Liona Boyd

Liona Maria Carolynne Boyd, CM, O.Ont, is a Canadian classical guitarist, composer, songwriter and singer. Boyd was born in London, England on July 11, 1949, moved to Canada with her parents when she was eight years old and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1975. She lives in Toronto, Canada.

Family

Boyd's father grew up in Bilbao, Spain and her mother grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Her grandmother was from Linares, Spain, where the classical guitarist Andrés Segovia was born.

When she was 8 years old Liona emigrated to Canada from England with her family. She performed her first concert in a talent show on the ocean liner during the voyage. She played "The Blue Bells of Scotland" on a treble recorder.

Boyd received her first guitar as a Christmas present when she was 13. Her parents "had bought it (the guitar) in Spain when she was 6 years old".

Education

As a teenager Boyd took private lessons with Andrés Segovia, as well as with Eli Kassner, Narciso Yepes, Alirio Díaz and Julian Bream.