ARTISTS
Allan Neave
(Scotland) Artistic Director
Allan has been Artistic Director of the Dundee International Guitar Festival since it’s inception. In 2000 he received the Scotland on Sunday Glenfiddich ® Spirit of Scotland Award for Music. These awards were set up to recognize individuals who lead the way in Scottish culture.
In 2007 he released his latest CD ‘guitarra internacional’ for Natural Studio Records,. He is a Senior Lecturer in Strings at the RSAMD, Glasgow.
The Katona Twins
(Hungary)
The Hungarian born Katona Twins, Peter and Zoltán, have given recitals throughout the world including performances at the Carnegie Hall in New York; Purcell Room of the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London; Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Konzerthaus in Vienna, Suntory Hall in Tokyo; Forbidden City in Beijing; Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Philharmonie in Cologne. A wide repertoire ranging from Scarlatti to Piazzolla also includes concertos. Their programmes also include concertos for two guitars and orchestra by Rodrigo, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, Tedesco, Michael Berkeley and Judith Bingham.
Pavel Steidl
(Czech Republic)
Since he won first prize at the Radio France International Competition in Paris, he has become one of the most widely celebrated soloists of his generation. His highly expressive performances of rare 19th-century guitar literature on authentic instruments add a wonderful dimension to his already exceptional performances. Pavel Steidl composes himself and often includes his compositions in his concerts. Pavel has played in more then 30 countries of the world from among Canada, Cuba, Spain, Poland, Austria, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Australia, Japan, England, Scotland and many others.
On demand of Italian Guitar Magazine ‘Guitart’ his name appeared among the eight most important guitarists of the year in 2007.
Martin Taylor
(Scotland)
Award winning guitarist MARTIN TAYLOR has established a unique musical career as an internationally acclaimed musician, and his inimitable style has seen him recognised as the world’s foremost exponent of solo jazz guitar playing.
Although completely self taught, he has enjoyed a remarkable musical career spanning across four decades, and during that time has invented and developed a way of playing the guitar that is admired, and often imitated, by guitarists all over the world. As well as being a true guitar innovator, he is also a master concert performer, dazzling audiences with his solo shows, which combine virtuosity, emotion, humour, with a strong stage presence.
He spends much of the year travelling the world, playing in concert halls in Europe, North America, Japan, Asia, and Australasia.
As well as his solo concerts and recordings, he has also collaborated with musicians from many different musical genre including, Stephane Grappelli, Chet Atkins, Bill Wyman, George Harrison, Dionne Warwick, Sacha Distel, Bryn Terfel and Jamie Cullum.
From 1979 to 1990 he toured the world and recorded over 20 albums with the French jazz violin legend STEPHANE GRAPPELLI. Their album with Vassar Clements “Together At Last” won a Grammy Nomination in 1987.
Monsieur Grappelli described him as “A great artist, rich in talent and elegance”
His ground breaking solo album ARTISTRY, produced by Steve Howe, was released in 1992 to much critical acclaim. It was No 1 in the HMV Jazz Charts for a record 12 weeks and launched his career as an international solo artist.
After two very successful albums for Sony/Columbia, KISS AND TELL and NITELIFE, he went on to record several albums for The Guitar Label.
In 1999 he was made an Honorary Doctor of the University of Paisley, Scotland and in 2002, was appointed MBE “For Services To Jazz Music”, in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, which he received personally from Her Majesty The Queen at an investiture at Buckingham Palace.
In 2007 he recieved the prestigious BBC Radio 2 “Heart of Jazz” Award in recognition of his career in music, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Wales Jazz Guitar Festival for his “Contribution to Jazz Guitar Worldwide” and was voted Best Guitarist in the British Jazz Awards for a record eleventh time.
When not touring he divides his time between his homes in France and Scotland where he writes music for TV and film. His film credits include the French comedy “Milou En Mai” directed by Louis Malle, and more recently his composition “Green Lady” is featured in the Andrew Piddington movie “The Killing of John Lennon”
His autobiography “Martin Taylor- Autobiography of a Travelling Musician” and his latest CD/DVD “Freternity” are available worldwide.
Peter Stewart
(Scotland)
Guitarist/composer Peter studied in London with Carlos Bonell and John W. Duarte and from 1990 played in the successful guitar ensemble, Duo Stewart. Duo Stewart edited a series of works, written by John Duarte, for Mel Bay and also directed the very successful Oatridge International Guitar Festival. Peter Stewart’s success as a composer has been met with international critical acclaim with many of his works being recorded by international artists such as Alfonso Montes, Allan Neave & Antonio de Innocentis. He presently teaches in private practice in Glasgow and also at Aberdeen College of Music and Performing Arts.
Andrzej Mokry
(Poland)
Andrzej Mokry, (b.1961) studied at the Academy of Music in Warsaw with Professor Marcin Zalewski and in Cologne, Germany, with Professor Dieter Kreidler. Mokry has given concerts in many European and Asian countries and currently teaches at the Music Institute of the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Germany. In addition to his solo recitals, he plays with the Gewandhaus-Orchestra Leipzig and with various symphony orchestras such as the Orchestra ‘Klassika’ St Petersburg, the Chamber Orchestra Katowice and the Wuppertaler Symphoniker.
