Ziggy and Miles, Guitar Duo in Concert

Ziggy and Miles, guitar duo in concert

with a Prelude performance by Shiv Sitaram

Ziggy and Miles are two of Australia's finest young musicians forging an international career. Their performances are known for their “deeply considered musicianship, immaculate care and superlative technique," says Radio 5MBS of Adelaide. Winners of the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, the brothers are the first guitar duo and second guitarists to receive this prestigious award in the 65-year history of Young Concert Artists. Ziggy and Miles served as the 2024-25 Musicians-in-Residence at Dumbarton Oaks, a research institute affiliated with Harvard University.

The duo's latest recording Sidekick was featured as one of the best new classical albums of 2023 by WQXR, New York City's classical music radio station. Praised by Soundboard Magazine as “[played] with perfect unanimity and admirable virtuosity,” the album showcases 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 Welsh composer Katie Jenkins and ties this theme together. In Jenkins’s own words, “they make fun of each other but need each other, they compete with one another but are stronger together.”

With more than 50 awards between them, Ziggy and Miles proved their artistry from a young age. Their accolades include major prizes in competitions and recognition from the Guitar Foundation of America, Adelaide International Guitar Festival, and Melbourne Recital Centre. 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."

Originally from Melbourne, 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 organizations across Australia and the U.S. including Melbourne Recital Centre, the Juilliard School, and Project: Music Heals Us. One highlight for the brothers was their Music Always tour, partnering with Melbourne Recital Centre. This two-week 12-concert tour saw the brothers traveling across their home state of Victoria to senior-care facilities, community centers, medical facilities, and psychiatric wards. Ziggy and Miles regard this as one of their most emotionally challenging yet rewarding experiences as musicians to date.

Graduates of Juilliard, Ziggy and Miles were the first Australians and first guitar duo accepted into the school’s prestigious Artist Diploma program, where they also received the Norman Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. During both their master’s and Artist Diploma studies at Juilliard, Ziggy and Miles studied under multiple Grammy winner Sharon Isbin, who has shaped and inspired their artistic identities. Their studies have been supported by Australian foundations including the American Australia Association, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia.

Ziggy and Miles play guitars by Australian luthier Jim Redgate and use Savarez strings. They are managed internationally by Young Concert Artists.

PROGRAM