John Finucane, Artistic Director
John Finucane enjoyed twenty-five years as Principal Clarinet of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra before retiring from it in 2020. During that time he was a regular concerto soloist, recitalist, and renowned professor of clarinet in the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where he still teaches.
He recently performed the Weber first concerto and the Strauss Duet Concertino with the National Symphony Orchestra and conducted the NSO for a summer lunchtime concert. In August, he was invited to perform as guest of the International ClarinetFest.
As well as the NSO, throughout his career he has also regularly conducted the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra, and has been the director of the Hibernian Orchestra for over thirty years.
As a chamber musician he has worked with many groups, including the Ysaÿe, Navarra, Con Tempo, Vanbrugh, Piatti and Sacconi Quartets, has performed with pianists John O’Conor, Finghin Collins, Nathalia Milstein, Philip Martin and Barry Douglas and is the founder and director of Music In Monkstown which celebrates its tenth anniversary in September 2024.
Gramophone magazine has described him as ‘an outstanding virtuoso’. The CD “French Holidays” was reviewed as “… heartbreakingly beautiful”, and, “…the playing is superb”. His CD of the three sonatas for clarinet and piano by Grigori Frid, the premiere recording of these recently discovered works by the great Russian composer, was reviewed as “…masterful chamber music”, “magnificent”.