Josephine
Vains

Cellist • Chamber musician • Educator
A woman wearing a dark blouse with neck-length brown hair holding a cello, against a grey backgroundA woman wearing a dark blouse with neck-length brown hair holding a cello, against a grey background
Josephine Vains is a cellist, chamber musician and educator active across modern and historical fields. Performing around Australia and internationally to acclaim, she thrives on collaboration and exploring the emotional relationship between musician and audience.
As an educator at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and the University of Melbourne, Josephine’s teaching focuses on each unique individual, to foster confidence, flair and stylistic curiosity.
About

Areas of Expertise

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Performing

Josephine is an Australian cellist and avid chamber musician with a performance career that encompasses modern and historical cello. An adventurous spirit has taken her to some far-flung concert venues - from an 1000 year old cave in the heart of China to mountain-top Bach in the French Alps.

She is a founding member of Firebird Trio, also performing to acclaim with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Accademia Arcadia, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, Ludovico’s Band, Genesis Baroque and more.

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Educator

Passionate about education, Josephine is currently training the next generation of musicians at Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, University of Melbourne. She is a regular tutor for Melbourne and Australian Youth Orchestra, Mt. Buller Chamber Music, Clunes Music, Melbourne Young Con Artists Academy, Pettman National Junior Academy (NZ) and for iartschool (China).

Josephine is thrilled to be presenting at the 2022 National Australian String Teachers Association Conference in July, with one of her favourite subjects, on creating ‘speaking’ musical performance using Rhetoric.

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Mentor

Josephine regularly mentors early and mid-career cello teachers, helping to illuminate their natural pedagogical strengths and guiding them to develop more rigour and inspiration in their own teaching. She also mentors her own students as they navigate their way through secondary and tertiary study, and beyond into the professional world.

Events

7.30pm, 1 March 2023

Music for Reflection

fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Music for Reflection brings together the peaceful and soulful solo works of J.S. Bach, echoed in solo and ensemble works by Australian, Swedish and Estonian composers. With Sulki Yu (violin), Rob Cossom (percussion) and curated by Rachael Beesley.
8pm, 17 March 2023

Dark Vienna

Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn
Firebird Trio returns to the iconic Hawthorn Town Hall for a candelit concert in homage to the composers of Vienna - Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss and Kreisler. Words and letters read by ABC Classic broadcaster Alice Keath.
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Projects

Mondays at 8pm in October 2022

Tempo Rubato Residency

Tempo Rubato
A musical gathering across four Monday evenings with Josephine’s nearest and dearest musical collaborators
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July 2022

AUSTA National Conference presentation

Melbourne
Presentation topic is ‘Speaking through music’ - finding the rhetoric in persuasive musical performance.
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