Loreta Fin
Email: lfin@somerville.qld.edu.au
Born in Sydney, Loreta studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was a first violinist with the Sydney Youth Orchestra. She moved to Brisbane in 1988 and has been the Principal Viola player with the Qld Pops Orchestra for over 25 years.
An experienced educator and adjudicator, Loreta has presented at conferences all over Australia and was invited to present at the 2007 and 2009 American String Teachers’ Association Conferences in Albuquerque and Atlanta. She has adjudicated major eisteddfodau and competitions throughout Queensland, as well as festivals in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Hobart. Loreta has written over 90 publications for young string orchestras, which have been selected as set works for Music Festivals and are distributed worldwide by Alfred Publishing.
Loreta has held the position of Director of Strings and Instrumental Music at Somerville House Girls’ School, Brisbane since 1993. The string program has over 250 students. It is renowned for its excellent ensembles, which have enjoyed success in statewide competitions, having won over 40 First Places and Platinum Awards in recent years. The premiere group, Somerville Strings, was a recipient of the Orchestras of Australia’s award for Best School Orchestra. They have won the String and Chamber Ensemble sections of the Brisbane Eisteddfod on several occasions and were also finalists in the ABC Radio School Ensembles competition. Loreta directed and conducted the school’s tours to Europe in 2005, 2010 and 2014. Their performances received standing ovations from enthusiastic audiences in cities, including Rome, Florence, Venice, Prague, Paris, Vienna and Salzburg.
Loreta has been a member of the Australian Strings Association (AUSTA) for over 25 years. During this time, she has served as both State and National President and is currently on the National Consultancy Committee. She received the State Award for Services to Austa in 2009, and in 2015 she received the National Award for Services to Music and Excellence in String Teaching in Australia. Loreta is an examiner with the Australian Music Examinations Board and has taught String Pedagogy at the University of Queensland and QUT. She was also the Consulting Editor of the Series 8 Violin Syllabus for the Australian Music Examinations Board and has been on the Education Advisory Committee for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for over 10 years. In 2015/16, Loreta was invited to conduct the Qld Conservatorium, Griffith University’s State Honours Ensemble Program in both South East Qld and North Queensland.
Loreta has performed regularly in chamber music and orchestral concerts, including many seasons as the solo viola player in major musical theatre productions at the Qld Performing Arts Centre, such as Les Miserables, Me and My Girl, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Phantom of the Opera and South Pacific. She has worked with numerous international artists on their Australian Tours, such as Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Jerry Lewis, Gene Pitney, Sarah Brightman and Rod Stewart, as well as Olivia Newton-John, Anthony Warlow, John Farnham, Tim Minchin and Hugh Jackman.
Loreta is happy to assist you with any aspect of your string or orchestral program.