Finghin Collins is one of Ireland's most successful musicians.

Finghin Collins (born March 31, 1977) is an Irish pianist. He won first prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1999, and has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras and conductors. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1407x1417, 663 KB) Aline Kundig, from my website www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1407x1417, 663 KB) Aline Kundig, from my website www. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ...

Studies and Competition successes

Finghin (pronounced Fin-een) studied with John O'Conor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and with Dominique Merlet at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Dublin City University in 1999 and a premier prix avec distinction from the Conservatoire in Geneva in 2002. Early competition successes include the Overall Winner of the RTE 'Musician of the Future' Competition in Dublin in 1994, semi-final prizes at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1996 and the Guardian Dublin International Piano Competition in 1997 and the Classical Category at the National Entertainment Awards in Ireland in 1998. Finally, in 1999, Finghin was awarded the top prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, which led to a very busy international performing career. John OConor is an internationally renowned concert pianist and musician. ... Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) is a linked college of Dublin City University located in Dublin, Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German: //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... Dublin City University (DCU) is a university situated in Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland. ...

Performances

Finghin has performed with such orchestras as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductors with whom Finghin has collaborated include Christoph Eschenbach, Hans Graf, Emmanuel Krivine, Nicholas McGegan, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Tadaaki Otaka, Heinrich Schiff and Vassily Sinaisky. Chamber music plays an increasingly important role in his musical life and he has collaborated with ensembles such as London Winds and the Aviv, Callino, Chilingirian, ConTempo, Shanghai, Skampa, St Petersburg, Vanbrugh, Vertavo and Vogler String Quartets. Instrumentalists with whom he has collaborated include violinists Isabelle van Keulen, Miriam Fried, Anthony Marwood and Raphaël Oleg, cellists Alban Gerhardt, Marc Coppey and Guy Johnston and clarinettists Michael Collins and Sharon Kam. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, based in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the leading orchestras in the world. ... Jones Hall The Houston Symphony Orchestra is one of the United States of Americas major orchestras, based, as its name suggests, in Houston, Texas. ... The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. ... The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPHO) is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. ... The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland, OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. ... The Gulbenkian Orchestra (Portuguese: Orquestra Gulbenkian) is a major symphony orchestra in Portugal, based in the capital Lisbon. ... Founded in 1990 by a group of local musicians with a mission to bring music closer to the community, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta today is an orchestra which has a full season and a full-time management. ... The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is based in Birmingham, England. ... Christoph Eschenbach (born February 20, 1940 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, Poland)) is a noted pianist and conductor. ... Hans Graf (born 15 February 1949 in Marchtrenk, Austria) is an Austrian conductor. ... Nicholas McGegan (born January 14, 1950 in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England) is a harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert. ... Gianandrea Noseda (born 1964 in Milan) is an Italian conductor. ... Sakari Oramo (born 1965) is a Finnish conductor. ... Heinrich Schiff is a noted cellist, much in demand as a soloist with the worlds leading chamber ensembles and major orchestras. ... Vassily Sinaisky Vassily Serafimovich Sinaisky (Russian: Васи́лий Серафи́мович Сина́йский, born: April 20, 1947) is Russian conductor and pianist. ... Acclaimed violinist of the Florestan Trio. ... Alban Gerhardt (1969-) is a German cellist. ... Guy Johnston is a young cellist. ...

Recordings

In May 2005 RTE Lyric FM released Finghin's debut solo CD album; entitled 'Impromptu', it features 19 sparkling piano classics. In May 2006 Claves Records in Switzerland released a double CD set featuring the piano music of Schumann; these recordings have received glowing reviews in the international press, including "Editor's Choice" in the October 2006 issue of Gramophone Magazine, 4 stars in BBC Music Magazine and 5 Diapasons in "Diapason" Magazine in France. RTÉ Lyric FM, part of Radio Telefís Éireann, is an Irish radio station. ... The Gramophone is a glossy publication devoted to classical music and particularly recordings of classical music. ...

"Vol. 1 of Finghin Collins's Schumann cycle is revelatory. In this young Irish pianist we have an artist (and I use the word advisedly) of rare poetic empathy, one with an uncanny and moving capacity to arrive at the still centre, the very heart, of Schumann's teeming and frenzied imagination. Winner of the 1999 Clara Haskil Competition, Collins is here to stay. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that he plays in the spirit of Haskil herself...this issue deserves a heavenful of stars." Bryce Morrison, Gramophone Magazine Awards Issue, October 2006

Finghin is Artist in Residence at Waterford Institute of Technology and Artistic Director of the New Ross Piano Festival. Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) situated on the western outskirts of Waterford city, Ireland was established in 1970 as Regional Technical College, Waterford with an initial intake of just 200 students. ...

External Links

• Finghin Collins's official website