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The
Grigoryan Brothers

The music of a generation

Profile

Guitarists, Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are counted amongst the finest musicians 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.

Awards:

Between them, they have received 4 ARIA awards (Australian Recording Industry Association) and an incredible 25 ARIA Award nominations. As a duo they have recorded 11 albums with the 12th coming out in 2019.

Previous experience

They have been touring internationally since 2003, regularly performing throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA, as well as more exotic performances in Brazil, South Africa, India and the Middle East. 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 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.

A testament to their broad appeal and incredible skills is reflected in their recent tours and releases: In August 2017 they performed as support for the Canadian singer/songwriter kd lang on her Ingénue Redux, 25th Anniversary Australian Tour. This was followed immediately by another national tour sharing the stage and billing with the great Flamenco guitarist Paco Pena. All of this occurred while their classical release Songs Without Words was at the top of the classical music charts for 3 months. In February 2018 kd lang invited them to join her for a 21 date, 5 week USA tour.

Current work

In Nov 2018 the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) released two Grigoryan Brothers albums. The first, Bach Concertos, recorded with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and arranged for Slava and Leonard by their father Edward, includes three of Bach's most beloved concertos. The 2nd release is a soundtrack the Grigoryan Brothers created for the award-winning movie A Boy Called Sailboat. Set in New Mexico, the musics Latin theme presents the Grigoryan Brothers in a style far-removed from what audiences are used to hearing them play. To celebrate the movie's success at international film festivals – including Best Director' and Best Screenplay' at the prestigious Boston Film Festival – the Grigoryan Brothers completed an Australian national tour of special screenings performing the soundtrack to the movie live.

Slava and Leonard are blessed with an uncanny ability to perform so seamlessly as a duo that they play and breath' 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.

Media
Feedback
Guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority. Musicality, expressivity and daring, The New York Times

The Grigoryans have a reputation of performing together so emphatically, they become extensions of each other.

The Courier Mail, Brisbane

A centrepiece of the 2016 Uppsala Guitar Festival (Sweden) was the appearance of Australia's Grigoryan Brothers. Their first of three performances revealed two guitarists equally comfortable traversing the worlds of classical music, jazz and beyond.

DownBeat

Every ounce of subtlety of articulation, rubato and phrasing kept the listeners spellbound and their sheer virtuosity was verging on unbelievable.

Review of performance at the Taranaki International Arts Festival, New Zealand - Daily News

"Slava and Leonard belong in a special category of excellence "

The West Australian
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