Adrian Finnerty
Adrian Finnerty is a freelance musician, teacher, lecturer, composer, pianist, organist and examiner.
He studied composition with John Maxwell Geddes at St. Andrew’s College of Education in Glasgow, and subsequently with Edward Harper and Nigel Osborne at the University of Edinburgh. His compositions include; Griminish Point, Conveyance and Saltire Sinfonietta (orchestral), Lay of the Last Minstrel, Balulalow, and Pattern of Life (choral), The Fastest Man On Earth (choir and orchestra) Fanfare Academica (brass quintet), Stereo-Stereo, Strata Shift and Night Lift-off (electro-acoustic), Contretemps, Kaprun and Memories of Culcreuch (piano), and various settings of liturgical texts.
Adrian’s performing experience includes: playing piano and accompanying soloists and various ensembles for concerts, festivals and examinations; playing the organ regularly for church services, including weddings and other special occasions; and conducting amateur choirs, orchestras and musical theatre groups. He is currently the accompanist for both the Bearsden Fiddlers and the Bearsden Young Fiddlers, organist at St, Andrew’s Church in Bearsden, and plays piano with the big band That Swing Sensation.
As a former Head of a Creative Arts Faculty, Adrian has a wide experience of teaching and giving presentations on many aspects of Music. As a Guest Speaker, Adrian gives talks on various aspects of music, exploring a range of composers, musicians, musical works and musical themes. His musical interests are very wide; including many aspects of Classical, Jazz, Popular and Traditional Music; as well as Musicology. He was awarded the MA in Music with Distinction by the Open University following research into various aspects of musical composition in Scotland, culminating with a dissertation on the topic of Scottish Identity in Music.
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Adrian’s academic qualifications include: BA(Hons) in Music and the Arts, MA in Music and MA in Education from the Open University; MMus in Composition, Jazz and 20th Century Music from the University of Edinburgh; MSc in Practitioner Research from the University of Strathclyde; DipTMus (Diploma in the Teaching of Music) from St. Andrew's College of Education; DipABRSM (Diploma of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) in piano teaching; and the ALCM (Associate Diploma of the London College of Music) in piano performing. He is also a member of the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) and a Fellow of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (FISM).
Adrian has held various roles with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), including Principal Assessor for Higher Music and Visiting Assessor of Music performance. He has also written two books for the Scottish Music curriculum: National 5 Music Study Guide and Higher Music Study Guide, both published by Bright Red Publishing.
