Duo Temayrah
Laura Young and Farran Sylvan James are internationally acclaimed soloists who have created one of today’s most original and captivating chamber duos.
Their musical partnership is rooted in both historical insight and contemporary vision. Merging the warm, expressive clarity of the gut-strung classical violin, an exquisite 1790 instrument, and the deep resonance of the classical guitar, their collaboration opens a rare and beautiful sound world — fiercely passionate, intimate and deeply moving.
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Duo Temayrah has recently recorded a compelling collection of works that explores the expressive potential of violin and guitar spanning repertoire from the 17th to the 21st centuries, offering powerful interpretations of established works while actively building a new body of repertoire for their distinctive instrumentation.
Composers such as Apostolos Paraskevas and Michael Doherty have written expressly for them, drawn to the duo’s exceptional virtuosity and musical sensitivity.
At once refined and adventurous, Laura Young and Farran James are not merely interpreters — they are creators of a passionate new musical voice.
Laura Young
Laura Young is a leading classical guitar virtuoso who has received many international awards throughout her career. Born in Toronto, Canada, she began her study of music at the age of seven, whereupon she fell in love with and dedicated herself solely to the classical guitar. Upon her debut, the international community immediately recognized her exceptional abilities and musicality and awarded her multiple prestigious prizes at international competitions such as the Andrés Segovia in Palma de Mallorca and the Jacinto e Inocencio Guererro in Madrid. Laura travelled to Europe at a young age and has since established her reputation as one of the top international classical guitarists in the world. Laura’s unique style and distinctive performance philosophy have prompted composers from around the world to create daring new music for her. Her stylistic explorations and expressive innovations are found in her most recent album, "Laura Young Plays Max Reger", where her dramatic repertoire is presented through her skilful and complex guitar transcriptions of Max Reger’s solo cello suites, violin sonatas, preludes and fugues. This 2018 recording was awarded the highly coveted Pasticcio prize, celebrated by critics and the listening public alike for the deeply personal power and beauty of her sound, depth of colour and exquisite phrasing in her playing. Laura is renowned for the vast breadth of her repertoire including highly original compositions, many of which are world debut recordings and performances. A significant number of these works are dedicated to Laura who is distinguished for pushing at the very limits of the instrument’s expressive power. She has premiered works dedicated to her by contemporary composers such as Michael Doherty, Sergio Assad, Apostolos Paraskevas, Atanas Ourkouzounov and Feliu Gasull, among many others.
Farran Sylvan James
Farran Sylvan James is a Canadian violinist who has established herself as a leading Baroque soloist and concertmaster in Europe after having moved to Spain from New York over 25 years ago. Her passionate and moving performances have inspired and won her high acclaim over the years. She regularly performs in leading concert halls around Europe and North America, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Les Champs Elysees, Concertgebow, Musikverein, Victoria Hall and Wigmore Hall and has been invited as concertmaster and soloist with well-established Baroque ensembles such as Ayre Español (2004 -2017), Bach Consort Wien (2012-2015). She is currently a regular conductor and soloist with Vespres d'Anardi in the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona and has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, Naive, and Challenge records. She began playing violin at 3 years old in Vancouver BC and later studied with Joyce Robbins (Stonybrook, NY) and Joel Smirnoff (Juilliard School of Music, NY), gaining a Masters in Violin Performance from the highly acclaimed SUNY at Stonybrook Music School in New York. As a highly respected chamber musician she has performed as first violin of the quartet Albad and the Aisling Quartet and has been asked regularly to perform in the Early Music Vancouver Chamber Music series alongside Marc Destrube. As an inspiring conductor she has also been invited to conduct the Baroque Orchestra of Seville, Baroque Orchestra of Catalunya, Academia 1750 and the Menorca Chamber Orchestra, amongst others.
