Hamish Strathdee
The classical guitarist Hamish Strathdee is regarded as an “excellent young Australian artist” by Limelight Magazine. His debut recording Impressions from Spain, released on the Soundset Label in the United States, was praised as “an excellent debut” and “a thoroughly appealing album” by Classical Guitar Magazine. His playing has been described as “at the highest level” by Soundboard Magazine and admired for its “beautifully warm and rich tone.”
Competitions and Awards
Hamish has received prizes at the Whitworth Classical Music Competition and twice won First Prize at the ANU Chamber Music Competition, in 2016 as part of the Contra Guitar Duo and in 2013 as a member of the Wattle Guitar Quartet. He has also been awarded several scholarships, including:
- Fankhauser Travelling Fellowship (2015)
- Peter and Lena Karmel Honours Scholarship (2016, ANU School of Music)
- PPCA Performers’ Trust Foundation (2017)
- DAAD Scholarship for Musicians (2018)
Academic Career
Hamish holds a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the Australian National University. His principal academic research focused on creating a new performance edition of Antonio José’s Sonata para Guitarra, based on multiple manuscript sources and modern editions.
According to Soundboard Magazine, “Strathdee has developed a new performance edition of the work using multiple sources. It is therefore no surprise that his performance is at the highest level, as every moment has been very thoroughly developed, both in lyrical and virtuosic sections.”
Mentors
During his studies, Hamish was guided by Minh Le Hoang and Timothy Kain. Before entering ANU, he studied with Adrian Roll, Angelina Ellis, and Isolde Schaupp. He studied at the Academy of Music in Darmstadt under Dr. Tilman Hoppstock, guitarist, musicologist, and composer.
Now based in Brisbane, Australia, Hamish Strathdee performs internationally as a soloist and with the Contra Guitar Duo, and released his debut album Impressions of Spain.
