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TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AT THE SYDNEY STRING STUDIO
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A lifetime of Violin excellence
"Every lesson is a unique experience, full of musical energy and inspiration.”
Early successes fueled Kirtley's love of the violin. Her passion was evident from an early age!
As Director at The Sydney String Studio, my gift is to pass my lifetime of experience as a teacher and performer, my dedication, passion for the violin, and abilities as a consummate Chamber Musician of the highest International level to students.I am outgoing, exuberant, vibrant, a skilled, eloquent communicator, love the diversity of people, and bring a wealth of knowledge from my life as a solo, chamber music and orchestral performer on stages and in concert halls all around the world, and as an educator, masterclass pedagogue and chamber music coach with over 35 years’ experience to the Sydney String Studio.
I am confident and eager to take on challenges, bright, quick, love to work out just what makes each student tick, involved as a teacher to explore their own individuality, and find ways together to reveal the real musician inside these violinists of our next generation. I have performed since 1983 worldwide as a soloist, chamber recitalist, teacher,coach, masterclass pedagogue, and orchestral leader. Chamber Music is my life. I have run, as both Artistic Director and/or Leader/performer, various Chamber Music Series since 1983 in International locations as varied as Hong Kong, (Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival), France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Turkey (European Union Chamber Orchestra), Spain (Pollensa Chamber Orchestra), Austria (Vienna Chamber Music Festival), The Netherlands, Norway, (Klassik Aften) and the U.K., (Prussia Cove, Endellion Chamber Music Festival, Classics Live, London Chamber Soloists), and Australasia (Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Queensland Music Festival, New Zealand Soundz Festival)- culminating in my current position here in Australia as Artistic Director and Soloist of Paradise Concerts International Chamber Music Series. I have been an active chamber music performer and coach for over 35 years. See www.paradiseconcerts.com for my extensive Chamber Music credentials, past performances, recordings, videos, portfolios, publicity, past chamber music collaborations, past programs and repertoire, and artists with whom I have collaborated in recent years.This year marks my 16th Anniversary at the helm of the Chamber Series. |
Kirtley's Professor and Mentor, the Great Josef Gingold with another iconic violinist, Henryk Szering
Kirtley was Leader of practically every orchestra she joined from her early studies onwards. Here she is with her High School Orchestra ca 1973.
The Violin Lesson by Morisset
My dear Professor Gingold demonstrates how to play the "Carmen Fantasy" with flair in my lesson!
Pascal Roge and Louise King joined me in Trio Recitals and the vibrancy of Piazzolla.
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Kirtley had a great time as standpartner to Itzhak Perlman when she was Leader of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra!
I also am currently Tutor at The King's School, Sydney, teaching Violin, Viola, Chamber Music and Orchestras
In my Australian career as Artistic Director, I have performed chamber music with many of the world's greats in classical (and even popular) music, including Pascal Roge, Melvin Tan, William Barton, Sir John Hopkins,OBE, Dene Olding, John Harding, James Buswell, Richard Hickox, Mark Eager, Jane Rutter, Herb Armstrong ,Pavarotti, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, John Travolta. (For Mr. Travolta it was a private solo violin recital on a beach!)
My pedagogical qualifications were firmly established in 1983, with my appointment as Assistant Head of Strings at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, where I was daily responsible for the education and tutelage of tertiary level students for the following four years. After moving to Europe, my teaching path mirrored my performing career, with positions as Violin Professor in London in the Wimbledon School of Performing Arts and the London Borough of Wandsworth Strings teacher appointments amongst my jobs.
I also am currently Tutor at The King's School, Sydney, teaching Violin, Viola, Chamber Music and Orchestras
In my Australian career as Artistic Director, I have performed chamber music with many of the world's greats in classical (and even popular) music, including Pascal Roge, Melvin Tan, William Barton, Sir John Hopkins,OBE, Dene Olding, John Harding, James Buswell, Richard Hickox, Mark Eager, Jane Rutter, Herb Armstrong ,Pavarotti, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, John Travolta. (For Mr. Travolta it was a private solo violin recital on a beach!)
My pedagogical qualifications were firmly established in 1983, with my appointment as Assistant Head of Strings at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, where I was daily responsible for the education and tutelage of tertiary level students for the following four years. After moving to Europe, my teaching path mirrored my performing career, with positions as Violin Professor in London in the Wimbledon School of Performing Arts and the London Borough of Wandsworth Strings teacher appointments amongst my jobs.
I was fortunate to have outstanding peers in Professor Gingold's Violin Class. I am 10:30 on a Monday, but just LOOK at who is 4:00 on Friday?
Performing as Soloist in the World Premier of a Violin Concerto written for her in Nelson NZ on her Recital Tour
.In Australia, I have nurtured a wonderful group of award-winning strings students in both my Private Studio and in various teaching appointments over the last decade. My studio of violin (and viola and some cello students) regularly place as 1st prize-winners in competitions, and are consistently achieving High Distinction results in the Australian accredited AMEB Exams. I regularly teach all levels, but special concentration is placed on students leaving High School preparing for College entrance exams, as well as older students wishing to take auditions for major orchestras.
It is a pleasure to be able to follow in my great mentor and teacher Josef Gingold’s footsteps (or fingerings….) and pass on the sheer love of the violin and the enormity of the chamber music literature to students at The Sydney String Studio. I am able to mentor tomorrow’s violinists through my teaching skills honed and refined over 30 years. I am able to call on my worldwide network of professional colleagues to widen the scope of feature guest chamber music performances and masterclasses and student performance opportunities.
I am continually reminiscent of the traditions Gingold instilled in me as a consummate violinist- my job is to pass on the teaching legacy of my iconic and legendary teachers, so today’s violinists can bloom grounded in technique and lifted in artistry.
I have the intimate knowledge of the core violin repertoire for solo, recital and chamber music, many with the legendary Gingold’s fingerings and unique musical insights to pass on. There is a knowledge I can share of this rare link to the era of the true violin legends of the golden age of violin playing directly through my tutelage by Gingold. Any student of mine immediately becomes, violinistically-speaking, a “Grandchild of Gingold and a Great-Grandchild of Eugene Ysaye”!
I have a teaching philosophy that encompasses an intimate understanding of the individual needs of each student, and I strive to create and design a working teacher-student relationship that is based on mutual respect and building a course of study that is uniquely tailored to that particular student’s abilities and needs. Every new student poses a challenge- a wonderful challenge to the teacher, and I relish these opportunities to find the ways and methods to bring the very best in study and performance out of every student.
It is a pleasure to be able to follow in my great mentor and teacher Josef Gingold’s footsteps (or fingerings….) and pass on the sheer love of the violin and the enormity of the chamber music literature to students at The Sydney String Studio. I am able to mentor tomorrow’s violinists through my teaching skills honed and refined over 30 years. I am able to call on my worldwide network of professional colleagues to widen the scope of feature guest chamber music performances and masterclasses and student performance opportunities.
I am continually reminiscent of the traditions Gingold instilled in me as a consummate violinist- my job is to pass on the teaching legacy of my iconic and legendary teachers, so today’s violinists can bloom grounded in technique and lifted in artistry.
I have the intimate knowledge of the core violin repertoire for solo, recital and chamber music, many with the legendary Gingold’s fingerings and unique musical insights to pass on. There is a knowledge I can share of this rare link to the era of the true violin legends of the golden age of violin playing directly through my tutelage by Gingold. Any student of mine immediately becomes, violinistically-speaking, a “Grandchild of Gingold and a Great-Grandchild of Eugene Ysaye”!
I have a teaching philosophy that encompasses an intimate understanding of the individual needs of each student, and I strive to create and design a working teacher-student relationship that is based on mutual respect and building a course of study that is uniquely tailored to that particular student’s abilities and needs. Every new student poses a challenge- a wonderful challenge to the teacher, and I relish these opportunities to find the ways and methods to bring the very best in study and performance out of every student.
Kirtley in Masterclasses with the great Henryk Szering and her teacher Josef Gingold
with the wonderful Concert Pianist and Forte Piano expert, Melvyn Tan in Recitals.
Those were the days,my friends!
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Those that know me and my teaching ethos as well as my performance ability often remark that I am “born to share the love of my violin and passion for chamber music to the world”.
I believe in a thorough grounding in technical proficiency coupled with a masterful musicality and a freedom to explore individuality within the core of pure understanding of the violin. This is expressed in a studio environment by coupling studies of etudes, scales and personal technical exercises with a study of the vast body of violin literature- anything from Unaccompanied Bach (or earlier) through the Concerti of the greats (Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Korngold, Bartok, Barber, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, et al), right up to the Sonata Repertoire and into musical gems – established and unknown- of the recital performer. I encourage constant performance opportunities, and mentorships with visiting artists through masterclasses. I strive on achieving the fundamentals in a positive and nurturing way: nothing can beat secure and accurate intonation, followed by a sound technique, and coupled with a masterful and profound sense of musicality based on a historical knowledge of stylistic performance practices and composers lives and intentions. In my violin fundamental teaching philosophy, enormous importance is also focused on the study (and knowledge and performance of) the immense Chamber Music literature. No real violinist serious about a career today can neglect the vast repertoire and the performance skills necessary to perform Chamber Music at the highest level. This knowledge is a core responsibility of mine to pass on to future violinists. I am passionate about Chamber Music, and this passion permeates my teaching ethos and practical studies. In addition, I am aware that so many young artists today are aiming for a career as an Orchestral musician. Whether they are auditioning for a tutti violin position, or Concertmaster, I am able and willing to train and educate my students in a thorough grounding of the orchestral repertoire, especially those excerpts used most widely as audition material, and indeed, prepare them vigorously for the audition process and experience itself. I have much experience in these fields, and my successful experiences winning in Concertmaster and Principal position auditions worldwide can facilitate building a teaching studio, passing on my knowledge to students capable and eager to take on the world of orchestral (and chamber music) auditions- enabling them to secure positions as great orchestral or chamber music performers of tomorrow. I am, in my essence, a musical and expressive violinist that constantly strives for ever-fresh interpretation and illumination of musical material through my links to the greats, my history as a performer over many genres, and my sheer desire to express my love of violin. That, in a nutshell, is my teaching philosophy, and one which I am thrilled to incorporate in my role as Director at the Sydney String Studio. |
