In her hands the guitar takes on the precision of a diamond, each
note a clear, shining facet that catches, prism-like, a glint of the
spectrum.
New York Times
Her instrument speaks with a thousand
colors ... positively hypnotic.
Chicago Tribune
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WINNER 2015 ASCAP DEEMS TAYLOR/VIRGIL
THOMSON TELEVISION BROADCAST AWARD!
American Public Television’s national broadcast of the 1-hour
documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour has been seen by millions on over
200 PBS stations across the country. It is now streaming on Amazon, and available on
DVD and Blu-ray
from Video Artists International with additional full-length
performances not seen in the film. To learn more, find broadcast dates,
and order the documentary on DVD or Blu-ray and the music on CD, visit
SharonIsbinTroubadour.com
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News
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Acoustic Guitar Magazine
January/February 2025
West Meets East
“Sharon Isbin and Amjad Ali Khan deliver a transcendent fusion of
classical guitar and sarod ... Isbin is one of the finest players on the
planet and has shown herself to be comfortable working in almost any
musical style. This thoroughly engrossing live set was recorded at the
Aspen Music Festival marking the 30th consecutive year that Isbin had
performed there ... There are so many exciting passages ... Khan and
sons come together in a spectacular dialogue with Isbin and tabla titan
Kavthekar for a flight that will take your breath away. Just as
impressive as the pyrotechnics are the quieter, more meditative alap
sections that introduce the longer ragas - I could listen to those all
day!”
Read Article (PDF) |
NEW RELEASE
(June 21, 2024)
LIVE IN ASPEN
ZOHO Music ZM 202405
Order Online
at Amazon.com,
Spotify, Apple, Tidal, etc.
Sharon Isbin, guitar
Amjad Ali Khan, sarod
Amaan Ali Bangash, sarod
Ayaan Ali Bangash, sarod
Amit Kavthekar, tabla
Cover photo: Suvo Das
Learn more HERE
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LIVE IN ASPEN celebrates the 75th anniversary season of the Aspen Music
Festival, one of the world’s largest and most beloved summer music
festivals! Recorded live at our sold-out concert, the 10-track album
features music from Indian and Western traditions. Khan's compositions
“interweave our varied musical, spiritual and artistic traditions with
mystical beauty, creativity, grace and great emotion.” Sharon Isbin
| 1. | Capricho árabe - Francisco Tárrega |
| 2. | Sacred Evening – Alap Yaman |
| 3. | Sacred Evening – Raga Yaman |
| 4. | By the Moon – Alap Behag |
| 5. | By the Moon – Raga Behag |
| 6. | Raga Ganesh Kalyan |
| 7. | Raga Bahar |
| 8. | Raga Bhatyali – Folk Music of Bengal |
| 9. | Romancing Earth – Alap Pilu |
| 10. | Romancing Earth – Raga Pilu |
Music by Amjad Ali Khan (2-7, 9,10); Amjad Ali Khan and Tagore (8)
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Acoustic Guitar Magazine
Cover story - 7 pages
November/December 2023
Six-String Sojourner
“Isbin is noted for her onstage charisma and playing with precision,
variegated colors, and heartfelt expression. At her GFA concert, she
drew the audience inside the music, reveling for long stretches with
closed eyes, holding listeners enraptured until the final notes faded
... She has has furthered the goals Segovia long ago envisioned for the
guitar. They included elevating it to the status of a classical concert
instrument; commissioning contemporary composers to write for it; and
establishing guitar performance curricula at conservatories, colleges,
and universities.”
Read Article (PDF) |
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Soundboard Magazine
Cover Story - 12 pages
August 2023
Hall of Fame & Artistic Achievement Award Tributes
“As Sharon enters the Hall of Fame for the GFA, we congratulate her on
her fantastic career of distinguished concerts, magnificent recordings,
and sheer guitar artistry. Sharon is a prodigious talent, one of the
great guitarists of our time.”
Graham Wade
“Sharon Isbin is one of the most remarkable and inspiring persons I have ever had the fortune to
know.”
Antigoni Goni
Feature also includes discography and over 80 world premieres-to-date.
Read Article (PDF) |
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Broadway World
May 24, 2023
Grammy Winner Sharon Isbin to be Inducted into the 2023 Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame
“Multiple Grammy winner Sharon Isbin will be inducted into the 2023
Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame and receive their Artistic
Achievement Award this June. Isbin, the 2020 Musical America
Instrumentalist of the Year, will give a solo concert Friday June 23,
8pm at the Manhattan School of Music in celebration of GFA's 50th
Anniversary at their annual convention to be held for the first time in
New York City.”
Read Article (PDF) |
Photos: Anne Ryan |
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Sharon Isbin Gives Thrilling North American Premiere of Tan Dun Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra (Yi2)
January 14, 2023
Grammy and Academy Award-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun composed
Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra (Yi2) for Isbin who has performed it
throughout Europe and Asia, and recorded it on her Grammy-winning album
for Warner Classics. On January 14, 2023, she gave the North American
Premiere with the Chicago Philharmonic conducted by Scott Speck for a
packed house in Chicago's Harris Theater (see photos).
Third Coast Review: “Yi2 was an exciting finale to a cross-cultural evening of
exquisite sounds. Isbin also leans into her instrument so that it seems
an extension of herself. It was a bright and energizing moment before
she gave an encore bow to which the audience enthusiastically cheered.”
Chicago Classical Review: “Isbin was fully in command. One was confident
her account of the solo part was authoritative as she dispatched its
hairy cadenza with ease. When she took the stage for an encore, she
offered the waltz Natalia by Venezuelan Antonio Lauro, a hypnotically
flowing ode to composer’s daughter that serenely ended the evening.”
Hyde Park Herald: “This American premiere featured Isbin at the guitar, and
she was a wonder to watch and hear. Her technical prowess and musical
intuition were all on display.” |
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SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE
November 15, 2022
Sharon Isbin's 92NY Concert a Triumph
In their November 2022 recital at New York's 92NY Kaufmann Concert Hall,
Sharon Isbin and the Pacifica Quartet gave the world premiere of Pulitzer
Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner's Song of a Dreaming Sparrow
for Guitar and String Quartet composed for them.
“The evening was a
triumph for Isbin as she debuted yet another album and burnished her
legacy of premieres of new music by venerated contemporary composers.”
Soundboard Magazine
Read Article |
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NEW RELEASE
AFFINITY: World Premiere Recordings
ZOHO Music ZM 202005
Billboard Classical Charts, #2 Bestseller Amazon
Rave reviews from Gramophone, Musical America Worldwide, New Jazz Releases, Jazz Weekly, and many more...
Read Review Quotes (PDF) |
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NEW RELEASE
STRINGS FOR PEACE: Premieres for Guitar & Sarod
ZOHO Music ZM 202004
#2 Bestseller Amazon World Music
Rave reviews from Rolling Stone, Audiophile Review, World Music Central, New Jazz Releases, and many more...
Read Review Quotes (PDF) |
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GRAMOPHONE
August 2020
AFFINITY: World Premiere Recordings
“Sharon Isbin's terrific latest recording evinces a wonderful talent for making fully hers what was written for her... Bright, jazzy and energetic ...
a sparkling, virtuoso account.”
Read Article (PDF) |
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BBC Music Magazine
April 2020
Sharon Isbin is one of the music world’s great collaborators
“From Bach masters to Joan Baez, Sharon Isbin refuses to make do with the classical guitar’s traditional
repertoire ... A thrilling musician paving the way.”
Read Article (PDF) |
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WINNER MUSICAL AMERICA 2020
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
“Sharon Isbin is the first guitarist to be named Musical America’s
Instrumentalist of the Year ... She is a trailblazer, reconfiguring the
guitar’s repertoire and updating the ways classical guitarists present
themselves and their instrument. She invariably brings a warm tone,
precise technique, and a lively but thoughtful interpretive style to her
performances.”
Read Article |
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Yale Daily News
October 24, 2019
Sharon Isbin Named 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year
“Isbin’s years of brilliant performing, teaching and recording stand on
their own as great artistic achievements. Her playing continues to
inspire us all as she breathes new life to the instrument’s magical
existing repertoire and expands it through the numerous compositions
that have been written for her. No other guitarist has commissioned,
premiered and recorded so many brilliant concerti for the instrument.”
Read Article |
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Guitar Girl Magazine
October 15, 2019
GRAMMY Winner Sharon Isbin Honored with 2020 Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year Award
“Musical America announced the annual coveted Musical America Awards
today which recognizes each year’s stellar performers including multiple
GRAMMY Award winner Sharon Isbin who will be honored with the 2020
Instrumentalist of the Year Award, the first guitarist ever to receive
the award in its 59-year history...Representing the pinnacle of artistic
achievement, previous winners include Leonard Bernstein, Igor
Stravinsky, Vladimir Horowitz, Beverly Sills, George Balanchine, Arthur
Rubinstein, Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Marilyn Horne, Andre Previn and
Yo-Yo Ma. The ceremony will take place at Carnegie Hall in December.”
Read Article |
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Sharon Isbin & Pacifica Quartet: Souvenirs of Spain & Italy
Cedille Records CDR 90000 190
NEW RELEASE: Grammy winners Sharon Isbin and the Pacifica Quartet team
up for their first album together in music by Castelnuovo-Tedesco,
Vivaldi, Turina and Boccherini. “A wonderful recording” (Third Coast
Review), “beautiful disc” (WBAI-FM NYC), “Exquisite sonorities ...
mesmerizing” (Santiva Chronicle). Tedesco’s Quintet is a seldom-heard
gem demanding virtuosity from every player, and Vivaldi’s slow movement
features “the beauty of Isbin’s gentle, improvised embellishments.” The
celebrated Fandango of Boccherini’s festive Quintet is “a vigorous
Spanish dance in which the guitar moves easily between refined detailing
and hard-strumming flamenco effects” (Allan Kozinn).
ORDER ONLINE
from your favorite providers. Visit the Music page to learn more.
HEAR PODCAST
WATCH VIDEO 1 &
WATCH VIDEO 2
LISTEN TO SAMPLES
Cover photo: Austin Ward |
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The Epoch Times
July 4, 2019
Classical Guitar Showstoppers With Sharon Isbin Headed to Lincoln Center
“Isbin will perform the Boccherini Quintet No. 4 and Vivaldi Concerto in
D with the Calidore String Quartet at Alice Tully Hall at Manhattan’s
Lincoln Center on July 17 ... Isbin has also recently recorded these two
pieces with the Pacifica Quartet. The Cedille-label record will be
released in August,
and also includes a string and guitar quintet by
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who was inspired by Boccherini.”
Read Article |
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Hindustan Times
(Cover Story)
March 17, 2019
Bringing Cool to Classical
“Multiple Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin on how her first brush
with Indian classical music has changed her life forever!” Describing
their Peace Tribe performances in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai: “The music
Amjad Ali Khan has composed for us is sheer genius, successfully
interweaving our varied musical, spiritual and artistic traditions with
mystical beauty, grace and great emotion.”
Read Article (PDF) |
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GRAMMY WINNER 2018
Producer of the Year, Classical
for David Frost
ALMA ESPAÑOLA
Isabel Leonard & Sharon Isbin
Bridge Records 9491
Multiple GRAMMY Award winners Sharon Isbin and Argentinian-American opera star
Isabel Leonard team up for the first all-Spanish art song recording of its kind in 40 years,
including twelve world premiere arrangements by Isbin. Duos for voice and guitar, and
guitar solos are heard in performances that evoke the rich and magnificent tradition of Spain.
Cover photo: J Henry Fair
“Feasts of beautifully sculpted phrases ... glimpses of heaven”
Philadelphia Enquirer
“Soulful depth ... dramatic flair and contrast”
New York Times
WATCH VIDEO
Visit the Music page to learn more.
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The Chautauquan Daily
August 20, 2018
CSO displays “unity and depth”
Isbin receives raves as soloist with the Chautauqua Symphony performing
the concerto written for her by John Corigliano: “Gorgeous, shimmering
focus ... the lion's share of the plaudits on this occasion go to
Isbin. Brilliant, poetic, resonant: Her musical voice is impossible to
resist ... a tough act for anyone to follow.”
Read Article (PDF) |
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Sharon Isbin Joins Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman and Katie Couric at the Kennedy Center
Sharon performed at the Kennedy Center June 5, 2017, joining Jay Leno,
Jerry Seinfeld, hosts Hugh Jackman, Katie Couric and others in a
sold-out benefit for the David Lynch Foundation to bring free
Transcendental Meditation to 10,000 veterans and at-risk youth in
Washington DC!
Click here to learn more.
Jay Leno, Sharon, Jerry Seinfeld - Kennedy Center
Hugh Jackman, Sharon, Katie Couric |
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Sharon Performs with Sting at Carnegie Hall
Sharon was thrilled to perform solo and with Sting at New York’s
Carnegie Hall in an earlier sold-out benefit for the David Lynch
Foundation November 4, 2015, joining Katy Perry, Angelique Kidjo and
Jerry Seinfeld. “The highlight of the 16-time Grammy winner’s four-song
set came when he was accompanied by guitarist Sharon Isbin for a
mesmerizing ‘Shape of my Heart’ ” (Idolator)
Sharon & Sting at Carnegie Hall |
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EuroArts
April 2016
EuroArts is the
exclusive worldwide distributor of Sharon Isbin: Troubadour to
television networks outside the United States.
See Catalogue Listing |
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Sharon Isbin im Porträt
March 17, 2016
Sie ist die Gitarrenfrau schlechthin, nicht nur in Amerika, sondern auf
der ganzen Welt; sie hat mehr für dieses Instrument getan als jeder
Musiker seit dem legendären Andrés Segovia. Sharon Isbins Wohnzimmer ist
mit Grammy Awards und anderen Auszeichnungen geschmückt, sie spielt
regelmäßig vor ausverkauften Sälen, ihre CDs verkaufen sich
millionenfach. Wer Martin Scorceses Thriller “Departed – Unter Feinden”
gesehen hat, erinnert sich vielleicht an die eindringliche
Gitarrenmusik, von der die Handlung unterstrichen wurde. Das war sie.
Read Article (PDF) |
Sharon with Chris Brubeck, Jaime Laredo and VSO |
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Rave Review for Isbin in Brubeck & Rodrigo Concerti
February 2, 2016
GRAMMY winner Sharon Isbin received raves for her sold-out performances
of the stunning new guitar concerto written for her by Chris Brubeck
“with Isbin delivering rapid-fire virtuosity with infectious
themes ... The slow middle is a tender jazz-based tribute to Dave Brubeck,
and Isbin played with heartfelt warmth and tenderness. ... Isbin also
wowed and touched with Joaquìn Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. She was
truly charismatic in the virtuosic first and third movements, and
eloquently tender in the gorgeous slow middle section. Isbin is much
more than a virtuoso; she is an artist of depth.”
Read Review (PDF) |
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Sharon Isbin: Troubadour Documentary Wins 2015 ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Television Broadcast Award!
October 7, 2015
Read Article (PDF) |
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The Washington Post
October 2015
Sharon Isbin constituted luxury programming
Washington DC enjoys a lovefest with Sharon Isbin, and showered her with
rave reviews for her sold-out solo show, and for three performances at
The Kennedy Center as soloist with the National Symphony in Rodrigo's
Concierto de Aranjuez. Hailing her as “today’s most famous active
guitarist”, the Washington Post exclaims: “Isbin is a master molder of
color, balance, equilibrium and resonance ... The audience’s stillness
spoke volumes about Isbin’s expressive powers.” And: “She offers an
intense, elastic sound, resilient and nuanced and controlled and brought
across in all its detail." Enjoy the full reviews:
First Review
Second Review |
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Song Travels
October 18, 2015
Isbin’s mastery is on display as she shares notable recordings of her
work and performs from her classical repertoire in this one-hour NPR
feature hosted by Michael Feinstein.
Listen Here |
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Classical Guitar
Spring 2015
‘The Face of Classical Guitar’
Troubadour traces the career of the guitarist from her early days as a
youthful science whiz, who blasted grasshoppers into the abyss on a
homemade rocket, to her lofty position, to quote one contemporary in the
film as, “the face of classical guitar”.
Read Review (PDF) |
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Tavis Smiley
Monday February 16, 2015
Sharon Isbin joins celebrated talk show host
and author Tavis Smiley on his nationally syndicated PBS television
show. Their lively discussion explores how turtles and tapirs shaped her
CD of music from the Amazon; how color, lyricism and vibrato create
soul; and the new documentary on DVD/Blu-ray, Sharon Isbin:
Troubadour.
Watch Here |
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Sharon Isbin: Seeking Out Serenity
January 2, 2015
“Sharon Isbin’s living room is decorated with two Grammy Awards and a
keepsake from her time performing in the Amazon: a handcrafted
poison-dart gun. (It does not work.) She lives on the Upper West Side
with a view of the Hudson River and of a statue of her heroine, Eleanor
Roosevelt. Ms. Isbin, has been a trailblazer both for female musicians
and for the guitar’s place in the classical music world.”
Read Article |
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Sharon Isbin: Notes From a Classical Guitarist
November 26, 2014
Sharon Isbin, a pioneer in classical guitar, faced a steep
career climb, but she refused to accept the possibility of
failure
“As a guitarist in the classical music world, and as a woman
in the guitar community, Ms. Isbin has had a steep climb in
her career. This month, American Public Television will
release a new documentary called ‘Sharon Isbin: Troubadour’,
tracking her rise as a musical pioneer.”
Read Article |
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Sharon Isbin Performs on Billy Joel: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
January 2, 2015
Josh Groban & Sharon Isbin perform “She’s Always A Woman” on the PBS national broadcast.
Their performance begins at 22 minutes 30 seconds.
Watch the Performance |
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Cosmic Traveler
Sharon Isbin Continues Her Musical Journey with Troubadour
Holiday 2014
In the current documentary, Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, First Lady
Michelle Obama is seen saying, “Sharon’s father promised her that if she
practiced guitar for an hour, she could go outside and launch her model
rockets.” Eventually her amazing classical guitar talents would get her
music onto actual rockets, on the NASA Space Shuttle as well as the
Russian space station Mir. Talk about a trajectory. For the uninitiated,
there has simply never been a better time to discover why so many people
call Isbin “the world’s premier classical guitarist”.
Read Article (PDF) |
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Sharon Isbin, Guitarist Extraordinaire
December 4, 2014
“Sharon Isbin: Troubadour”,
a documentary on her career, is
airing through March on public television stations around
the country. Isbin brought her guitar along and told Here &
Now’s Peter O’Dowd why she thinks the guitar is “one of the
most extraordinary instruments.”
The show is broadcast on over 380 stations to 3.6 million listeners.
Read Article & Listen |
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CD OF THE WEEK: WGBH/WCRB Boston
November 10, 2014
Sharon Isbin brings together an astonishing diversity of music in a five-disc set.
“Isbin’s performances are faithful and transcendent, evoking an almost
otherworldly allure. The variety of textures ranges from solo guitar to
full orchestral guitar concertos, adding up to create a testament to
Isbin’s flexibility and mastery of classical guitar repertoire in all
genres, old and new.”
Read Article |
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The Passion of Sharon Isbin
November 17, 2014
Sharon Isbin talks to Pollstar about Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, airing
now on public television stations. The film gives a look at how the
Grammy Award-winning musician, who has been called the “pre-eminent
guitarist of our time” and “the Monet of the classical guitar,” broke
into the world of classical music as well as the male-dominated field of
guitarists.
Read Article |
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GRAMMY-Winning Guitarist Sharon Isbin Will Be The Subject
of a Documentary, To Be Broadcast Nationally On Television Nov-Dec
Sharon Isbin: Troubadour explores the trailblazing performer’s
extraordinary career, with guests including Michelle Obama, Joan Baez,
Martina Navratilova and more.
“She has broken every glass ceiling for guitar and for women in her
field.”
Read Article |
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NEW RELEASE
Sharon Isbin - 5 Classic Albums (Box set)
Warner Classics 2564-62436-4
This 5-CD box set features concerti by Rodrigo & Villa-Lobos performed
with the New York Philharmonic, perennial Baroque favorites by Bach &
Vivaldi, Latin American music with organic Brazilian percussion &
saxophonist Paul Winter, plus two GRAMMY Award-winning discs: concerti
by Christopher Rouse & Tan Dun (written for Isbin), and her
folk-inspired solo disc Dreams of a World.
“Sharon Isbin—a true sorceress ... incomparable master of the guitar”
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Visit the Music page to learn more.
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Documentary Film Sharon Isbin: Troubadour
Rockport Music, MA, September 28, 2014 -
Click Here
Aspen Music Festival, August 3, 2014 -
Click Here
Provincetown International Film Festival, June 2014 -
Click Here
Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival -
Click Here
New York Lincoln Center premiere, April 10, 2014 -
Click Here
WATCH TRAILER
Sharon Isbin: Troubadour is a one-hour documentary produced by Susan
Dangel. Guests include Martina Navratilova, Michelle Obama, Joan Baez,
Steve Vai, Stanley Jordan, Garrison Keillor, David Hyde Pierce, Janis
Ian, Lesley Gore, Mark O’Connor, Tan Dun, John Corigliano, Christopher
Rouse, Joan Tower, Leonard Slatkin, Paul Winter, and more, with Isbin’s
performances showcased from international concert stages to the GRAMMYs
and White House. Narrated by NPR’s Susan Stamberg, the film combines
performance and documentary to focus on Isbin’s unusual and inspiring
journey which has expanded and transformed the landscape of the
instrument.
“A loving, thoughtful and richly photographed documentary portrait of
the world’s most eminent classical guitarist. Isbin’s story is an
inspiration—from her ascent to the peak of the male-dominated field of
classical guitar to her tireless championing of new works for guitar and
quest for new musical worlds to conquer. Don’t miss it!”
Michael Anthony, critic, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
“Sharon Isbin: Troubadour goes far beyond the expectations of an
artist-portrait documentary. The result is a look inside a life as rich,
as dazzling, as engaging and as playful as the subject’s acclaimed
artistry, a highly entertaining portrayal of a seemingly unlikely life’s
journey.”
Steve Hochman, music journalist,
Los Angeles Times, KPCC, Grammy.com
“I was deeply moved by this splendid and brilliant documentary. Artfully
directed and edited, it gives a wonderful view of Sharon Isbin as a
musician, performing artist, teacher, person, and creator of a legacy of
compositions.”
Michael Charry, author George Szell: A Life
More Review Quotes
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UN Women Global Campaign Beijing+20 at Apollo Theater
June 26, 2014
Sharon Isbin performed for a sold-out audience at New York’s historic
Apollo Theater for the UN Women Beijing+20 campaign for global gender
equality. Among the speakers were Gloria Steinem, pictured here at the
event with Isbin.
Read Article |
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UJA-Federation of New York Music Visionary Awards
June 25, 2014
Sharon Isbin performed for the UJA-Federation of New York’s Music
Visionary of the Year award to Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The
Recording Academy. Pictured here at the gala event with fellow
performers Lang Lang and LL Cool J.
Read Article |
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GRAMMY Hall of Fame Salutes Sharon Isbin!
February 2014
Read Article |
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Raves for 18-City Guitar Passions Tour
February 2014
Sharon Isbin’s 18-city Guitar Passions tour with jazz guitarists Stanley
Jordan & Romero Lubambo ignited raves across the country. See reviews in
Guitar World and
SoundPress. |
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Concert Artist Guild Virtuoso Award
June 2013
Concert Artists Guild honored Sharon Isbin with their prestigious Virtuoso Award in June 2013.
Past winners include Ned Rorem and Paquito D’Rivera.
Read More |
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Live Concert on Public Television
June 2012
Watch Sharon Isbin in concert on Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s
Maine Arts! Presents: Guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Portland Performing Arts Festival in a one hour
television program archived online.
WATCH VIDEO |
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Sharon Isbin on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion,
Town Hall, New York City
April 2012
Broadcast live on 600 stations for 4 million listeners.
Read More |
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Sharon Isbin Interview & Lesson on GuitarTV
April 2012
WATCH VIDEO |
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Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions
Sony Classical 88697-84219-2
Guests: Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Stanley Jordan,
Romero Lubambo, Paul Winter, Thiago de Mello, Rosa Passos
A guitar tribute album, 7 Premieres
WATCH VIDEO
Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions
with Steve Vai, Nancy Wilson (Heart), and More
WATCH VIDEO
Sharon Isbin Performs Asturias by
Isaac Albeniz
LISTEN
‘Guitar Goddess’ feature on Minnesota Public Radio
LISTEN
The Guitar Show feature
LISTEN
Interview on WRTI 90.1 FM Philadelphia
Visit the Music page to learn more.
Photo with Steve Vai by Afshin Javadi
Photo with Nancy Wilson by David Black |
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NPR’s All Things Considered
December 27, 2011
Host Robert Siegel interviews Sharon Isbin and Steve Vai about their
collaboration on Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions
READ & LISTEN |
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BBC Radio 4
November 2011
Sharon Isbin
“Legendary guitarist, singer and songwriter, Joan Armatrading meets
Sharon Isbin, America’s leading Classical guitarist and winner of 2
Grammys“.
LISTEN |
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2010 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER
Sharon Isbin received a 2010 GRAMMY AWARD for
‘Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)’
for her CD Journey to the New World (Sony). She is the first guitarist
in 43 years to receive a 2nd classical Grammy, and the only classical
artist to perform in the 52nd Annual Awards.
To read her blog about the experience,
click here.
To see her headline feature at Grammy.com,
click here.
#1 Bestselling Classical CD at
Amazon.com,
iTunes, and BarnesandNoble.com
63 Consecutive Weeks, BILLBOARD Top Classical Crossover Chart
 NPR’s All Things Considered
June 4, 2009
Read Article & Listen
Click Here to Read REVIEWS (PDF) |
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Sharon Isbin’s Journey to the New World
with Joan Baez & Mark O’Connor
Sony Classical 88697-45456-2
Exclusive Sony Masterworks recording artist Sharon Isbin’s release
is a voyage from the British Isles to the New World. She is
joined by folk legend Joan Baez and violin virtuoso Mark O’Connor. World
premieres: Joan Baez Suite by John Duarte for solo guitar and Strings &
Threads Suite for violin and guitar by O’Connor.
“Sharon’s exquisite playing allowed me to revisit and fall in love with
these songs all over again.”
Joan Baez
WQXR-FM 105.9 New York
LISTEN
KBAQ Radio, CD of the Week
LISTEN
Visit the Music page to learn more.
Sharon & Joan Baez in recording studio, Nov. 19, 20007. |
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Sharon Isbin Performs at the White House
President Obama and the First Lady listen to Sharon Isbin perform at the White
House Evening of Classical Music November 4, 2009.
WATCH VIDEO
Sharon Isbin performs at the White House
WATCH VIDEO
Sharon Isbin and Joshua Bell Perform at the White House
LISTEN
WQXR-FM Interviews Sharon About Performing at the White House |
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Grammy Winners Sharon Isbin & Mark O’Connor Live at Symphony Space
Sharon & Mark gave New York premiere of his Strings & Threads Suite for violin & guitar, January 2009.
Click here to watch a video from their performance.
Photo by Rob Fortunato. |
Sharon performed at the 2007 Coolidge Awards in Boston honoring
Oscar winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, pictured here with
Martin Scorsese and Howard Shore.
Photo by David Fox. |
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SCORSESE’S OSCAR WINNING THE DEPARTED
2008 GRAMMY Nomination
Sharon Isbin is featured on the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award
winning The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.
She was also heard on the Awards telecast excerpt viewed by nearly 40 million.
4 ACADEMY AWARDS, including BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR
Winner Golden Globe and 200 ‘Best Picture’ awards.
She is featured on 5 tracks of Howard Shore’s GRAMMY-nominated score CD (New Line
Records) and as the closing track of Rolling Stones/Van Morrison/Allman
Bros./Beach Boys compilation (Warner).
Visit the Music page to learn more. |
Sharon Isbin acknowledges the audience’s standing ovation
in her New York Philharmonic debut June 24, 2004, Avery Fisher Hall.
Photo by Chris Lee. |
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Sharon Isbin & New York Philharmonic
Warner Classics 2564-60296-2
2005 Latin GRAMMY nomination for ‘Best Classical Album’
2006 GLAAD Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Music Artist’
Concertos by Villa-Lobos & Ponce, and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez in
the Philharmonic’s first-ever recording with guitar. 17 weeks BILLBOARD
Top Classical Chart.
Visit the Music page to learn more.
Their June 2004 performances in Avery Fisher Hall were hailed as
‘Perfection’ NY Times, ‘Brilliant’ Toronto Star. Standing ovations and
encore for the Philharmonic’s first guitar soloist in 26 years.
See Isbin interview with NY Philharmonic
Sharon received a 2006 GLAAD Media Award nomination for ‘Outstanding
Music Artist’ for her CD with the New York Philharmonic. Also nominated
in this category was Melissa Etheridge. |
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Steve Vai and Isbin Premiere Vai’s Blossom Suite
Rock legend Steve Vai and Isbin premiered Vai’s Blossom Suite in Paris,
February 2005, during her weeklong series at the Theatre du Chatelet. |
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Sharon Isbin is a Featured Guest
on Season 2 of The L Word.
Sharon Isbin performed as a Featured Guest on Showtime TV’s
The L Word,
broadcast internationally and available on DVD.
Click Here to Read More |
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On October 3, 2003, Sharon Isbin premiered the Joan Baez Suite
On October 3, 2003, Sharon Isbin premiered the
Joan Baez Suite written for her by John Duarte, a seven-movement solo guitar work
featuring songs from Joan’s early folk singing career.
Together at
Joan Baez’s
NYC Town Hall concert in March 2002. |
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Sharon Isbin Performs at Ground Zero
Sharon Isbin performed at Ground Zero for the internationally televised
memorial on September 11, 2002. Pictured here with Hillary Clinton. |
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Echo Klassik Award Winner
In June 2002, Sharon Isbin won Germany’s prestigious Echo Klassik Award in
the category ‘Best Concert Recording’ for the Rouse/Tan Dun CD.
She performed in the award ceremony broadcast on German television for 1
million viewers.
Related features about this release on NPR’s
Performance Today (May 4, 2001),
Town & Country (June 2001),
Fanfare (July/August 2001),
BarnesandNoble.com (May 2001),
Acoustic Guitar (July 2001) |
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GRAMMY AWARD WINNER
Teldec 8573-81830-2
Sharon Isbin’s world premiere recording
of concertos written for her by Christopher
Rouse and Tan Dun (composer of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) received
a 2002 GRAMMY Award for Concert de Gaudi for Guitar & Orchestra
by Rouse in the category ‘Best Classical Contemporary Composition’ (the
first guitar concerto ever to win in this category), and earned Isbin
her third GRAMMY nomination (‘Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with
Orchestra’).
Visit the Music page to learn more.
Sharon Isbin with Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun. Photo by Steve Sherman. |
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NPR’s All Things Considered
May 4, 2001
“Robert Siegel interviews Sharon Isbin, a sensation in the world of
classical guitar. This year, Isbin became the first classical guitarist
to win a Grammy award in nearly three decades, for her CD Dreams of a
World.”
READ & LISTEN |
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GRAMMY AWARD WINNER!
Sharon Isbin received a 2001 Grammy Award for her CD Dreams of a
World (Teldec) for ‘Best Instrumental Soloist Performance without
orchestra’. She is
the first classical guitarist in 28 years to
receive a Grammy. The other nominees included pianists Murray
Perahia and Evgeny Kissin. The announcement was broadcast to nearly 2
billion television viewers in 180 countries.
Visit the Music page to learn more.
At the 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, Staples Center in
Los Angeles, February 21, 2001. Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect. |
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Sharon Isbin Premiered Christopher Rouse’s Concert de Gaudi
Sharon Isbin premiered
Christopher Rouse’s
Concert de Gaudi in Hamburg,
Germany, January 2, 2000 with conductor Christoph Eschenbach, followed by
the Dallas Symphony in March.
“It’s uncommonly beautiful and here’s
predicting it’s going to be performed and recorded a lot. The work is a
salute to Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi... Its emotional impact is
reminiscent of Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain... virtuoso
performance by Sharon Isbin.”
Dallas Morning News
“Wonderfully
eclectic... From the opening swirl of flamenco-style gestures, through the
poignant, ballad-like slow movement and the scintillating finale, the score
kaleidescopically presents memorably expressive passages.”
Barrymore Scherer, Public Arts |
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GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATION
Sharon Isbin received a 1999 Grammy Award nomination for her CD
Journey to the Amazon (Teldec). It is the first guitar recording ever to be nominated
for ‘Best Classical Crossover Album’.
Her recording of Aaron Kernis’ Double Concerto (Argo/Decca) is featured on
an album which received a 2000 Grammy nomination for ‘Best Classical
Contemporary Composition’. |
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