Mary Finsterer facts for kids

Mary Finsterer (photograph by Dean Golja)

Mary Finsterer (born August 25, 1962) is an Australian composer. She writes music for orchestras, films, and operas.

About Mary Finsterer

Mary Finsterer was born in Canberra, Australia, in 1962. She loved music and studied at the University of Melbourne. In 1987, she earned a Bachelor of Music degree.

Later, she received a special award from the Royal Netherlands Government in 1993. This allowed her to study music in Amsterdam. She then came back to Australia and continued her studies. In 1995, she completed a Master of Music degree. She also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2003.

In 2006, Mary received a Churchill Fellowship. This helped her explore how music can be used with different types of media. She is married to Dean Golja, who is a photographer.

Composing for Orchestras and Ensembles

Since 2007, Mary has created many important musical pieces. These include In Praise of Darkness, a large work for an orchestra in the Netherlands. She also wrote music for a violin duo and a string quartet. A string quartet is a group of four string instruments.

Her orchestral piece Afmaeli was played at a big festival in 2009. It was part of the 70th birthday celebration for composer Louis Andriessen. In the same year, Mary won the Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize for In Praise of Darkness.

Teaching Music and Film Scores

Mary Finsterer has taught music and composition at many universities. These include places in Pittsburgh, Canada, and Australia. She has also taught at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

She is currently a special professor at Monash University. She also works at the University of Tasmania. Her music has been performed all over the world.

Mary has also composed music for films. She worked on the 2007 film Die Hard 4.0 as an orchestrator. This means she arranged the music for the orchestra. Her music for the 2010 film South Solitary was even nominated for an award.

Operas by Mary Finsterer

Mary has written two operas. An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing. Her first opera, Biographica, premiered in 2017. It was about the life of a famous Italian scholar named Gerolamo Cardano.

Her second opera is called Antarctica. It was first performed in Amsterdam in 2022. It was also shown at the Sydney Festival in 2023.

Awards and Recognitions

Mary Finsterer has received many awards for her amazing music:

• Nominated for two APRA|AMCOS Art Music Awards in 2024.
• Composer-in-residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2023.
• APRA|AMCOS Art Music Award for Instrumental Work in 2019 for Ignis.
• APRA|AMCOS Art Music Award for Vocal Work in 2018 for Biographica.
• APRA|AMCOS Art Music Award for Instrumental Work in 2014 for Aerea.
• Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize in 2009 for In Praise of Darkness.
• Churchill Fellowship in 2006 for her work in film.
• Australia Council Composer Fellowship in 1998.
• Royal Netherlands Government Award in 1993.
• Composer-in-residence with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1992.
• Paris Rostrum Prize in 1992.
• Albert H. Maggs Composition Award in 1990 for Catch.

Selected Musical Works

Here are some of Mary Finsterer's musical works: