Paul Murtha - Murtha Music Services

Composer, arranger Paul Murtha, is a native of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania where he studied jazz arranging with John Morris and
music theory with Richard Napolitan.

Paul earned a B.S. degree in Music Education (with a minor in
Jazz Studies) from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. While at
Duquesne, Paul studied jazz arranging with John Wilson and
orchestration with Joseph Wilcox Jenkins.

A versatile composer-arranger, Paul is at ease in both professional and
educational circles, and is in constant demand as a guest conductor,
adjudicator and clinician. Paul has written music for acclaimed mezzo-
soprano Denyce Graves, Patti LaBelle, Kathy Mattea, Lou Rawls, Kenny
Loggins and Ken Burn’s “Music of the Civil War." He has also written
extensively for some of the top college and high school marching
bands in the country.

Paul’s work with the National Symphony Orchestra includes
arrangements for artists such as Trace Adkins, Jordin Sparks, Gloria
Estefan, Gladys Knight, Huey Lewis and the News, The Four Tops, The
Beach Boys, The Temptations, The Blues Brothers and Five For Fighting
for nationally televised events including “A Capitol Fourth” and the
“National Memorial Day Concert.”

In December of 2016 Paul’s “A Swingin’ Nutcracker”, a ninety minute
work for full symphony orchestra, was premiered by the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra.

From 1990 to 1996, Paul served as the Chief Arranger at the United
States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY. He served on th
arranging staff of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, in
Washington, D.C., from 1996 to 2001 and then served as that band’s
Chief Arranger from 2001 to 2016.

Paul is published exclusively by the Hal Leonard Corporation where he
contributes music to many areas of the instrumental catalogue.