10 Questions with Mary Finsterer

When did music first come into your life?

Music has always been a constant presence—something that felt less like a choice and more like a calling. I was introduced to the piano at a very young age, and from those early moments, the instrument became a kind of confidante. It offered a space for expression that transcended words. Over time, that relationship evolved into a broader curiosity about sound, harmony, and the emotional architecture of music itself. While I didn’t formally begin composing until my twenties, the seeds were undoubtedly planted much earlier—quietly, persistently, through the keys of that piano.

How did your composing career begin?

It began with a deepening desire to create music that reflected the inner landscapes I had long felt but didn’t yet know how to articulate. My first forays into composition felt like uncovering a new language—one that allowed for a more expansive dialogue with the world around me. Encouragement from mentors and peers helped me embrace this path fully, and the journey quickly evolved from private experimentation to public performance, commissions and collaborations that took me further afield than I ever imagined.

Composing has taken you all over the world, from Australia to Europe and even Hollywood. What are some of the highlights of your career to date?

There have been many treasured milestones. Studying in The Netherlands and later travelling to the United States on a Churchill Fellowship opened up invaluable opportunities for growth and exchange. Working in Hollywood introduced me to a different facet of musical storytelling, allowing me to collaborate with incredible artists on projects with wide-reaching emotional resonance. Yet, among these, the creation of Stabat Mater and its companion work Ad Honorem Beatæ Mariæ Virginis hold a particularly special place in my heart. The works speak to something universal—grief, compassion, grace—and to see it performed across the continent with the West Australian premiere taking place with WASO, is both humbling and deeply affirming.

You studied for two years with Louis Andriessen – arguably the most influential Dutch composer of the last half-century, and the inspiration for WASO’s upcoming Danceworks concert. How did that experience shape you as a composer?

Studying with Louis Andriessen was transformative. He encouraged a fearless approach to form and challenged me to embrace clarity and structural integrity in my work. His philosophy was less about imitation and more about fostering one’s own voice—authenticity was paramount. His influence helped me refine a compositional language that honours tradition while allowing space for reinvention.

Your award-winning Stabat Mater is making its West Australian premiere with WASO at Devotion and Glory on April 16. How did you go about reimagining a centuries-old prayer in such a striking new interpretation?

The Stabat Mater has been interpreted by many over the centuries, but I felt called to bring a contemporary voice to its timeless themes of sorrow, love and transcendence. My approach began with deep respect for the original text—a meditation on the Virgin Mary’s grief at the foot of the Cross—but also a desire to draw out its universal resonance in our own fractured times. The work begins with Ad Honorem Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, an overture that frames Mary not only as a historical figure, but as a symbol of maternal grace whose compassion extends to all of humanity—particularly to the innocent, the lost, and the forsaken. From there, Stabat Mater unfolds in three movements, each exploring different facets of grief, reflection and ultimately, redemption. It is both a lament and a light.

Does your compositional process change when writing for different genres? What differences are there when composing sacred music compared with concert or operatic works?

Absolutely—the genre deeply influences my approach. Sacred music carries with it an intrinsic sense of reverence and stillness, even when it navigates moments of dissonance or tension. It requires a certain humility; the composer becomes, in a sense, a vessel for something greater. In contrast, operatic or concert works often allow for more overt theatricality and dramatic interplay. Yet regardless of genre, my aim is always to serve the emotional, philosophical and metaphoric journey of the work—whether sacred or secular, whispered or exalted.

The Stabat Mater is usually set as a choral work, but your iteration takes a symphonic form. How does the orchestral format bring out the key themes of the work?

In composing Stabat Mater, as part of my role as composer-in-residence with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, I sought to design the work’s architecture within the framework of an orchestral setting. By employing the orchestra as a kind of narrative voice, I was able to explore a broader emotional and sonic palette, underscoring the text’s emotional currents with greater nuance—grief rendered in a solo soprano’s line, hope hinted at in a fragile viola motif. This version does incorporate vocal elements, but the symphonic treatment offers a cinematic expansiveness that allows the themes to bloom with both intensity and intimacy. The orchestral texture becomes a living lament, an echo of Mary's sorrow and the world’s yearning.

Describe in 5 words what audiences can expect from a live performance of your Stabat Mater.

Intimate. Devotional. Purposeful. Offering. Gratitude.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in composing?

Cultivate curiosity, humility and patience. Listen widely and deeply—not only to music, but to silence, to stories, to the world. Seek mentors who challenge and support you, and don’t be afraid to explore your own path rather than follow trends. Fashion is just that—fashion. Most importantly, stay attuned to your inner voice—it’s the wellspring of your most authentic work.

A fun one to end – If you could invite three people from any period in history to dinner, who would you choose and why?

I would invite Hildegard von Bingen, for her visionary spirit and boundless creativity; Johann Sebastian Bach, to experience the humility and brilliance behind his transcendent music; and Mary, the mother of Jesus—whose grace, mystery and strength have inspired much of my recent work. What a conversation that would be...

Devotion and Glory
Wednesday 16 April, 7.30pm
Winthrop Hall, UWA