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Guitar Area

Timothy Kain, DCSM, Postgrad RNCM (Manchester, UK) Head of Area Guitar T: +61 2 6125 5760 E: Timothy.Kain@anu.edu.au

Timothy Kain is one of Australia’s leading instrumentalists and Head of the ANU School of Music’s Guitar Area, internationally recognised as Australia’s foremost centre for guitar studies and performance. Initially inspired by popular music and flamenco to start playing the guitar, Tim Kain’s first classical guitar lessons were with Sadie Bishop at the Canberra School of Music. After graduating some years later, he lived in Spain and England, studying with Jose Tomas and Gordon Crosskey, winning first prize in the Third International Guitar Competition in Alicante, Spain, and the Royal Northern College of Music Bach Prize along the way.

His performing and teaching activities have taken Tim all over the world, building an international reputation as an outstanding soloist and chamber musician. As such he was invited in 1992 to join John Williams' seven-piece ensemble, 'Attacca'. John and Tim subsequently toured extensively in the UK and Australia as duo leading to the release of their award winning CD “the Mantis and the Moon” on Sony Classics.

A major focal point of Tim's musical activities has been his guitar family quartet, 'Guitar Trek'. The pioneering work of this group has seen the development of a specially made family of guitars of different sizes and an exciting new repertoire for the medium. Guitar Trek's strong popular appeal has led to immense success, with three best-selling CDs available on ABC Classics and regular touring overseas and in Australia for Musica Viva. Guitar Trek’s much-awaited fourth CD is currently in preparation.

Tim has also had great success and enjoyment from his collaborations with other instrumentalists, most notably flautist Virginia Taylor, with whom he has two CD releases (on Tall Poppies and ABC Classics) and oboeist David Nuttall (“Romancing the Oboe” on Tall Poppies) As the Austral Trio, Tim and Virginia are joined by cellist David Pereira for occasional touring and endless musical delight.

A long-standing interest in Australian music has seen many fruitful collaborations with some of Australia's leading composers and the commissioning of a large number of solo, chamber and concerto works for the guitar. Many of these works are available on commercial CD release with some edited for publication by Currency Press, Ricordi and Rimshot publications. Widely renowned as a teacher, many of Tim’s pupils now have successful performing and teaching careers in their own right both nationally and internationally.

School of Music faculty member since 1982.