Guitar Mastery From Elder Hall ~ Guitar Festival Review

Duo Siqueiro Lima and Young Taek Jo
Elder Hall
Sat 13 Sept, 2025

We should all be very grateful to the Spanish for inventing the guitar. And it is only fitting that the Latin continent is home to some of the finest guitar music the planet has to offer. Duo Siqueira Lima are a case in point. This astounding duo were the main feature of this Guitar Festival event at Elder Hall, but the event kicked off with someone from a completely different part of the world.

Young Taek Jo is from Korea. At age 24 he has already won two international guitar competitions and his solo performance was a masterclass in precise expression of musicality. He began with a wonderful 18th century piece so clear and clean in melody, no matter how many notes were being played. A slower more atmospheric piece followed that occasionally allowed Jo to display his extraordinary dexterity as he travelled up and down the neck of the guitar with ease. Two different kinds of love songs were on offer in a further piece from Paraguay: one toned right down and moody, and the other in contrast a bright and sunny major key melody that exuded romance! At the conclusion of this piece Jo lovingly cupped his hands around the sound hole until the final notes had completely disappeared into the air. A very brassy jazz piece concluded his remarkable performance.

If you have ever listened closely to a classical guitarist you may have been amazed at how many notes they play, and sometimes at what seems like breakneck speed. Now imagine two people doing that on the same piece of music at the same time. That is in essence what Duo Siqueira Lima do in their concerts.

Theirs is a lovely story. They had never met before they both entered a guitar competition in Paraguay and drew equal first prize. They met, fell in love, and began this extraordinary musical partnership. Within minutes of their opening piece you become aware of the risks involved in the music they’re playing – it’s incredibly daring with a very high chance of failure. But of course they don’t fail because they’re superstars of their instruments. And amid the complexity and mad flurries of notes ascending and descending they manage to keep melodies clear and crisp. They have developed total trust in each other’s ability to complement the other and sometimes play cross rhythms with stunning accuracy. And it’s infectious.

They played music of Italian, Spanish, and French origin (Debussy’s Arabesque #1), and of course from the polyrhythmic Latin continent. A Tango Suite from Argentina specifically written for two guitars was just brilliant. They finished with music from Brazil: their last piece was one final example of their incredible musical synchronicity – like duelling lead guitars in a rock band! They told how this final piece from the north-east of Brazil features rhythms particular to that area. Imagine visiting Melbourne or Brisbane and being able to hear different styles of music!!

A truly brilliant concert from inspired musicians from Korea, Uruguay, and Brazil.

5 stars

Michael Coghlan

This was the only Guitar Festival performance of Young Taek Jo and Duo Siqueira Lima.