The unified and unique sounds of guitar duo Sergio and Odair Assad will be heard tonight at Stephens Auditorium. The brothers, natives of Brazil, have played together since childhood.

“I believe we were always meant to be a team right from the first time we picked up our guitars,” Sergio Assad said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We began playing guitar at exactly the same time, we always studied with the same teachers and learned the same music and techniques. Such interaction can only really happen with brothers because we shared every aspect of our musical education together.”

Michael Curry has been an instructor at the Ye Olde Guitar Shoppe in Urbandale for 13 years.

“They play extremely well-articulated duet pieces,” Curry said. “Most of the music is classical, but it also contains a lot of different flavor.”

The Brazilian duo is well known for its ability to play and sound as one. According to press releases they have studied seven years under classical guitarist and lutenist Monina Tavora, a disciple of Andres Segovia. They have been playing together for almost four decades.

“They are really intense,” Curry said. “They should keep the attention of the audience with that.”

Extraordinary speed and precision are trademarks of their performances. The brothers are credited with reviving contemporary music for the guitar. They are also known for playing arrangements of piano repertoire.

Sandy Clarke is the performing arts coordinator for the Iowa State Center. She is very impressed with the duo.

“These two are masters of the instrument,” she said. “If you like guitar, classical or otherwise, you owe it to yourself to see them.”

The Assads have recorded over 10 albums. Many works have been written just for them, including the tango-inspired works of Astor Piazzolla. They have also toured the globe playing for sell-out crowds. The brothers have also performed with Yo-Yo Ma and Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg.

Paul Wilson is the owner of the Ye Olde Guitar Shoppe. He will be speaking before the show in the Celebrity Cafe at 7 p.m.

“I will be giving a brief history of guitar and its origins,” he says. “It will be a quiet, intimate look into the depths of guitar.”

There will be musical examples of duet and solo guitar playing before the show.

Clarke says that tickets are still available for the performance and the program contains a variety of music.

“There are pieces from baroque to more contemporary tango-inspired pieces,” Clarke said. “There is a lot of diversity with pieces by French, Spanish, and other composers.”

“It will be a really neat performance,” Clarke added.