John MacMurray
John Stewart Wright MacMurray (30 December 1958 – 20 August 2006) was a Canadian musician from Saint John, New Brunswick, who held the position of Principal Trumpet with the Hallé Orchestra of Great Britain from 1986 to 2006. He died at the age of 47 after being diagnosed with cancer.
Early career
MacMurray began playing the trumpet at the age of 15. He continued his training in both Canadian and American universities, being tutored by teachers such as William Vacchiano and Armando Ghitalla. In 1981, he carried on his education of the trumpet at Goldsmiths College in London.
The Hallé Orchestra
For 3 years, he performed as Co-principal in the Hallé Orchestra along with John Dickinson, however in 1986 he first performed as Principal trumpet for the ensemble. He held this position until his death in 2006. Despite the early end to his career, only two people have held the principal position longer, going back before Harry Mortimer to Alex Harris in 1919.
As well as tutoring privately, MacMurray also held teaching posts at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music.
Whilst performing with the Hallé Orchestra, he was diagnosed twice with cancer. Due to his illness, he took 7 months absence from the orchestra, but began performing again with The Hallé on the BBC.
Personal life
He was married to Susie MacMurray and had two sons, Andrew and Matthew. In July 2006, MacMurray was diagnosed with cancer for a third time. He died the next month and his funeral took place on 29 August near his home in Macclesfield.
Legacy
In September 2006, the Hallé dedicated its evening concert at the Bridgewater Hall to his memory with a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 and a performance of Mahler's Symphony No.5. Conductor, Mark Elder, spoke of his former colleague at the evening, and an obituary was provided in the programme notes by trumpeter and personal friend of MacMurray's, Ken Brown.
External links
- 2006 Performance on BBC Radio 3 feat. John MacMurray as a soloist
- 1997 TV Documentary about Chetham's School of Music feat. John MacMurray and students on YouTube