Sharon and Slava Grigoryan to bring classical music legacy to Bunbury at St Augustine Uniting Church

A Bunbury church is set to host a performance by a guitar and cello duo bringing the rich legacy of classical music to the region. ARIA award-winning artists Sharon and Slava Grigoryan will be sharing their classical music repertoire with the audience at St Augustine Uniting Church next month. Grigoryan said the family affair with music was generational and music played a big part in the duo’s lives as they both had musical upbringings and started playing from a young age. “It’s definitely something that’s a very big part of our family, mum and dad are both musicians,” he said. “My brother, who’s younger than me, is a musician as well. Music is one of the earliest languages that I can remember. “Mum and dad were always practising and getting ready for gigs and listening to music and as a kid, it just always felt like a normal thing to be a part of, I thought everyone was a musician.” Grigoryan, who plays guitar in the performance, said the audience could expect a diverse variety of music in the show and described it as a unique experience. “There’s some very recent Australian music that was written specifically for the two of us. We cover a huge range of styles, but it’s all music that we love,” he said. “It’s special because there’s a different level of conversation that you can hear between a couple who are making music together. There’s obviously a different kind of intimacy and understanding. “We’re very proud of this music that we’ve chosen to play or compose, we truly try and make people as relaxed as possible and make it as easy for them to follow the narrative of the stories behind these pieces.” The seasoned performer said touring regionally was “always a lovely experience” and the relaxed show was suitable for people of all backgrounds and tastes. “This is a very special show for myself, and for Sharon as well. We’re a married couple. We don’t get to perform together very often at all. She’s very busy with other groups and other musical activities,” he said. “She’s a member of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra now, which keeps her very grounded and focused on that work. But we’re trying to hit the road and share some music with audiences a few times every every year. “It’s all music that we really love. It’s from all over the place. There’s some early Baroque music composers like Bach and Handel and then into kind of contemporary Latin American music, Argentinian tango.” Grigoryan said despite the genre of classical music being an old one, it was changing and evolving every year. “I think there are different challenges in promoting any kind of music,” he said. “I think I’d find it a lot more stressful trying to be in a pop band that was aiming to appeal to the masses — there’s probably more pressure on something like that. “With classical music, it’s a really great way of exploring a lot of different music, and there’s a huge audience for it. “The way we do it is very informal, compared to seeing a conservative string quartet or school gig or something like that, with all these traditions.” Sharon and Slava Grigoryan will perform in Bunbury on October 5, with tickets available at trybooking.com.