Robert Finegan

Robert Finegan is a young saxophonist from the North-East region of Ireland who has performed all over the island of Ireland and Europe. In 2019, he completed the BA in Music Performance in DIT Conservatory of Music achieving a first-class honours and receiving the McNamara Gold Medal for Excellence in Final Year Performance Exam. He is currently studying for a Masters of Music Performance in the Royal College of Music, London, where he is a Dr. Michael West Scholar.

Robert is an experienced musician and teacher with in-depth knowledge of music theory and a gift for inspiring students of all ages. In his teaching, he brings a diverse knowledge and experience in Saxophone and Clarinet, tailoring lessons to suit each student’s strengths, needs and abilities.

Robert has a thorough musical training, including numerous masterclasses and workshops, leading him to become a highly-skilled musician who constantly endeavours to improve his skills in all different genres of music.

In 2013 Robert was awarded a scholarship from St. Peter’s Male Voice Choir to study at DIT Conservatory of Music where he was a recipient of the School of Excellence Award and went on to win the Macardle Young Classical Musician Award in 2014. In 2017, Robert was the inaugural winner of the Flax Trust Music Award and was also awarded 2nd prize in the Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year. Other awards include the 2019 Sligo Feis Ceol RTE Lyric FM Instrumental Bursary, multiple awards in the ESB Feis Ceol and Midlands Feis Ceol.

In summer 2018,  Robert represented Ireland at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia playing music by contemporary Irish composers. Robert also made his London debut performing as an opening act for the 2019 Champions Tennis in the Royal Albert Hall.

In addition to solo performances, Robert has performed with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, SinfoNua Orchestra, Hibernian Orchestra, Irish Films and Pops Orchestra, and the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra.

Robert has participated in masterclasses with composers Ian Wilson and John Buckley, as well as world-renowned saxophonists Claude Delangle, Arno Bornkamp, Ties Mellema, Jan Schulte-Bunert and Rob Buckland.

In 2018 Robert became the first saxophonist to become a Yanagisawa saxophone and Vandoren reed endorsee from the Republic of Ireland.