Biography
Inspired by the worlds of classical and jazz music, Australian guitar brothers Ziggy and Miles seek to break down barriers between musical genres by highlighting the unique sonorities that each genre brings. Having been playing together since they were very young, they have a unique intimacy that allows them to shift synchronously between genres. Their repertoire mixes the standard classical guitar canon with music from Australia, Spain, Latin America, world music, and jazz-influenced works.
The brothers are considered two of Australia’s finest young musicians as both soloists and a duo, with their presentation described in Limelight Magazine as “personable, relaxed and utterly winning”. In July 2022, their duo received national recognition with an article in The Age (and associated press around the country), an interview on ABC Radio Melbourne, and a sold-out recital in the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Primrose Potter Salon with a 4.5-star review. They are continuing their studies at The Juilliard School under Sharon Isbin as Artist Diploma candidates, becoming the first Australians, second guitarists, and first guitar duo in the program’s history to be accepted.
With over 50 awards between them in guitar competitions and local music Eisteddfods across their home city of Melbourne, Ziggy and Miles proved their artistry as soloists and a duo from a young age. A selection of their accolades include: prize-winners in the Guitar Foundation of America International Ensemble Artists Competition; finalists in the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition; and prize-winners in the Adelaide International Guitar Festival International Classical Guitar Competition. They have performed concerts across Australia and New Zealand, as well as in New York City, Aspen, and New Hampshire. They have been heard offstage at every kind of event from weddings to corporate function, art galleries, museum exhibition openings, fundraisers for major arts-based non-profit organisations, and federal political parties. Clients of the brothers have included Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Recital Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, and the Supreme Court of Victoria. While completing high school, Ziggy and Miles recorded and self-funded their first CD, Recollections, a tribute to the music that inspired them growing up. The CD was produced by Slava Grigoryan, one of Australia’s finest musicians and the brothers’ guitar hero with whom they had been learning only for a year at the time.
Ziggy and Miles are actively involved in community engagement and have a passion for connecting with audiences of all walks of life in and outside their performances. While undergraduate students, they were featured artists with the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Music Always, Victorian Touring, and Regional Masterclasses touring initiatives. Through their involvement in these three initiatives, they performed and presented masterclasses for communities across their home state of Victoria without access to live performances or high-quality music education. One highlight for the brothers was their two-week Music Always tour. The communities they performed for included aged care facilities, community centres, medical facilities, and psychiatric wards. Ziggy and Miles regard this as one of their most emotionally challenging yet rewarding experience as musicians to date.
During both their master’s and Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School, the brothers have been studying under multiple Grammy Award winner, Sharon Isbin. To assist financing their studies they received distinguished awards from Australian Foundations, including the American Australia Association, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. Ziggy and Miles play guitars by Australian luthiers, Domenic Roscioli and Jim Redgate.
The brothers are considered two of Australia’s finest young musicians as both soloists and a duo, with their presentation described in Limelight Magazine as “personable, relaxed and utterly winning”. In July 2022, their duo received national recognition with an article in The Age (and associated press around the country), an interview on ABC Radio Melbourne, and a sold-out recital in the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Primrose Potter Salon with a 4.5-star review. They are continuing their studies at The Juilliard School under Sharon Isbin as Artist Diploma candidates, becoming the first Australians, second guitarists, and first guitar duo in the program’s history to be accepted.
With over 50 awards between them in guitar competitions and local music Eisteddfods across their home city of Melbourne, Ziggy and Miles proved their artistry as soloists and a duo from a young age. A selection of their accolades include: prize-winners in the Guitar Foundation of America International Ensemble Artists Competition; finalists in the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition; and prize-winners in the Adelaide International Guitar Festival International Classical Guitar Competition. They have performed concerts across Australia and New Zealand, as well as in New York City, Aspen, and New Hampshire. They have been heard offstage at every kind of event from weddings to corporate function, art galleries, museum exhibition openings, fundraisers for major arts-based non-profit organisations, and federal political parties. Clients of the brothers have included Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Recital Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, and the Supreme Court of Victoria. While completing high school, Ziggy and Miles recorded and self-funded their first CD, Recollections, a tribute to the music that inspired them growing up. The CD was produced by Slava Grigoryan, one of Australia’s finest musicians and the brothers’ guitar hero with whom they had been learning only for a year at the time.
Ziggy and Miles are actively involved in community engagement and have a passion for connecting with audiences of all walks of life in and outside their performances. While undergraduate students, they were featured artists with the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Music Always, Victorian Touring, and Regional Masterclasses touring initiatives. Through their involvement in these three initiatives, they performed and presented masterclasses for communities across their home state of Victoria without access to live performances or high-quality music education. One highlight for the brothers was their two-week Music Always tour. The communities they performed for included aged care facilities, community centres, medical facilities, and psychiatric wards. Ziggy and Miles regard this as one of their most emotionally challenging yet rewarding experience as musicians to date.
During both their master’s and Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School, the brothers have been studying under multiple Grammy Award winner, Sharon Isbin. To assist financing their studies they received distinguished awards from Australian Foundations, including the American Australia Association, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. Ziggy and Miles play guitars by Australian luthiers, Domenic Roscioli and Jim Redgate.