A Philadelphia-born multidisciplinary musician, creative producer, and cultural curator based in New York City, Semaj Murphy is currently pursuing an MA in Arts Politics at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. A graduate of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, they earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with a minor in Music Industry.

Recognized for their dynamic versatility across classical, commercial, and interdisciplinary spaces, Semaj has collaborated with globally renowned artists including Beyoncé, John Legend, The Piano Guys, Imagine Dragons, Metro Boomin, Jeezy, Malcolm Todd, and Mariah the Scientist. Their performance and media credits include appearances across platforms such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the NFL Honors Award Show, the Beyoncé Bowl NFL Christmas Halftime Show, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, and Netflix's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, as well as a music directing and arranging apprenticeship at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Rooted in cultural history and bridging artistry with strategy, Semaj's practice centers on cross-genre collaboration, creative direction, arts programming, and interdisciplinary curation. Through an approach that integrates classical performance, music direction, visual storytelling, and spatial design, their work explores the intersections of sound, identity, cultural memory, and community—reimagining how art is presented, experienced, and interpreted.

Selected creative and curatorial projects include Black Tears of Oil and Honey, an interdisciplinary performance exploring Black queer archival history through music, poetry, and film, presented in collaboration with the ONE Institute's Circa: Queer Histories Festival. Their creative practice also extends to reimagining traditional classical concert environments, including a Tiny Desk-inspired recital that transformed the concert stage into an intimate, bedroom-inspired space.

Previously, Semaj served as a Violin Teaching Artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA Programs, an experience that continues to inform their commitment to arts education, accessibility, and collaborative artistic development.