Pippa Murphy
Composer, Sound Designer, Producer

Pippa Murphy is an award-winning composer, sound designer and producer who scores for screen, theatre, dance, choirs and orchestras. Known for her stylistic breadth, she works with writers, directors, filmmakers and choreographers as well as Folk, Indie, Jazz and Classical musicians creating bespoke sound palettes.
Pippa is known for her stylistic breadth, depth, and originality, as well as a unique cross-disciplinary understanding of storytelling and creative collaboration. Pippa’s works are multi-layered and multi-sensory. Some pieces draw on the full effects of combining sound design with orchestral instruments and voices. Her music has an immediacy, which is often dramatic and expressive. She is particularly interested in vocal techniques, phonemes and ‘found’ sound.
Pippa was trained on piano, violin and percussion from an early age and completed her BMus, MA and PhD in instrumental and electronic composition at The University of Birmingham. She was Artist in Residence at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (2020) and Scottish Parliament (2014).
Pippa is a regular collaborator with Karine Polwart and their album Pocket of Wind Resistance was shortlisted for BBC Folk Album of the Year 2018, and Scottish Album of the Year 2018.
In 2023 Pippa & Karine received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards for Artists.
Theatre credits include:
- June Carter Cash (NTS, Grid Iron)
- Macbeth (An Undoing) Royal Lyceum Theatre
- Truth’s a Dog (Tim Crouch, Lyceum Edinburgh)
- Enough of Him (NTS, Pitlochry Theatre)
- Orphans (National Theatre of Scotland)
- Streetcar Named Desire (Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
- Wind Resistance (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh)
- Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation (Edinburgh International Festival, Royal Court, National Theatre Scotland & Tim Crouch)
- Lost at Sea (Perth Horsecross)
- Red Lion (Rapture Theatre)
- Woman in Mind (Dundee Rep)
- Crude (Grid Iron)
- View from Castle Rock (Stellar Quines/Edinburgh Book Festival)
- Gilt (7:84)
- Strangers Babies (Traverse Theatre)
- Standing Wave: Delia Derbyshire (Tron Theatre Glasgow)
Television, film & radio credits include:
- Joseph Knight – Scenes for Survival (BBC, National Theatre Scotland)
- Aleister Crowley – Scenes for Survival (BBC, National Theatre Scotland)
- Message from the Skies (Edinburgh Hogmanay 2020, 2019, 2018)
- Anamchara – Songs of Friendship with Alexander McCall Smith (Scottish Opera, Commonwealth Games 2014)
- POP-UP Duets (Janis Claxton Dance, National Museums of Scotland)
- Numerous orchestral arrangements (BBC Proms, Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra).
Film/Adverts
- 2023 Kilmartin Museum – Visitor experience video
- 2022 Ardbeg Advert
- 2020 Joseph Knight – BBC Scotland | NTS | Hopscotch Films (Composer & Sound Designer)
- 2020 Aleister Crowley Summons the Devil – BBC Scotland | NTS | Hopscotch Films (Composer & Sound Designer)
- 2019 Kapka Kassabova’s Message from The Skies (Composer)
- 2018 Val McDermid’s Message from The Skies (Composer)
- 2017 Pocket of Wind Resistance (Co-Composer & Music Producer)
- 2014 City of the Blind (Composer, Sound Designer)
- 2014 BBC Learning ‘Go Compose’ (Presenter & Composer)
- 2002 Fadj International Theatre and Film Festival, Iran (Composer, Sound Designer)
Theatre & Radio Plays
- 2023 Macbeth (an Undoing) – Zinnie Harris, Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
- 2022 Truth’s a Dog – Tim Crouch, Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
- 2022 Enough of Him – May Sumbwanyambe, Orla O’Loughlin, National Theatre of Scotland, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
- 2020 Orphans (National Theatre of Scotland);
- 2019 & 2022 An Edinburgh Christmas Carol – Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
- 2019 Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation – Edinburgh International Festival, Royal Court, National Theatre Scotland & Tim Crouch;
- 2019 Lost at Sea (Composer) – Nominated for Scottish Theatre Awards – Best Music and Sound Category 2019
- 2019 Red Lion (Composer)
- 2018 Ailsa Benson is Missing (Sound Designer)
- 2018 The Creditors (Composer)
- 2018 Handfast (Composer)
- 2017 Streetcar Named Desire (Composer)
- 2017 Wind Resistance (Co-Composer, Sound Designer) Winner Scottish Theatre Awards – Best music and Sound
- 2017 Crude (Composer, Sound Designer) Ben Harrison, Grid Iron Theatre
- 2016 View from Castle Rock – Alice Munro (Composer) Edinburgh International Book Festival
- 2016 Air that Carries the Weight (Composer) Traverse Theatre Edinburgh
- 2016 National Galleries Scotland – Joan Eardley (Composer, Music Director)
- 2015 St Magnus International Festival (Composer)
- 2015 Hector (Composer)
- 2014 Scottish Parliament Artist in Residence (Composer)
- 2014 Woman in Mind (Composer) Dundee Rep Theatre
- 2013 Factor 9 (Composer)
- 2009 BBC Radio 3 ‘Side Effects’ (Composer)
- 2007 Strangers, Babies (Composer)
- 2007 Sonic Postcards – China, Syria, Aberdeenshire, Denmark
- 2007 Resurrection (Composer)
- 2008 BBC Radio 4 The Room (Composer)
- 2005 Crestfall (Composer)
- 2004 In the Shade (Composer)
- 2003 7:84 Gilt (Composer)
- 2002 Standing Waves – Delia Derbyshire (Composer & Sound Designer)
Choreography & Dance
- 2017 Pop-Up Duets (Composer)
- 2013 Torque – Paragon Music (Composer)
Orchestral & Choral
- 2023 Bridghe – ComposeHer – Glasgow School of Art Choir (Composer)
- 2022 BBC Proms – BBCSO & Katherine Priddy (Arranger)
- 2019 Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Karine Polwart – Seek the Light (Composer)
- 2019 Hanoi New Music Festival (Composer)
- 2018 BBC Proms – BBCSO & Julie Fowlis (Arranger)
- 2018 BBCSSO Biggest Weekend & Karine Polwart (Composer, Arranger)
- 2017 BBCSSO Celtic Connections Gaelic Songs (Arranger)
- 2016 BBCSSO Celtic Connections Opening Concert (Composer, Arranger)
- 2015 McFalls Chamber Joni Mitchel Tribute – Karine Polwart/Kathryn Joseph (Arranger)
- 2014 Scottish Opera & Alexander McCall Smith – Glasgow, Botswana, India, Canada (Composer)
- 2012 Bolted the Opera (Composer) SOUND Festival
- 2011 ‘Resonate’ – St Giles Cathedral (Composer)
Album
- 2020 Equalizer – Henhoose
- 2017 Pocket of Wind Resistance (Co-Composer, Sound Designer, Music Producer)
Acousmatic/Electroacoustic/Live Electronics
- 2019 Breathe in Me for Harmonium and electronics (Winner of New Music Scotland Award 2019)
- 2018 Speaking North (Featured on Late Junction)
- 2015 Lochan Flow (Commissioned by Basel Arts)
- 2014 Pathfinder
- 2011 Sounds of the Flow (Installation Orkney)
- 2003 Postcard from Paris
- 2002 Caspian Retreat
- 2001 Voix Du Sable (Commissioned by ZKM Karlsruhe)