Bruce Paine had a fascination for the guitar from a very early age and gave his first guitar performance at the age of eleven before his censorious school assembly of peers at Wesley Intermediate School, Auckland. He didn't grasp his capacity for performing until much later, because it was another fourteen years before he embarked on full-time study of the classical guitar at the University of Auckland. His love of the guitar and a desire to develop his musician's skills helped him decide to change from a career in Computer Programming to the scholastic pursuit of music.

Following four years study, having completed a Diploma in Music with honours, Bruce attended the 1995 Shell Darwin International Guitar Festival and Competition, in which he became a semi-finalist and participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned guitarists John Williams and Stepan Rak.

Well known in the Auckland music scene, he has appeared as guest guitarist with the Auckland Choral, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and as soloist with the St Matthews Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. He has also appeared on TVNZ and Dunedin's Channel Nine.

In 1998, Bruce took his guitar and music to audiences in Austria, the Czech Republic and Great Britain. The highlight of this European tour being a shared concert with the Czech virtuoso guitarist and composer, Stepan Rak, at the prestigious Dum U Kamenneho Zvonu (Palace at the Stone Bell) in the heart of Prague. A concert in England marked the beginning of friendship with and respect for UK guitar composer and teacher, Derek Hasted, and members of the Derek Hasted Guitar Orchestra.

Since being established as a Radio New Zealand recording artist, Bruce has found a passion for recording and has been involved in a range of different projects. He has to date released four solo guitar CD's including Guitar@Museum that was recorded in the impressive grand foyer of the Auckland War Memorial Museum

From 2007 Bruce has taken a new direction by writing and performing a collection of his own solo guitar compositions.  He drew inspiration for his music from various images including underwater sea life, New Zealand scenery, an English country church and a Russian folk poem.  These pieces appear on his CD "Lateral Lines" that was released in June 2008.

As a classical guitar composer, Bruce finds that the most challenging aspect of writing music is to be original while producing something that will be enjoyed by all audiences.  He hopes that his compositions are appreciated as fresh and appealing works.

Please feel free to explore this web site for further information about performances, reviews, CD's and to view the image gallery.