“Australian guitarist brothers making history” (The Age), Ziggy and Miles are two of their home country’s finest young musicians forging an international career. Their performances are known for their “deeply considered musicianship, immaculate care and superlative technique” (5MBS). Currently based between NYC and Melbourne Australia, the brothers maintain an active concert schedule with a focus on commissioning and premiering underplayed works by current composers. Ziggy and Miles are Artist diploma candidates at The Juilliard School under Multiple Grammy Winner, Sharon Isbin, where they are the first Australians and first guitar duo in the program’s 20-year history to be accepted.
Ziggy and Miles’ long-awaited new album, Sidekick, recently released through Move Records, Australia’s longest running classical record label. The album features new works written for the brothers, their own “transfixingly beautiful” (Limelight) arrangement of Debussy’s Clair de Lune, and works that have shaped their musical identity from Spain, Latin America, and Australia. The title track “Sidekick” is a character piece written for the brothers by award winning composer Katie Jenkins that ties this theme together. In Jenkins’ own words, “They make fun of each other but need each other, they compete with one another but are stronger together.” Following the album’s release, Ziggy and Miles’ 2023/24 season began with a 15-concert tour of Australia with future concerts in NYC, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Florida, and New Zealand.
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 as a duo from a young age. A selection of their major accolades includes prizes in the Guitar Foundation of America International Ensemble Artists Competition, the Adelaide International Guitar Festival International Classical Guitar Competition, and finalists in the Concert Artists Guild Competition. Self-released in 2014, their debut album, Recollections, served as both a tribute to the music that inspired the brothers growing up, and as their first professional milestone to look back upon and ‘recollect’.
Ziggy and Miles are actively involved in community engagement and have a passion for providing education and music to people without access to live performances or high-quality music education. They have collaborated with organisations across Australia and the US including Melbourne Recital Centre, The Juilliard School, and Project: Music Heals Us. One highlight for the brothers was their Music Always tour, partnered with Melbourne Recital Centre. This 2-week 12-concert tour saw the brothers travelling across their home state of Victoria to aged care facilities, community centres, medical facilities, and psychiatric wards. Ziggy and Miles regard this as one of their most emotionally challenging yet rewarding experiences as musicians to date.
During both their master’s and Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School, the brothers received distinguished awards to assist their studies from Australian Foundations, including the American Australia Association, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia.
Ziggy and Miles play double top guitars by Australian luthier Jim Redgate and play Savarez strings.