Ahead of a national tour, Australian guitarists Ziggy and Miles Johnston talk to Limelight about studying at New York’s Juilliard School and their international debut album Sidekick.

Featuring works by Debussy, Granados and Rodrigo, as well as Paulo Bellinati, Katie Jenkins, Ken Murray and Nigel Westlake, it will be released by Move Records on 15 July.

Ziggy and Miles Johnston. Photo © Shervin Lainez

When we last spoke, you were about to undertake Juilliard’s prestigious two-year Artist Diploma program. How does it feel to make history as the first Australians accepted into the program?

We’re very excited to be able to represent Australia at the best music school in the world. Acceptance into this program has opened many doors for us in Australia and the US, and we’ve connected with many fantastic artists and mentors since.

We hope to use what we’ve been learning to further the accessibility of high-quality arts education for Australians and inspire other young artists to find their artistic voice beyond notes written on a page.

Part of your mission in the United States was to champion Australian music. What strides have you made?

Any goal like this develops...