Two students from the Bergthorson Academy of Musical Arts scored the highest marks in B.C. in contemporary guitar exams at the Canadian Conservatory of Music.
Nicholas Larsen, 15, topped the Grade 4 contemporary idioms category, while Yury Onikashvili, 11 snagged a medal in the same category at Grade 1.
Onikashvili mastered Santana’s Oye Como Va for the exam and says he practices daily for at least a half hour to hone his skills.
Larsen, who has been playing guitar since he was 10, says he’s inspired and influenced by Andy McKee, who is considered one of the world’s finest acoustic guitar soloists.
Larsen, a student of Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge, though is still trying to find his style. He recently picked up the banjo and says knowing how to play a guitar has definitely helped him learn the new instrument.