Josephine Vains

Josephine is an Australian cellist, chamber musician and educator. A multi-faceted career has taken her to concert stages throughout Europe, North America, Asia, the Caribbean and Australia and includes performances with a number of award-winning chamber ensembles and orchestras. She has performed regularly for the Melbourne, Sydney, Castlemaine, Port Fairy and Ballarat Goldfields Festivals and Musica Viva. Currently performing Australia-wide with Firebird Trio, she was a founding member of Trio 3.0.3, Freshwater Trio and the Pacific Clarinet Trio. Since returning to Australia after 5 years in Europe, Josephine has explored many facets of musical endeavour, including a love of baroque cello with Accademia Arcadia and the Bach Cello Series and Argentine tango music. Described as “an expressive soloist and fabulous communicator” The Age, ’’Josephine’s debut CD Song of the Birds was released in 2014. In 2017 Tall Poppies released ‘Il Diavolo’ on which she performs baroque cello for Accademia Arcadia to acclaim. She features on regular radio broadcasts including for ABC FM, 3MBS, DRS1 (Switzerland), NDR (Germany) and CBC (Canada).

Josephine's love of music permeates her teaching, and she is currently on the staff at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. Her students are active in the scene both in Australia and overseas, with many pursuing further tertiary studies at universities in the UK, USA and Europe. Her busy musical life also extends to adjudicating, examining, blogging, curating concerts and radio programs. She performs on a lovely old Thomas Kennedy Cello, London 1850 and a John Devereux Cello, Fitzroy 1864.