Based: Johannesburg
Now in their 18th year as professional musicians, CH2 goes from strength to strength with Insomnia, their 11th album to date. One of the tracks on he album went to number 7 on radio stations in Australia and enjoys world-wide radio play. The album took 9 months to record and complete, and contains a number of own compositions as well as classics known all over the world.
This magical duos best claim to fame can only be winning the Worldwide Classical / Flamenco category in the Lee Ritenour Six String Theory International Guitar Competition, held in the USA. This is the single biggest most prestigious guitar competition in the world, covering all genres and styles of music on the six stringed instrument, all competing in one arena.
With their flawless, effortless technique and pulsating rhythms they showcase what can be done on only two guitars, classical guitars, and create a very exciting instrumental pop sound whilst mimicking drum sounds and bass guitar all at the same time. CH2 has truly developed their own style unique to the band and continues to blow people away with their virtuosity. The members of CH2 keep challenging themselves with new techniques every day and see themselves as pioneers of the classical guitar, pushing the instrument into genres it is not known for.
CH2 are proud members of the Grammy Foundation and will enter Insomnia in the next round of the Grammys. The Grammys is of course the top music accolade on the planet, sought after by every musician in the world. No honour is greater than winning a Grammy in the music industry.
CH2 has won numerous awards over the years, with 2 x SAMA (South African Music Award) awards for best instrumental / classical album. The SAMA award is arguably the top music award in the whole of Africa.
They’ve also won 2 x Ghoema, Geraas, Oscar and VryFees awards. They have performed on various international tours over the years and enjoy a strong international following across all the continents. CH2 has recently been accepted into one of the biggest movie libraries in the world that supplies Hollywood and Bollywood music for A-list movies.
The visual impact of what they do on two nylon stringed guitars mesmerizes audiences all over the world and is a must see live act. They showcase the virtuoso and technical possibilities on the Classical guitar, using classical, flamenco, Spanish and other techniques to create a completely unique style and sound.
Some of the latest projects on the CH2 menu includes the corporate collaboration with internationally renowned blind motivational speaker Hein Wagner. This dynamic trio will soon be traveling internationally and inspire crowds all over.
In collaboration with the Montoya Spanish Dance Theatre in a sold out hit show called Spanish Fire, brain-child of Corneille Hutten, they entertain audiences with their magical guitar artistry and the exuberant Spanish dancers choreographed beautifully to their pulsating guitar rhythms.
Together with the legend Chris Chameleon in a production called CH3 they inspire audiences with their masterful interpretations of Chris’ most famous hits, and Chameleon in return adding lyrics to some of the CH2 hits. CH3 will have a new album available early 2019.
Corneille Hutten began to play classical guitar at the age of five. He is a multi-award winning classical soloist and founded CH2 18 years ago, with the aim to introduce classical guitar to a larger audience and showcase the virtuosity possible on the instrument. As part of CH2, he was the winner of the World Classical / Flamenco category in the 2011 Lee Ritenour Six String Theory International Guitar Competition. As a soloist he won numerous Overall Eisteddfod-winner trophies, and he won a silver medal in the Commonwealth in an international guitar exam, scoring a record 94%.
Dirkie van Staden is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays and educates on all the brass instruments, but his focus is on classical guitar with a unique and distinctive rhythmic style. Few guitarists can compare to his virtuoso nuevo-flamenco and Spanish Rasgueado technique and his rhythmic ingenuity have become one of the cornerstones of CH2’s unique sound. As member of two other instrumental groups, Dirkie has won 1st prize in 5 talent competitions. He enjoys conducting wind bands and has an honours degree (cum laude) in music education.