Australian guitar concert to pluck at Hanoi heartstrings

Two outstanding Australian performers will impress Hanoi audiences with sounds of the guitar and exotic oud during a free concert at Radio the Voice of Vietnam Theatre on 28 February 2011. The concert, titled Brothers in Concert: Sounds of Colours, showcases Leonard Grigoryan (guitar) and Joseph Tawadros (oud) alongside well-known Vietnamese performers. The concert is presented by the Australian Embassy in Hanoi and Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

Leonard Grigoryan and Joseph Tawadros are members of the Band of Brothers, well known in Australia for their exceptional skills, diverse music forms and evident on-stage friendship.

The Grigoryan and Tawadros family names are synonymous with modern Australian classical music. Regarded as one of Australia’s finest classical guitarists, Leonard is also well-known for his forays into genres such as latin, jazz, folk and contemporary music. Joseph is recognised as one of the world’s leading performers and composers for the oud (an eleven stringed lute of Middle-Eastern origin). With his brilliant technique and his joyous style of performance, Joseph continues to appear in concert halls worldwide, dazzling audience with his passionate music.

HE Mr Allaster Cox, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam said, “Brothers in Concert brings Australian and Vietnamese closer together by including collaborations between artists from both countries. ‘Brothers’ is a good term to describe the friendship between Australia and Vietnam.”

“VOV has enjoyed long-standing cooperation with the Australian Embassy, beginning with English language training in the 1970s. Brothers in Concert expands on those foundations to encourage future cultural cooperation between VOV and the Australian Embassy,” said a VOV representative.

In Hanoi, Leonard and Joseph will also conduct a master class with students of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. In Ho Chi Minh City, they will share their experience with students of the Conservatory of Music and perform at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.