Easter Friday Evening

Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are counted amongst the finest classical guitarists of their generation having developed a reputation for enthralling audiences with the energy of their performances and the breadth of their repertoire – embracing genres such as classical, jazz and contemporary music from around the world. Between them, they have received 4 ARIA awards (Australian Recording Industry Association) and an incredible 24 ARIA Award nominations. As a duo, they have recorded 12 albums with the 13th coming out in 2023. They have been touring internationally since 2003, regularly performing throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA.

Their diverse repertoire continues to present new opportunities for performances in traditional and unconventional settings, from projects with orchestras to duo performances in iconic classical venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall, and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. Their ability to perform in disparate genres has resulted in invitations from arts festivals, jazz festivals, folk festivals and Womad, as well as performing in more intimate spaces such as clubs and salons. They have toured throughout the USA, UK and Australia as support for Canadian singer/songwriter KD Lang on her Ingénue Redux, 25th Anniversary Tour.

Slava and Leonard are blessed with an uncanny ability to perform so seamlessly as a duo that they play and breathe as one. Growing up and performing together does not guarantee a symbiotic relationship, but what does create the perfect storm is the mutual respect and admiration the brothers have for each other. Perhaps this is the intangible quality that creates their ability to connect with listeners. Slava & Leonard Grigoryan’s deep appreciation of a broad spectrum of musical styles has resulted in many collaborations involving music, both written and improvised. Combine this with their classical training and the result is a unique sound incorporating all these influences.

Andrew Blanch is recognised as one of Australia’s leading classical guitarists. Described as “dazzling” (ArtsHub), “the real deal” (Classics Today), and “brilliant” (Limelight), he is a prize winner in over ten international competitions and a finalist for Performance of the Year at the 2022 Australian Art Music Awards. His three acclaimed albums showcase his versatility across solo and collaborative projects. Andrew collaborates widely with ensembles such as Ensemble Offspring and other leading musicians such as harpist Emily Granger with whom he recorded Suite Mágica. He has premiered works by numerous composers including Elena Kats- Chernin, Tristan Coelho and Daniel Rojas, whose Guitar Concerto No. 1 he recorded in São Paulo in 2023. He is a founding member of the Australian Guitar Quartet and associate artist of the Bowerbird Collective. He plays a 2014 Greg Smallman & Sons guitar, is sponsored by Augustine Strings and Schertler Audio, and is managed by Tier 1 Arts.

Vladimir Gorbach, described as “a gift to the world of music”, is recognised as one of the foremost classical guitarists of his generation. An Australian guitarist originally from Russia, he gained international acclaim after winning the 2011 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, which launched a 50-city tour across North and South America and a debut at Carnegie Hall. He has since appeared at leading venues including Tchaikovsky Hall (Moscow), Laeiszhalle (Hamburg), Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo), and Herbst Theatre (San Francisco) and has performed as a soloist with orchestras across Europe, the United States, and Australia. In addition to his international performing career, Gorbach is Associate Professor of Guitar and Program Leader for the Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. He co-founded the Australian Guitar Quartet with the Grigoryan brothers and Andrew Blanch, has premiered new Australian works by Kathy Milliken and Elena Kats-Chernin, and is acclaimed for interpretations ranging from Scarlatti to Piazzolla. His artistry is also recognised by major cultural institutions: at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, a video recording of his performance is on permanent display.

Sharon Grigoryan moved to Adelaide in 2013 to take up the position as cellist with the Australian String Quartet, a position she held until December 2020. Prior to this, she was a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and has been guest principal cellist of many of the Australian orchestras. From 2011 Sharon toured regularly, both nationally and internationally, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and whilst living in Berlin in 2012 Sharon toured Europe with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Spira Mirabilis Chamber Orchestra. Sharon was the artistic director of the Barossa, Baroque and Beyond Festival from 2014-2021, has performed with the Australian World Orchestra since 2015, and plays in a duo with guitarist and husband Slava Grigoryan. She is currently the Associate Principal Cellist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Luke Howard is an Australian composer and pianist. As one of the country’s foremost practitioners of contemporary classical music, his music captivates audiences worldwide. He grew up in Melbourne and has been a pianist since childhood, first studying classical piano and later going on to graduate in jazz performance at the Victorian College of the Arts. Inspired by artists such as Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, his music masters the art of wordless storytelling across many forms. With solo, duo and trio albums, scores for film, theatre and ballet, and countless collaborations with artists, choreographers and musicians, Howard is in demand as both a composer and performer. ‘Absolutely heavenly’ is how his music is described by BBC Radio 6 broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs.

María Eugenia Nieva is an Argentine mezzo-soprano praised for her “expressive dramatic style” (City News). Currently based in Sydney, she began music studies at age six with the Niños Cantores de Mendoza, touring South America as a young soloist. After completing studies in Choral Conducting in Mendoza, she moved to Buenos Aires to study Musical Theatre and Classical Singing at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes. María Eugenia has appeared as soloist with orchestras, sung with Germany’s Bach Akademie choir, and holds a postgraduate degree in Higher Education Pedagogy. A dedicated educator, she has led community and children’s choirs—including at a hospital in Mendoza—using music as a tool for outreach. She now tours extensively with guitarist Andrew Blanch, with whom she has performed over 70 concerts across the USA and appeared at Australian festivals and concert series including the Lyrebird, Moonbird, and Wagga Weekender Festivals, Canberra Art Song and Concerts Australia.

Bobby Singh was born and raised in England but spent a great deal of his childhood in Mumbai studying at Sangeet Mahabharati, an institute of music started by the great tabla maestro Pandit Nikhil Ghosh. Recognised with a great talent at a young age, Bobby became a student of Ghosh’s senior disciple Aneesh Pradhan, now one of the most sought after tabla players in the world. Through Aneesh’s guidance, Bobby was nurtured into a mature and internationally renowned tabla player, both in traditional Indian classical music and cross-cultural genres and is renowned throughout Australia and internationally for his work with acts that straddle the divide between tradition and modernity. Now a resident of Australia, he still spends most of his time between India and Australia. A documentary on his musical life was recorded and shown on SBS titled Viva, I Belong Everywhere.

Al Slavik is an Austrian-born musician, composer and producer, known especially for his work on the electric bass. Originally from Vienna, he has built a career that spans pop, rock, and jazz, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other well-known musicians. Slavik has shared studio and stage with European and international artists, including Alphaville, Adrian Belew, and members from bands like Depeche Mode, Sting, Level 42 and many others.