The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition is thrilled to announce that the ten talented Semi-Finalists will be joined onstage at The Independent Theatre by renowned Australian classical guitarist Andrew Blanch.

A reserve semi-finalist in the 2021/22 ABC Young Performers Awards, Andrew’s career highlights include collaborations with Ensemble Offspring, baritone José Carbó, harpist and Freedman Classical nominee Emily Granger, New Zealand Guitar Quartet, guitarist Vladimir Gorbach and pianist Daniel Rojas.

Described by Howard Penny as “a complete artist,” and by Principal Artist of the Metropolitan Opera José Carbó as “a gift to the guitar,” Andrew will be an exquisite musical delight alongside the Competition’s Semi-Finalists.

Andrew’s 2022 schedule includes performances for Sydney Festival, Musica Viva Australia, Music In The Regions, Newcastle Music Festival, Adelaide Guitar Festival and Bellingen Muse, including two appearances as orchestral soloist performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. 2022 will also be a busy year in the studio with a number of upcoming solo and ensemble recording releases due out for Andrew in 2023. Recordings of Andrew’s recent performances may be found here.

Join our Semi-Finalists and Andrew at the public Semi-Finals concert, at 4:30pm on Sunday 28 August, at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney. Ticketing information will be available soon.