic Advisor. Postgraduate students from nine countries worked with Murray Khouri and Gordon Hunt from the Philharmonia Orchestra to prepare performances of Mozart's Grand Partita and Strauss' Sonatina (from a happy workshop).

A DELIGHTFUL BLEND OF VIRTUOSITY AND EMOTION
"A fine recital as any at the DBS auditorium – the musicianship made an immediate impression, intense, vivid and satisfying. This blend of virtuoso clarinet playing together with the expression and emotional qualities made this all a listeners delight"
"Singapore Business Times"

Interviews and articles about Murray Khouri

• The Clarinet: Vol 16 No. 4.
• Musica Ljudteknik: Sept – Oct 1994 No. 3.
• Auckland Metro: Feb 1996.
• New Zealand Herald: 19th Nov 97.
• Australian Society for Music Education Journal.
• Cadenza Music Magazine.

Contact details and further information

E-mail Murray Khouri

For further details, see Murray Khouri