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Violin

Natalie Murphy’s first violin lessons were through Suzuki studies at age four. She studied at MacPhail Center for the Arts and quickly progressed through the Suzuki repertoire. She attended the Stevens Point Suzuki Festival in Stevens Point, Wisconsin for six consecutive summers, beginning in 1995.

At the age of thirteen, she joined the Minneapolis-based sibling pop-rock group The Abdomen and performed throughout Minnesota. Her experiences with this group were the first steps in the development of her unusual abilities as an improvisational rock performer. With her contributions, The Abdomen won the Minnesota Music Award for Best Teen Artist in 2005, recorded 2 full-length albums, and performed at various music festivals, including the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Natalie participated in Minnesota Youth Symphonies for six years, recognized as a member of their top symphony orchestra from the 8th to 12th grades. In the summer of 2005, Natalie was accepted and attended the Madeline Island Music Camp, where she studied chamber and solo repertoire with the renowned Pacifica Quartet. In 2006, Natalie won a spot to perform as a finalist in the Minnesota Youth Symphonies Solo competition.

The summer of 2006 brought an exciting new opportunity: a month-long tour of Europe with a string quartet and orchestra from Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, based in Michigan. She was the assistant concertmaster in the orchestra, and performed almost twenty concerts in five different European countries.

In early 2007, Natalie was accepted to the Berklee College of Music and offered a student talent scholarship; but an unexpected turn of events provided an opportunity she couldn’t turn down – a chance to join the Minneapolis-based band GB Leighton. In her first two weeks with the band she performed eleven shows in six different states.

Other highlights of Natalie's career include extensive classical instruction and performances as a solo violinist and chamber musician, performing on the main stages at Taste of Minnesota and Summerfest in Milwaukee, and studio work with artists such as The Abdomen, Rockie Lynne, Stan Thiele, and Charley Paige.