Derek Gripper, Gerard Cousins

South African Derek Gripper and Welsh guitarist Gerard Cousins first met at the Classical Guitar Festival of Great Britain where they immediately sensed a shared attitude to music making.

Though they have tread very different paths on their innovative musical journeys both musicians draw on the traditions of their homelands, fusing them with their classical training and techniques to create original and imaginative guitar music that breathes new life into the instrument and never ceases to challenge its limitations.

Their concerts show an unfailing open-mindedness from the two musicians as they combine their musical worlds with improvisations and compositions inspired by the Kora music of Mali (Toumani Diabete), Jazz (John McLaughlin and Egberto Gismonti), traditional welsh songs and contemporary classical music (Steve Reich and Philip Glass).