Judith Cullen Moloney has over 20 years experience teaching violin, viola and piano with the Suzuki method. Having been conventionally trained as a musician, her life was changed forever when in 1985 Dr. Shinichi Suzuki brought a group of his students to her native Ireland. Witnessing the children perform at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Judith was amazed at their high quality performance without any sheet music, and their sheer joy of playing. Dr. Suzuki soon formally opened The Suzuki Educational Institute of Ireland (S.E.I.I.), and so the Suzuki method in Ireland was born.
Judith’s first Suzuki teacher was Sabine Goor. Judith did her violin teacher-training with Philippa Lees and Trudy Byron-Fahy of the S.E.I.I. achieving qualifications for books 1-8. At this time, Judith was also pursuing a piano career under the wonderful teacher and composer Mr. Brent Parker at Dublin’s Conservatory of Music. Judith had the honor of performing Parker’s first piano concerto in Dublin in 1994. She graduated from the Conservatory in 1995.
In 1995, Ireland hosted the 12th international Suzuki convention. Here, Judith met the inspirational and very “purple” Betsy Stuen-Walker and the great William Preucil. Preucil encouraged Judith to study with him the following summer, and over the next few years, she achieved Suzuki viola teaching qualifications for books 1-6 with Pruecil and Stuen-Walker.
In Ireland, Judith was with the Leinster Suzuki Group and European Suzuki Association from 1990-2009. Each summer, she taught violin and viola at the Irish national summer camp, and was also one of the piano accompanists in residence. Betsy Stuen-Walker invited her to join the faculty of the Bellingham Washington Viola Camp in 1996 and in 1997 Judith joined the International Suzuki Viola Ensemble, travelling to the Pan-Pacific Suzuki convention in Brisbane Australia in January of 1997.
Judith also has a great interest in composition and arranging for all music genres including choral and instrumental. A member of the National Philharmonic Choir in Ireland and the chamber choir Cantique, under the direction of Ms. Blainid Murphy, Judith was commissioned to compose several works. She also directed many children’s choirs over the years, always allowing the children to reach their potential as singers and sing in 2/3 part harmony from as young as the age of 5.
In 2006, Judith was a founder member of the Astral String Quartet. This quartet has become one the most sought after music ensembles to play at functions in Ireland.
She was sad to say goodbye to Astral, her colleagues, her students, friends and family when in August 2009 Judith moved to Rye, New York with her husband Mick and four young children. She has grown to love this country, its people and its music. Discovering the wonderful Greenwich Suzuki Academy has been her biggest joy, as her children are fortunate to study with the most inspiring, hard-working, patient and loving teachers in the true Suzuki spirit. So it goes without saying that Judith was very excited to join the Faculty of the Greenwich Suzuki Academy, in April 2011.
