WOMAD

Slava & Leonard Grigoryan

From Australia, Kazakhstan

These two immensely talented guitarists, Slava and his younger brother Leonard, will play the music of Argentina’s Astor Piazzolla and Brazil’s Radames Gnattali.Biography from www.slavagrigoryan.com, Jan 2004;Slava Grigoryan was born in 1976 in Khazakstan and immigrated with his family to Australia in 1981. He began studying guitar with his father, a professional violinist at the age of 7.As a major prize winner at the Tokyo International Classical Guitar Competition, Slava was signed by Sony Music Entertainment in 1995. He released four solo albums under the Sony Classical Label.In 1995, Slava began a touring career which has taken him all over Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, and of course his home continent of Australia.Since 2001, Slava has recorded for ABC Classics in Australia. This relationship has seen the release of another three recordings. A solo album, a debut duo recording with his younger brother Leonard and the first recording of Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet.In 1998, he was awarded the Young Australian of the Year for the Arts, and the ‘MO’ award for Instrumentalist of the Year in 2001. Slava also won the ARIA for Best Classical Album in 2002 and 2003.