Info
The Art House Presents
Grigoryan Brothers
This Is Us: A Musical Reflection of Australia
Acclaimed guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan have created a suite of music inspired by 18 objects personally selected from the National Museum of Australia’s vast collection, which traces our diverse and complex history.
This Is Us takes audiences on a journey from the deep past of early Indigenous Australians to the making of contemporary Australian society. The compositions are accompanied by high-definition moving projections, with various artifacts including ancient 65,000 year old ochre of the Madjebebe rock shelter, a convict love token, a lifebuoy from the Tampa, and Sir Donald Bradman’s famed cricket bat.
Incorporating all their influences from classical to jazz and contemporary music, performed on a variety of guitars (electric, 8-string tenor ukulele, 12-string and classical), audiences will see and hear the Grigoryan Brothers like never before.
This Is Us is also a personal declaration from Slava and Leonard, that this music, composed during lockdown with each living in different states, is a new direction for them.
While they have included original compositions within programs in the past, this is the first time they will be performing an entire program of original works.
“We chose objects that try to represent some of our First Nations’ history as well as colonisation, migration, innovation and stories of love and loss. We were deeply moved by all of them.” – Slava & Leonard Grigoryan
Cast & Creatives
Australian guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are considered 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.
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 8 albums with the 9th coming out in 2018. They have been touring internationally since 2003, regularly performing throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA, as well as performances in Brazil, South Africa, India and the Middle East.
Reviews
“Guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority. Musicality, expressivity and daring.” – The New York Times
“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
“Their ability to play as if drawing from a shared musical consciousness and their subtle nuances of tempo, bordered on the uncanny.” – The West Australian
“The Grigoryan Brothers have a reputation of performing together so emphatically, they become extensions of each other.” – Courier Mail
