Rhayn Jooste Bio

Rhayn began his musical training in Australia, taking part in competitions for the Victorian Schools Music Association as a drummer, bassist and percussionist whilst in high school. He went on to read music at Bath Spa University in the U.K. specializing in performance, theory and composition, graduating with an honors degree. Achieving a Post Graduate Diploma in Performance from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama he completed his academic studies at Cardiff university with a Masters degree in Music, Culture and Politics which focused in on the connection between Cuba and its past. His dissertation dealt with the Hybridity inherent in the music of Leo Brouwer.

Currently he is a freelance writer for Classical Guitar Magazine,  an independent academic continuing his research into the music of Cuba and the Caribbean, on which he has published various articles; and Guitar Editor for the Classical Guitar Rocks blog site. Alongside releasing his own material through solo projects.

[metaslider id=324]

Starting his training on the classical guitar at twenty two years of age, with the reputed Neil Smith, he went on to study with Tom Kerstens and James Woodrow at B.S.U.C. Finally progressing under John Mills and Eleftheria Kotzia at the R.W.C.M.D. He has played for Gary Ryan, Eric Roche, John Dearman, Tim Walker, Craig Ogden, Sven Lundstadt, David Liesner, Ricardo Iznoala and Leo Brouwer et al, in master classes. In 2002 he attended the Cordoba guitar festival in Spain; tutored by Leo Brouwer he gained a certificate in 20th century composition for the guitar. He has studied renaissance lute under Dr. Matthew Spring and Matthew Nisbet, furthering his love of the renaissance period, he studied and researched continuo under Dr. Andrew Wilson Dickson.

He began teaching as an assistant for the International Guitar Festival out reach program in 2000. Since then he has tutored for Cardiff and Vale Music Service and the vale of Glamorgan’s Adult Education service where he designed and ran the guitar program. As such he holds a teaching certificate and has over fifteen years teaching experience, and was Area Leader and classical guitar specialist for five years in the junior Conservatoire at the R.W.C.M.D. He was also appointed to the Rockschool exam board in 2009 and worked as an examiner for four years.

His live experience is extensive having played in various festivals and private recitals both as a solo artist and in a variety of bands and ensembles through the years. His professional debut was in the Assembly Rooms in Bath and from wandering minstrels in the Cirencester arts festival, Flute and guitar duo to lute player for the Rondo theatre company he is consistently playing live. He played bass for Celtic goth rockers – the Bluehorses, and as such has played and headlined festivals such as; Cambridge Rock Festival, Solfest, Spratton Folk Festival and Mayfest.

He was writing and laying down six strings worth of bass for South Wales original rock band, Sankara, for two years finishing on a high in 2012 at the Cambridge Rock Festival. In that time they had a large amount of airplay in the UK, USA, Australia and Europe (ArFM, AiiRadio, Radio Caroline et al). They also released an EP and a full length album to which he contributed..