Josephine
Vains

Cellist • Chamber musician • Educator
A woman wearing a dark blouse with neck-length brown hair holding a cello, against a grey backgroundA woman wearing a dark blouse with neck-length brown hair holding a cello, against a grey background
Josephine Vains is a cellist, chamber musician and educator active across modern and historical fields. Performing around Australia and internationally to acclaim, she thrives on collaboration and exploring the emotional relationship between musician and audience.
As an educator at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and the University of Melbourne, Josephine’s teaching focuses on each unique individual, to foster confidence, flair and stylistic curiosity.
About

Areas of Expertise

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Performing

Josephine is an Australian cellist and avid chamber musician with a performance career that encompasses modern and historical cello. An adventurous spirit has taken her to some far-flung concert venues - from an 1000 year old cave in the heart of China to mountain-top Bach in the French Alps.

She is a founding member of Firebird Trio, also performing to acclaim with Accademia Arcadia, Genesis Baroque, CellOZ, Gryphon Baryton Trio, Imaginista Quartet and more.

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Educator

Passionate about education, Josephine is currently training the next generation of musicians at Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, University of Melbourne. She is a regular tutor for Melbourne and Australian Youth Orchestra, Mt. Buller Chamber Music, Clunes Music, Melbourne Young Con Artists Academy, Pettman National Junior Academy (NZ) and for iartschool (China).

Josephine was thrilled to be present at the 2022 National Australian String Teachers Association Conference, on one of her favourite subjects, creating ‘speaking’ musical performance using Rhetoric.

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Mentor

Josephine regularly mentors early and mid-career cello teachers, helping to illuminate their natural pedagogical strengths and guiding them to develop more rigour and inspiration in their own teaching. She also mentors her own students as they navigate their way through secondary and tertiary study, and beyond into the professional world.

Events

2PM, 19 October, 2025

Beethoven's Eroica in Fitzroy

St Mark's Anglican Church, 250 George St, Fitzroy
Two giant works for piano quartet including the Ferdinand Ries arrangement of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, paired with Mozart’s pivotal work for the genre, his G minor piano quartet. It’s a pleasure to play these in the gorgeous acoustic of St Marks alongside Coady Green (piano), Sophie Rowell (violin) and Caroline Henbest (viola). Tickets: $32 / $22
26 October - 8 November, 2025

Death and the Maiden with Genesis Baroque

Fish Creek / East Melbourne / Daylesford mini-tour
Experiencing Schubert's momentous work on gut strings will introduce audiences to the vivid colours and expressive sensitivities that Schubert intended, bringing it to new life. With brilliant colleagues Anna McMichael and Jennifer Kirsner (violins) and Meg Cohen (viola).
7PM, 31 October , 2025

12 CELLOS Halloween

Meat Market, 3 Blackwood St, North Melbourne
A whole evening of cello-ey goodness. This will be an absolute highlight for cello lovers. With a set list as eclectic as they come – from Led Zeppelin, Prince and Radiohead to Saint-Saens, Mahler, Elgar and more. Thrilled to be performing Giovanni Sollima’s ‘Violoncelles vibrez’ alongside my oldest cello friend Rohan de Korte. Not to be missed! Tickets $58 / $47 / $32
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Projects

Bach Suite VI on 5-string cello

A live recording of the Solo Suite VI played on 5-string historical cello
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