Arts Global

Recognised for his exceptional musicality and commanding stage presence, Andrey Lebedev came to prominence as the young guitarist handpicked by Julian Bream to perform for the Julian Bream Trust. Lebedev premiered two Trust commissions, Construction with Guitar Player: Beyond the White Hand by Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Sonata No.5 Ars Combinatoria by Leo Brouwer, in a London recital curated by Bream in 2014.

Born in Moscow and brought up in Australia, Andrey Lebedev is currently living in London where he is a full scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music, supported by the ABRSM and the Julian Bream Trust. He was the First Prize winner of the 25th Gisborne International Music Competition for Orchestral Instruments (also recipient of the Bach Prize), the Adelaide International Guitar Competition (the only ever Australian winner), the Australian National Fine Music Young Performers Award (first classical guitarist to ever to win), and the Sydney Eisteddfod Instrumental Scholarship (the only classical guitarist ever to win).

His interests in contemporary repertoire have led him to premiere new works by leading composers including Peter Sculthorpe’s Oh T.I. for Guitar and String Orchestra, Leo Brouwer’s Danzas Rituales y Festivas, Vol.2 and the aforementioned Julian Bream Trust commissions, as well as regularly performing music by late 20th century by composers such as Berio, Henze, Ginastera, Britten and Takemitsu. A lover of chamber music, Andrey Lebedev performs regularly with flautists Bronte Hudnott and Alena Lugovkina, mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, and has worked extensively with the Llewelyn Guitar Quartet in Australia.

Andrey is a Roster Artist with Arts Global and a young artist on the Tillett Trust and the International Guitar Foundation Young Artist schemes.

Forthcoming engagements include Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez with Orchestra Wellington and Peter Sculthorpe’s Nourlangie with the Royal Academy of Music String Orchestra, UK recitals with the International Guitar Foundation and solo recitals for the Zagreb Music Institute, Rannoch House in Auckland, University of Queensland, Sydney Classical Guitar Society, Perth Classical Guitar Society and Darwin Entertainment Centre. He has featured as soloist at Wigmore Hall through the Tillett Trust Young Artist Scheme, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at City Recital Hall and at the Canberra International Festival, Adelaide International Guitar Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, the Australian Pavilion at World Expo Shanghai, and Melbourne Arts Centre.

Andrey Lebedev currently a post-graduate student of Michael Lewin at the Royal Academy of Music and is assisted by the South Australian Government through the Carclew Board, the ABRSM and Julian Bream Trust. He graduated from the Australian National University School of Music as a student of Timothy Kain.