Grigoryan Brothers – This Is Us: A Musical Reflection of Australia | Proserpine

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