Kaleido Guitar Duo in concert at the 2026 Jerry Snyder GuitarFest
with a Prelude performance by the duo of Andrew Lee and Brandon Lee
Directions
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Giulia Ballarè is unable to perform on March 7 at the Jerry Snyder GuitarFest. The South Bay Guitar Society is pleased to present the Kaleido Guitar Duo in her place.
Kaleido Guitar Duo brings together two distinctive voices of the guitar from across the globe. Internationally renowned award-winning musicians in their own right, Hao Yang, from China, and Kevin Loh, from Singapore, are united by a shared musical heritage and an adventurous spirit for exploring uncharted territories in the guitar duo repertoire.
The partnership was born from common roots in the English classical guitar tradition, with both musicians studying under the connected lineage of Richard Wright and Jonathan Leathwood. Before relocating to the U.S. for postgraduate study, Loh studied in the United Kingdom for a decade under various professors including Wright and worked regularly with Leathwood during his frequent visits to the U.K. For her part, Yang later studied with Leathwood for her master's degree at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. With a shared exposure to similar pedagogical approaches, Loh and Yang enjoy an intuitive understanding.
The duo's name "Kaleido" draws inspiration from the kaleidoscope, an ingenious instrument that creates infinite patterns of beauty from simple elements. Like the kaleidoscope's ever-shifting colors, Kaleido Guitar Duo seeks to discover and reveal the vast spectrum of sonic possibilities within the guitar-duo combination.
Kaleido Guitar Duo is distinctive due not only to the individual achievements of Yang and Loh as internationally recognized soloists but also their dedication to expanding the boundaries of what two guitars can achieve together. Rather than retreading familiar ground, they actively seek compositions that challenge both performers and audiences, revealing rich harmonic and textural possibilities.
Prelude performance by the duo of Andrew Lee and Brandon Lee
The duo of Andrew Lee and Brandon Lee has performed in recital and in masterclass for René Izquierdo and the Kupiński Duo and is coached by Jon Mendle at the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As soloists, Andrew was the second-place winner at the 2025 Texas Guitar Competition and the 2023 Chicago Guitar Festival Competition. Brandon was the third-prize winner at both those competitions. Andrew and Brandon were soloists in the 2024 Junior Bach Festival and have performed in masterclass for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Kevin Loh, Hao Yang, and many other prominent teachers. Both Brandon and Andrew study privately with Mendle at the Pre-College.Outside the guitar, they are fans of Premier League soccer, with Andrew cheering for Arsenal while Brandon roots for Chelsea.
Program:
G. Rossini, arr. M. Giuliani: Overture to Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Andrew Lee (left) and Brandon Lee
