Mary Finsterer (born 25 August 1962) is an Australian composer and academic.

Life

Finsterer was born in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

in 1962. She graduated in 1987 with a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. A recipient of the Royal Netherlands Government Award in 1993, she continued her studies in Amsterdam with

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

, then returned to Australia and studied with

Brenton Broadstock Brenton Thomas Broadstock (born 12 December 1952) is an Australian composer. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day in 2014 for "significant service to music as a composer, educator and mentor". Biography From 1 ...

, completing a

Master of Music The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...

degree in 1995 at the University of Melbourne. She completed a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree in 2003. In 2006 she received a Churchill Fellowship for her continuing work in multimedia. Finsterer is married to the photographer Dean Golja."What Happens Next: Meeting Mary Finsterer"
by Andrew Ford, ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

'', October 2011 Since 2007 Finsterer has completed a body of work that includes ''In Praise of Darkness'', a major orchestral work for the Dutch ensemble

Asko/Schönberg AskoSchönberg is a Dutch music ensemble that specialises in contemporary classical music, especially that of the 21st century. It was formed by a merging of the ''Asko Ensemble'' and the ''Schönberg Ensemble'' in 2009. Asko Ensemble Forme ...

in association with Tura Music, a violin duo for soloists Natsuko Yoshimoto and James Cuddeford, a string quartet for the Goldner String Quartet, a chamber work for the Sydney Soloists, and a number of works for her 2009 composer-in-residence position at the Campbelltown Performing Arts Centre. Her orchestral fanfare ''Afmaeli'' was the opening piece for the 70th birthday celebrations of composer Louis Andriessen at the

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architec ...

in 2009. In the same year Finsterer was the winner of the Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize for her new work ''In Praise of Darkness''. Finsterer has taught music and composition at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

in Pittsburgh, the

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

in Canada, the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public university, public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately south of Sydney. , the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 s ...

, the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

, the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

, the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

and the

Australian Film, Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...

where she became an honorary

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

in 2009. Finsterer is a Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

and in July 2014 she was announced as the inaugural Chamber Music Australia Chair of Composition at Monash University to teach there until 2017. She currently holds the position of CALE Creative Fellow at the College of Arts, Law and Education at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

whilst working on large-scale works. Her works have been performed internationally. Finsterer has composed for films and electroacoustic events for the

Music Biennale Zagreb Music Biennale Zagreb (, MBZ) is an international festival of contemporary classical music, contemporary music in Zagreb, Croatia, organized by the Croatian Composers' Society. The wikt:biennale, Biennale, founded by Milko Kelemen and held every s ...

Nouvel Ensemble Moderne Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is one of the world's premier chamber orchestras specializing in contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1989 by Lorraine Vaillancourt, who serves as the ensemble's conducto ...

, Ensemble intercontemporain, and Ictus Ensemble for performances in Lille and Brussels. She worked as an

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

on the 2007 film '' Die Hard 4.0''. Her film music for the 2010 feature film ''

South Solitary ''South Solitary'' is a 2010 Australian romance film set on South Solitary Island and directed by Shirley Barrett. Plot Meredith Appleton (Miranda Otto) arrives on South Solitary island with her elderly uncle George Wadsworth ( Barry Otto). H ...

'' received a

Film Critics Circle of Australia The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...

nomination in 2010, and has since been released on the CD label

ABC Classics ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult conte ...

. Her first

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, ''Biographica'', to a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Tom Wright, about the life of

Gerolamo Cardano Gerolamo Cardano (; also Girolamo or Geronimo; ; ; 24 September 1501– 21 September 1576) was an Italian polymath whose interests and proficiencies ranged through those of mathematician, physician, biologist, physicist, chemist, astrologer, as ...

, premiered in January 2017 at the

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

with the

Sydney Chamber Opera Sydney Chamber Opera is an opera company based in Sydney, Australia. It is a resident company at Carriageworks. The company was founded in 2010 by Louis Garrick and Jack Symonds. Its first production was in February 2011 and it has since produce ...

at the

Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being use ...

. Her second opera, ''Antarctica'', also to a libretto by Wright, was first performed at

Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ ( English: "Music Building on the IJ") is the main concert hall for contemporary classical music on the IJ in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building opened in 2005 and is located above the IJtunnel, a ten-minute walk from ...

in Amsterdam for the Holland Festival 2022 and Sydney Festival 2023 in a co-production with

. Finsterer is published by

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

. Finsterer's ''Stabat Mater (2023)'' has been nominated in the Work of the Year: Choral and Performance of the Year: Notated Composition categories for the 2024 APRA, AMCOS Art Music Awards.

Honours and awards

*Nominated for tw
APRA, AMCOS 2024 Art Music Awards
in the Work of the Year: Choral and Performance of the Year: Notated Composition categories. *

Composer-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

with

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on fun ...

, 2023 * APRA, AMCOS Art Music Award for Instrumental Work 2019 for ''Ignis'' * APRA, AMCOS Art Music Award for Vocal Work 2018 for ''Biographica'' * APRA, AMCOS Art Music Award for Instrumental Work 2014 for ''Aerea'' *Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize 2009 for ''In Praise of Darkness'' *

Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

2006 for work in the film industry *

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

Composer Fellowship, 1998 *Royal Netherlands Government Award 1993 *

with

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

, 1992 *Music Lives!, Pittsburgh, 1992 *Paris Rostrum Prize, 1992 *Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne's Forum 91 * Albert H. Maggs Composition Award 1990 for ''Catch'' *"Let's Celebrate Oz Music" ABC Award 1989

Works

Selected works include: * ''Ruisselant'' (1991) * ''Catch'' (1992) * ''Nextwave Fanfare'' (1992) * ''Omaggio Alla Pieta'' (1992) * ''Tract'', for cello (1993) * ''Constans'' (1995) * ''Nyx'' (1996) * ''Ether'' (1998) * ''Achos'' (1999) * ''Kurz'' (2000) * ''Pascal's Sphere'' (2000) * ''Sequi'' (2001) * ''Sleep'' (2002) * ''Afmaeli'' (2009) * ''In Praise of Darkness'' (2009) * ''Ionia'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010), film score (released on CD ''South Solitary'' by ABC Classics) * ''Antea'' (2012) * ''Falling'' (2012) * ''Silva'' (2012) * ''Aerea'' (2013) * ''Lake Ice: Missed Tales No. 1 (2013)'' for

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

and orchestra * ''Biographica'' (2017), opera * ''Antarctica'' (2022), opera * ''Stabat Mater'' (2023)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Finsterer, Mary 1962 births Living people 20th-century Australian classical composers APRA Award winners Australian film score composers Australian music educators Australian women classical composers Australian women film score composers People from Canberra University of Melbourne alumni Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award Australian women music educators 20th-century Australian women composers 21st-century Australian women composers 21st-century Australian composers

Life

Honours and awards

Works

References

Further reading

External links