Loreta Fin AM
We were delighted to interview former School Captain from the class of 1978, Loreta Fin AM, who has had a remarkable and illustrious musical career that led to her appointment, in 2024, as a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to music, to education and to professional Associations”. We hope you enjoy this article and our sincere thanks to Loreta for sharing her story and photos.
You have had a very extensive career in music; performing, educating, adjudicating and composing, can you please share some of your career highlights?
For over 30 years, I have performed as the Principal Violist in The Qld Pops Orchestra. Performance highlights include playing at the Sydney Opera House, and other fabulous concert halls around Australia. I have also performed at the Qld Performing Arts Centre as part of the orchestras for many musicals, including Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, which required me to perform 8 shows a week, while also working full-time as Director of Strings at Somerville House Girls’ School in Brisbane. I worked at Somerville House for 35 years and in that role, I was fortunate to conduct the school musicals, and leading the school orchestras on 3 Europe Tours, including performances in Italy, France and Austria. I have been invited to adjudicate major music competitions all over Australia and as a freelance musician and conductor since 2022, I have had many opportunities to present at conferences and for various orchestral organisations and schools across Australia, as well as in the USA and Malaysia. Recently, I was appointed a Federal Examiner for the Australian Music Examiners Board (AMEB) and I have been an editor and advisor for the AMEB Violin and Viola syllabuses. I have also composed over 100 educational pieces for strings, many of which have been included in AMEB publications or selected as set works in competitions in Australia and overseas.
Can you share any interesting or stand out experiences you’ve had working with renowned artists over the years?
Working with renowned artists is always a great learning experience. You are required to perfect two or more hours of music with only one rehearsal, so sight-reading skills are a must. Highlights would have to be working in the backing orchestra with famous singers, such as Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Sarah Brightman and even Hugh Jackman, in The Boy from Oz. Of the many Australian Artists, the highlight would have to be working with Olivia Newton John, John Farnham and Anthony Warlow in their Main Event tour. Some of these stars can be quite aloof, but others do realise how vital the orchestra is to their performance. Dean Martin’s comedic sidekick, Jerry Lewis, stopped the rehearsal to order drinks and snacks for the musicians, while keeping everyone in stitches. Bert Newton in The Wizard of Oz was also hilarious. He really was a kind and genuine person. He also shouted drinks for the orchestra after the show, saying: “I need to keep you guys happy, because you make me sound so much better than I actually do.” I should also mention how awesome it has been to play movie scores live in concert for hits such as Love Actually, The Princess Bride, Pirates of the Caribbean and Disney’s 100 Year Celebration.
Did you always aspire to have a career in music? Who/what inspired you?
I think I knew I was going to do something with music for as long as I can remember. I came from a musical family, and my parents always encouraged us. Five of the 6 Fin girls learnt to play an instrument at St Ursula’s. When I was in Year 4 at OLF, Sister Mary Driscoll asked me if I wanted to play violin at the end of year concert. Mary Finneran, Joanne Cheong and I had to learn “Sing with Joy to Mary our mother” in a few weeks. We had never even held a violin before. After we performed in the concert, Sr Mary and Sr Marie De Lourdes said that I should continue, because I was the only one who screwed my face up when I played out of tune (and I imagine that was a frequent occurrence). I am so grateful for their encouragement. I continued lessons with Mother Margaret (Sr Peg Short), who was Mother Provincial at St Ursula’s. She taught me until Year 10, when she left to take up another position. I count her as one of my most inspiring mentors. She was a fine violinist. Her teaching approach was firm, but kind and she would just say to me: “You have 7 brothers and sisters and your parents work hard to pay for these lessons; Don’t you think you should practise more”? I visited her in Toowoomba whenever I could for many years and I was honoured to play at her funeral when she passed in 2006. To this day, when I set my students their practice tasks for the week, I quote her – and I can hear her voice saying, with a knowing smile: “Off you go. That will keep you off the streets for a while”. From the mid-1970s, I played in the Sydney Youth Orchestra and I also count Richard Gill AO as one of the most inspiring teachers, conductors and mentors of my life. He taught at the Conservatorium when I was a student and many years later, I worked with him as a tutor when he conducted combined schools’ events. His wisdom, humour and his fierce advocacy for music education, touched and influenced so many, until cancer sadly took him in 2018.
What are your fondest memories of your time at St Ursula’s College?
I was Captain of Girralong (Blue) in Year 11 (1977) and School Captain in Year 12 (1978). I fondly remember those two years as some of happiest years of my life. Our cohort was very unified and everyone got on. We also had a great relationship with the staff, including Sr Mary O’Neill, Ms Freed, Ms Reedy, Mr Russell and Mr Stokes. Sr Leone was the Principal and I think I was seen as a bit of a rebel – maybe not their preferred choice as Captain, but with the help of vice captains, Lynette Wallworth and Fran Sheil, as well as our wonderful form prefects, Dianne Hendry, Gay Gazal, Jenny Di Genua, Tracey Horan and Jenny Milne, we had a great team and each of us brought different strengths and skills to the task. We put on Amateur Nights, Fashion Parades and lots of fun lunchtime activities for the whole school. I used to play the fiddle and we’d have square dances in the playground, as well as lunchtime cleanups, with William Tell Overture blasting through the speakers. One of the highlights was when we swapped clothes with the teachers at the Swimming Carnival and the staff came out in school uniform. In the 1978 Year Book, Sr Leone thanked the Year 12 cohort for “the friendship, loyalty and good humour they gave to the college”. We laughed so much in those final 2 years at St Ursula’s – I’m surprised we ever found time to study! I am happy to say, we gathered over 60 of us for our 40th Year Reunion in 2018 – and many more laughs and memories were shared. We look forward to another celebration for our 50th reunion in 2028. Stay tuned!
What does Serviam mean to you and how has this motto contributed to your everyday life?
Service was a concept that I grew up with. Both of my parents volunteered on Church Committees and for the Italian community for many years. They instilled in us the notion of working hard and giving back. For over 30 years, I have served on the committee of the Australian Strings Association, including terms as both State and National President. In the 2024 Australia Day Honours, I was humbled and honoured to be appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to music, to education and to professional Associations”. Serviam is a motto that has very much stayed with me. I now take any opportunity I can to provide mentorship to young music teachers and composers who are just starting out, as well as guiding students through the State Honours Excellence Program, run by the Qld Conservatorium of Music, which has outreach programs all over the state of Qld. I still remember the words: Serviam, our badge forever. Serviam, our rule.
