Alan Banks (musician)

Alan Charles Banks (born 1973) is an Australian classical guitarist, arranger and composer from Mahogany Creek, Western Australia.

Biography
Alan Charles Banks (born 1973) was brought up in Mahogany Creek, Western Australia just outside Perth. In his early years, he attended Glen Forrest Primary School where his uncle introduced him to the guitar. At Swan View Senior High School, Banks became a student of Eddie Roberts. While completing his undergraduate work at Western Australia Conservatory, he performed on stages throughout the continent. In 1999, he was a featured guest in the Young Australia Series, part of the Darwin International Guitar Festival, with John Williams labelling his performance "fantastic".

In September 2000, Banks was awarded a grant by the Australia Council for the Arts enabling him to move to the UK to pursue his career. He studied under Carlos Bonell at London's prestigious Royal College of Music where he was the only guitarist accepted for post-graduate studies that year. He is skilled in a myriad of styles, from the Classical, Spanish/Flamenco, Latin, Jazz and Bluegrass.

Banks performs throughout the world, including France, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy and Portugal. His London debut was at St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square. He is a sought after soloist, both nationally and internationally, performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Croyden Symphony Orchestra, and Ulster Symphony Orchestra amongst others. Banks is active on the festival circuit and has performed at Musicora Festival (Paris), the Sonorities Contemporary Music Festival (Northern Ireland), The Darwin International Guitar Festival (Australia), and The Derry Guitar Festival (Ireland). At the Australian National Folk Festival in April 2010, he performed guitar and chittarone – a 14-string bass lute – as well as delivering a workshop ("Introduction to the Lute") and demonstrations over its four-day programme.

In 2013 he contributed the track, "Tango Improvisation 1", to the Various Artists compilation, Invitaiton to Tango, which Limelight Magazine's Warwick Arnold described as "bluesy, highly virtuosic." Banks also delivered his rendition of Rohan Jayasinghe's "Hungarian Tango", which Arnold felt was "a riveting account."

Banks currently resides in Perth, Western Australia with his wife and two young sons.

Recordings

 * Richard Charlton – Turlough's Ghosts
 * Franks Lyons – Mnemonics

Notable performances

 * Michel van der Aa – Auburn
 * Richard Charlton – Turlough's Ghosts

Instruments

 * Simon Rovis-Hermann classical
 * Richard Howell classical
 * Martin D-28 steel-string (heard on Last Drinks in Derry)

Discography

 * 2005 Mnemonics (C) Alan Banks
 * 2008 Last Drinks in Derry (C) Alan Banks / Blue Pie Productions
 * 2013 Invitation to Tango
 * 2016 Principium (C) Alan Banks