Siegfried Behrend

Siegfried Behrend (19 November 1933 – 20 September 1990) was a German classical guitarist and composer.

Behrend was born in Berlin. He studied piano, harpsichord, conducting and composition at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin and taught himself classical guitar. In 1953, he gave the first German performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. At the age of 30 he already was a world-renowned artist with this instrument, playing for the Shah of Persia, the Emperor of Japan and Gamal Abdel Nasser in Cairo.

In 1962, he met singer Belina during the making of a TV Show and they endeavoured to create some musical projects together. With their chansons, folk songs and Yiddish songs, they became highly respected and well-known representatives of German culture in the aftermath of World War II. They performed in more than 120 countries and were regular guests on German television and talkshows. In these years, they recorded several LP albums. In the 1970s Behrend married the German actress Claudia Brdozinska, also a singer. In performances with her, Behrend focused more on contemporary art music.

Behrend was also renowned as a teacher for classical guitar. Martin Maria Krüger began studying the instrument with Behrend. In later years, Behrend and Krüger became famous as 'The German Guitar Duo'. In the 1970s, Behrend gave several "International Masterclasses for Artistic Guitar Play" which were attended by individuals such as Michael Tröster and Manuel Negwer.

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