B.A. (Hons), M.Mus (Catholic University of America)
Performer, teacher and string pedagogue, Fintan Murphy was born in Melbourne and studied in Cologne with Helfried Fister, Christoph Poppen and the Amadeus Quartet before completing his Master’s degree with Robert Gerle in Washington, DC. He performed for many years as a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and now appears regularly as a recitalist and chamber musician.
Fintan’s research focuses on string pedagogy, and his educational multimedia works have received acclaimed reviews in The Strad, Stringendo and American String Teacher.
He directs the Melbourne String Ensemble, a youth orchestra specialising in small ensemble repertoire and chamber music for strings, and has appeared as guest conductor with numerous youth orchestras, including the Conservatorio de Música de Manresa, the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and the Junges Kammerorchester Stuttgart.
Fintan is Chair of the Victorian Specialist Examining Panel for Strings for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB). He has edited eight books of graded violin repertoire for the AMEB and, in 2020, undertook the rewriting of the A.Mus.A and L.Mus.A Series 10 violin syllabuses.
A leader in teacher training and instrument-specific pedagogy both within and beyond the university system, Fintan has developed and taught string pedagogy courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Melbourne and Monash University since 1994. He has supervised numerous postgraduate students and presented more than 350 seminars, summer schools, workshops and conference presentations throughout Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America.
Central to Fintan’s teaching philosophy is the belief that students must actively engage in the learning process in order to achieve sustained long-term progress. His teaching encourages students to ask questions and develop the capacity to teach themselves. He places particular importance on helping students understand how the principles of playing relate to their own stage of development, physique, motivations and goals.
The results of Fintan’s research can be explored through the Violin Bow Technique+ website. His extensive work using Skype and Zoom for teaching, together with his experience presenting masterclasses and seminars in both metropolitan and remote regions of Australia and the Asia-Pacific, has contributed to the publication of more than 20 CD and DVD recordings.
Fintan emphasises the importance of engaging with disciplines such as psychology, drama and sports training in order to develop well-rounded musicians capable of sustaining healthy and fulfilling careers. His collaborations with psychologists, health scientists and body-use professionals have led to the publication of peer-reviewed articles in the British Journal of Music Education, the Australian Journal of Music Education and the International Journal of Music Education.
Fintan currently teaches at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and the University of Melbourne.
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