Robert Pfenning Murray (Oct. 24, 1936 – Aug. 11, 2020) was an American violinist, scholar and teacher. He premiered the 5th Sonata for Violin and Piano by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Leo Sowerby. Murray was the first violinist to record the four sonatas of Anton Rubinstein. More recently, he has partnered with Ardyth Lohuis in a violin and pipe organ duo which brought attention to the large body of musical repertoire available for this combination of instruments through concerts and recordings. Several well known contemporary composers have written pieces for Murray and Lohuis, and have worked closely with Murray and Lohuis to create definitive recordings of these works. Personal life Murray was born in South Bend, Indiana, but he grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and graduated from Janesville High School in 1955. He attended the American Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois where he earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. Murray received a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University in Bloomington. He learned electronics while serving as a Naval officer. This background enabled him to have complete artistic control over his recordings which, because of the organ, are made on location in concert halls and churches, rather than studio environments. Murray, who was born with perfect pitch, determines microphone placement in each venue through meticulous test sessions in each new hall. He uses his own recording equipment, and even does the editing for each composition. Before becoming a university professor, Murray worked as a backup studio musician in Nashville for Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer and other recording artists. Career While a student at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Murray premiered the Sowerby Sonata for Violin and Piano at a convention of the International Society for Contemporary Music. After completing his master's degree, Murray served four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, after which he resumed his musical career and concertized widely as a soloist. He has been with Columbia Artists as a member of the Nashville String Quartet in Tennessee, has served as concertmaster of numerous orchestras including the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Amici della Musica Chamber Orchestra in Santa Clara, CA., and the Bach Festival Orchestra in Carmel, CA. He made his New York debut at Town Hall in 1975. Murray's scholastic and professional career has associated him with an impressive array of musicians and teachers, including Scott Willits (first