Stephen Crawford was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and first became interested in playing guitar at age 15. He studied with James Polland, whose musical influence upon him was profound.

Mr. Crawford made his public debut in Bermuda playing Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto in D Major at St. Theresa's Cathedral in 1998. He passed the advanced certificate of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music with a Grade A in performance in 1999, and in 2001 became a licentiate of the Royal School of Music.

He has given concerts in Scotland and England, as well as here, and played Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez in the 2002 Bermuda Festival. He has also performed in master classes in Scotland, England and the US.

Mr. Crawford teaches guitar at the Bermuda School of Music (BSM).

Louise Southwood was born in Paris in 1978. She began playing guitar at an early age, with many competition successes and performances throughout the UK. At the age of 12 she began private studies with eminent guitarist Carlos Bonell, who has been a major and lasting influence on her musical career.

She gained her Bachelor of Music (Hons) degree from London's Royal College of Music, where she worked with Gary Ryan on solo guitar and guitar accompaniment, and took master classes with some of the world's most renowned guitarists. Later, she and Daniel Chandler formed an acclaimed guitar and flute duo in London, and fulfilled engagements in the UK.

Miss Southwood has been teaching classical guitar at the Bermuda School of Music since 2004, and has been fully involved in the Island's music scene. She performs regularly with fellow BSM faculty member, violinist David France, and last year the duo opened the Kodai International Guitar Festival in India.

Adam (Raf) Rafferty was born and raised in Harlem, New York. He began playing blues guitar at age six; played in a rock band at 12; was a rapper on a gold record overseas at age 18; and played professional guitar at 19.

Since then he has performed in venues ranging from the New York subway to that city's and Europe's most upscale concert halls. As a first-call guitarist, he has played with world-class musicians, including the Dizzy Gillespie Band, bassist Bob Cranshaw from the original Saturday Night Live band, and Dr. Lonnie Smith.

Mr. Rafferty has taught countless workshops, written two books, and has a new instructional DVD on which he teaches fingerstyle versions of Stevie Wonder's most popular songs.

Among his musical innovations is the ability to play two simultaneous melodies on the guitar, whilst doing hip hop-flavoured "human beatbox" with his mouth at the same time.

Nick Russo is an award-winning jazz guitarist who also plays banjo, mandolin, and ukelele, and is a composer. An alumni of the Aaron Copeland School of Music, he has won both the International Jazz Workshop at the Banff Centre in Canada, and the JAS Academy in Colorado. In the US he performs at many renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Bluenote, Birdland, and the United Nations, as well in Canada, Japan, Russia, Spain, Brazil as St. Kitts.

Mr. Russo plays guitar in the recent San Mendes film 'Away We Go', and also on the soundtrack for 'King George'.

He is a sideman with Jimmy McGriff, Teddy Charles, Vince Giordano & the Night Hawks, Miles Griffith and David Pleasant, among many others, as well as for off-Broadway shows, including The Big Apple Circus.

He has conducted lectures on banjo, taught jazz performance classes, college classes on guitar, and been a jazz clinician at Queen's College for nine years, where he conducts jazz workshops via the Jazz Project. He is an on-staff professor at Queens College, Great Neck Music Conservatory, and an adjunct music professor at Essex College, both in the US.

His new self-produced album, 'RO', an all-original eclectic mix of straight-ahead, Indian Raga, and modern jazz, is getting rave reviews in many jazz magazines, as well as radio play in Europe, Canada, America and the Far East.

The Brasil Guitar Duo, winners of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, have been hailed by critics for theirs outstanding musicianship and technical virtuosity. The two artists first met as guitar students in Sao Paulo, Brazil and have been performing together for more than ten years, during which time they have perfected a sublime synchronicity and effortless performance style.

Regarded as one of the pre-eminent guitar duos of their generation, Joao Luiz and Douglas Lora are equally at home playing classical or world music, which is why their innovative programming seamlessly combines a blend of traditional and Brazilian works, and makes them a favourite with audiences wherever they appear, including Bermuda.

In addition to a full touring schedule, which includes appearances at many festivals, as well as recitals, and appearances with major orchestras in the US, Europe and elsewhere, the duo are also recording artists. Their debut on the Naxos label, featuring two CDs of the complete works for two guitars by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, received stellar reviews. Their first CD of all-Brazilian music, 'Bom Partido', on the CAG Records label, is now in its third printing. Their next project, featuring the complete Bach Flute Sonatas, with flutist Marina Piccini, is due for release in August.

Mr. Lora holds a Master's degree from the University of Miami, and Mr. Luiz is a member of the guitar quartet Quaternaglia.