MANSFIELD, PA— A note to America: Mansfield University Music 
Professor Joseph Murphy has completed his quest to perform in all 50 states. The final tune was a concert in Anchorage, Alaska in early March.
In 2005, Murphy, a saxophonist, realized he had performed in 20 states and set the goal to make it to all 50.
Most of his performances since 2002 has been with classical guitarist Matthew Slotkin, who taught with Murphy at MU from 2001-2011 and now on the faculty at Bloomsburg University. As Duo Montagnard, they have performed more than 300 concerts, touring during most teaching breaks.
“In addition to all 50 states, we (Duo Montagnard) have performed on six continents, and I have been ribbed about playing in Antarctica, until Peggy Dettwiler (MU Director of Choral Activities) said she knows a choir going to Antarctica in December,” Murphy said. “I will be going on that trip with Steven Fisher and the Commonwealth Youth Choir from Philadelphia, completing another unlikely career goal of performing on all seven continents.”
Murphy has performed in 23 countries including eight of the 10 Canadian Provinces, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay and Wales.
“Most performances are hosted by universities and conservatories and include me teaching during the visit,” Murphy said. “I have also performed at eight World Saxophone Congresses.”
In addition to his performances with Duo Montagnard, Murphy, who has been on the Mansfield faculty since 1987, has performed with nearly every fellow MU music faculty member at one time or another. He and Nancy Boston, piano, performed a recital at Lincoln Center in New York City in 1996 and received a positive review in the New York Times.
Locally, Murphy has performed on the Wellsboro Community Concert Series, several solos with the MU Concert Wind Ensemble, the Wellsboro Town Band and at the Chautauqua Institution.
Murphy is an avid proponent of new music, having premiered more than 50 new works, including pieces by MU colleague Andrew Walters and Pulitzer Prize winning composers Gunther Schuller, Bernard Rands and John Harbison.
Murphy lives in Wellsboro with his wife Jackie. Their son, Nathan is a graduate student at McGill University.