A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles. Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. Grisha strives to keep alive older flamenco masterpieces that now exist only on records, by performing them in concerts. Instead of merely copying, he creates his own interpretations of these masterpieces, using dynamics and tone colors usually associated with classical guitar.

Grisha began playing guitar at the age of six, studying first with his father Dmitry, an acknowledged master teacher of the instrument. At nine years old, Grisha started his performing career as a child prodigy. His numerous performances before large audiences in the most prestigious concert halls in the Soviet Union were highly praised. Following a tour of Spain, Grisha was invited to play for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who soon after personally intervened in support of his application for an American visa, which was awarded in 1997 on the basis of “Extraordinary Ability”.