The School of Creative Arts

HEALING STAGE-FRIGHT MASTERCLASS TODAY at UWA
"I help musicians move into an immersive process when they play, where the students take in far more than they normally do - the whole room, all the people, the smell, lighting and stage set up. But most of all we go back to listening when we play - listening to our own instrument and how the music makes us feel. It’s a big reconnect with feeling. Anxiety is only possible when we are thinking. Feeling alleviates anxiety and helps us feel safe.
"I help musicians to re-orientate to play music in the same way they might going for a walk in the country with friends, enjoying the beauty of it all together..hardly that they would feel anxious sharing such a lovely experience with their friends. We bring that approach to performing music."
Rupert Guenther from the Healing Stage-Fright masterclass.
See booking details below

The free Artist Talk from 8th August 2025 about the new Marcus Aurelius work, held at the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne. Features the School of Creative Arts director & concert violinist Rupert Guenther explaining the inspiration for the work, and a special guest segment with Rupert taking to master luthier Paul Davies, who was commissioned to create the world-first Spur Baroque semi-acoustic violin especially for the work.

Rupert Guenther Artist Talk at the Hellenic Museum Melbourne explaining his new Marcus Aurelius work Rupert Guenther gives a free Artist Talk at the Hellenic Museum Melbourne Friday 8th August 2025, explaining his new work 'Marcus Aurelius "Meditations": Vio...

The School of Creative Arts in Wangara is where we teach self-care through my Self-Esteem Wellbeing & Healing Stage-Fright masterclases, and run weekly meditation classes in person and online for musicians. And as teachers we take part ourselves in small counseling groups, receive personal mentoring, and practice improving our own self-regulation through meditation and handy energy self-clearing techniques in addition to - as integral to, really - our own daily music practice as a performers and teachers.
If you practice your cello or violin daily it makes sense that you get better at it.. and the same happens when you practice regular and conscious self-care such as grounded forms of meditation and being patient with yourself.
Come and learn our practical approaches to meditation, explore ways to better self-care during your busy day, setting healthy boundaries, getting through your own resistance, and become a safe place for yourself where you can bring your own turbulence and upsets to restore yourself and heal. Details here in this link https://events.humanitix.com/meditation-for-being-the...
We also have online classes, counseling sessions with Tanya (a qualified psychotherapist & counselor), and run monthly half-day retreats on a beautiful country property just near Toodyay not far from Perth.
Absolutely no previous meditation experience necessary!

5 insights on mental health from The Strad archives To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, take a look at some views on mental health from the perspective of students, luthiers and players

Rupert Guenther with the beautiful Spur Baroque Semi-Acoustic Violin especially made for his newest work for solo violin 'Marcus Aurelius:"Meditations": Violin Sketches In Sound' concert, shown here in the performance in the beautiful Treasures Gallery in Hackett Hall at WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth CBD last month. The one-hour work is performed entirely through extended improvisations as musical meditations, interspersed between the narrations and readings from Aurelius' book "Meditations". Live CD & downloads coming out soon! Keep an eye out on https://rupertguenther.bandcamp.com/

The School of Creative Arts director Rupert Guemther talks about his own daily violin practice:
"People often ask me about how I do my daily violin practice. Here it is: every day I practice for 3-5 minutes, between 10-20 times each day. It is solely for maximum expressiveness, which improves my technique more than technical practice does. I am at all times deeply absorbed in the feeling and tone and story of every note and phrase, and the healing and humanistic upliftment behind playing at all."

International Musician Visits Residents at BaptistCare Balladong Gardens
The York Festival visiting artist and director of The School of Creative Arts violinist Rupert Guenther gave an impromptu performance for residents at BaptistCare Balladong Gardens on Friday afternoon. Around 30 residents enjoyed the violinist sharing his music, and the backstories behind each work. The tunes were inspired by his travels and experiences around the world, from the clatter of hooves on 18th century cobblestones of the streets of old Europe, to the quietude of the temples and countryside in Japan, and the ancient plains of the Middle East. Each tune captured the atmosphere of the different lands, and their music traditions and the culture in a colourful feast of sounds.
Organised by The York Festival's Joanna Bryant, the visit by the Vienna trained violinist was an exciting surprise for the residents and their families who sat in rapt attention listening to the music. Ms Bryant said that the visit was very much in the spirit of the Festival's community focus and outreach.
" We're deeply grateful to Rupert for supporting the York Festival's outreach program, helping to bring the joy of music to all corners of our community and ensuring our events are truly inclusive" she said.
Rupert Guenther appeared at The York Festival this year in two separate performances over two days at the Holy Trinity Church with a program of diverse philosophically based works created recently for his 2025 Australian tour.
For more information about The York Festival see website www.yorkfestival.com.au

The School of Creative Arts director Rupert Guenther performing another of his recent works "Krakatoa: Volcanic Cataclysm, Shockwaves & Sunsets" at The York Festival last Friday. For solo violin, the work tells the story of the eruption of the island of Krakatoa on 27th August 1883 in 15 small sonic segments. Special thanks to The York Festival for inviting him to play in this wonderful series.
If you would like Rupert to come to your school or university to share his approaches enabling all classical musicians to play their own original music using his breakthrough approach to classical music improvisation, and enabling them to add this to their creative musical enjoyment, ATAR or career portfolio, please contact him direct on 0466 279 087.

School of Creative Arts director Rupert Guenther caught up yesterday in Perth CBD with Richard David Hames, his former lecturer in contemporary classical music from the VCA. Richard was as erudite and visionary as ever, 40 years after they last caught up, and is continuing his work as a writer and speaker, now working advising organisations and governments in wisdom-based philosophy to move towards more humane and sustainable futures for everyone. A great inspirational discussion over some burgers and chips before he flies out to speak at other conferences around the world. Great to catch up.

Discount price for school groups available!
Classical Music Club
Info for upcoming Classical Music Club concert 19th Sept 2025.
Join us for An Hour With The Composer – The Inside Story with internationally acclaimed violinist-composer Rupert Guenther.
📍 Leederville Town Hall
🗓 Friday 19 Sept 2025 | 10am
🎟 $20 / $15 conc
Discover the stories and inspirations behind Rupert’s evocative works, from European cathedrals to the landscapes of Australia and beyond.
✨ Presented by WA Classical Music Connect – making world-class concerts accessible for everyone.
👉 Book your tickets now: https://events.humanitix.com/cmc25

ADVICE FOR PERFORMERS:
"When you perform,
Do not fail
To learn from
The pure voice of an
Ever-flowing mountain stream
Splashing over the rocks." - Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Japanese martial art Aikido.
WORKSHOPS, CLASSES & PRIVATE SESSIONS:
Our classical music culture has normalised performance anxiety, some coaches even saying that it helps our performance. If that were the case, then intimidating your children into states of anxiety would help them be better at everything they do. Which of course, that close to the bone of truth, we would say "no thanks!". So let's stop normalising performance anxiety in classical music, and become part of turning our culture around so that when we perform, we feel the pleasure of sharing what we love with others instead of debilitating fear. Performing the music we love to our audiences can be like when you show your friends photos from your recent holiday, its just a pleasure to share, you wouldn't even think of being anxious.
If you or your students would like to experience a complete change of your performing experience to become one of the pleasure of sharing what you love with your audiences, please message me or email [email protected]
I offer private individual and ensemble sessions as well as regular workshops and masterclasses to students of all ages, professionals, schools, universities and professional music associations worldwide. It's a lot simpler and more enjoyable than you have been led to believe, and doesn't involve mental trickery of convincing yourself of anything, or engaging in mind games, it is just an organic process of helping you experience the simplicity and consuming pleasure of making music in a completely different way.

Coming up in historic York later this month as part of the 2025 York Festival

Krakatoa: Volcanic Cataclysm, Shockwaves & Sunsets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkd7BABvOQA

I love mistakes | Davide Monti As musicians, our biggest fear is making mistakes. Actually in every day's experience we know that mistakes are important in order to learn to use our body, ...