Conductor – Pianist – Educator
Murray
Choral and orchestral artistry, rooted in Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr. Jessel Murray is an accomplished conductor, music educator, and lecturer based at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. With a career spanning over three decades, Mr. Murray is widely respected for his leadership in choral music, orchestral performance, and music education in the Caribbean. He currently serves as Director of the UWI Arts Chorale and UWI Steel, and is a leading figure in the development of classical and contemporary music in Trinidad and Tobago.
Energetic and in
command.
Trinidad Guardian
ABOUT
For four decades, Jessel Murray has shaped how Trinidad & Tobago sounds on the concert stage.
He is Chair of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, where he teaches singing and piano, conducts the UWI Arts Chorale, and co-directs the award-winning UWI Arts Steel.
As founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra of Trinidad & Tobago, he has championed original works by Caribbean composers alongside the orchestral canon, leading performances across the Americas, Europe and Asia. His repertoire spans Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and the Fauré Requiem to musical theatre and the steel symphony.
- EducationTemple University — M.M. Choral Conducting (1989) and B.M. Music Education, summa cum laude (1987). Studied with Alan Harler and Lambert Orkis.
- NowSenior Lecturer in Music, Dept. of Creative & Festival Arts, UWI St. Augustine.
- Has LedFounding Music Director — UWI Arts Chorale · UWI Arts Steel · National Steel Symphony Orchestra.
- StageFounding Chair & Music Director, Must Come See Productions; 20+ musical theatre productions.
Leadership
One conductor, four worlds.
From cathedral choral works, to the steelpan orchestra, each ensemble draws on a different part of the craft.
Choral
UWI Arts Chorale
Founding director. Choral masterworks performed nationally, regionally and on international tours.
Steelpan
UWI Arts Steel
Founding music director of the award-winning ensemble bridging the steelpan and the concert repertoire.
Orchestral
National Steel Symphony
Founding Music Director & Conductor of T&T’s NSSO, premiering Caribbean composers.
Theatre
Musical Theatre
Founding chair of Must Come See Productions; music director for 20+ full-length productions.
Listen and watch
Media & Recordings
Featured performances and recordings spanning an illustrious career.
Performances
Recent and signature performances
Featured performances and recordings spanning an illustrious career.
Voice & Steel — A Celebration of Praise
UWI Arts Chorale & UWI Arts Steel · Daaga Hall, UWI St. Augustine.
Mozart Requiem
UWI Arts Chorale 25th anniversary · All Saints Anglican Church, Port of Spain.
King of Kings — Mozart's Coronation Mass
UWI Arts Chorale & UWI Arts Steel · St Paul’s Anglican Church, Harris Promenade.
Rutter Gloria — Music for Madiba
UWI Arts Chorale, Steel & Percussion · St Paul’s Anglican Church, San Fernando.
Gallery
On the podium
Highlighted moments throughout the years
stay in tune
Concerts, recordings & news.
Contact me for any professional requests