Sergei Roudzinski Performance

Sergei Roudzinski was born in Leningrad, USSR, in January 1964. He first picked up guitar at the age of four, but really got interested when he was 16—practicing for up to 20 hours a day on his timing and picking technique. There were no method books or teachers to learn from—just a handful of enthusiasts who “discovered” certain things and shared their knowledge with friends.

In 1992, Roudzinski played with one of Russia's national acts—Vladimir Rekshan's St. Petersburg—and recorded a CD with the group. Later, he started his successful band Amok, which opened for Russian national acts such as Time Machine, opened for Brian May's solo band, and won first place at the Nevskoe Rondo Music Festival in 1993. In 1995, Roudzinski became one of the five finalists in a St. Petersburg guitar competition, and his “Spanish Theme” instrumental received radio play on several local stations.

Roudzinski's influences include Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, and Paco de Lucia. He has been writing music for more than 20 years, and completed his first solo album, Transformations, earlier this year.