Sharon Isbin[1] is an American classical guitarist and the founding director of the guitar department at the Juilliard School.[2][3]
Personal life and education
Sharon Isbin was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,[1] to attorney Katherine Brudnoy[4] and Herbert S. Isbin,[5] a nuclear scientist and professor at the University of Minnesota.[6] She began her guitar studies at age nine with Aldo Minella in Varese, Italy.[7] She later studied with Jeffrey Van, Sophocles Papas, Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, Alirio Díaz, and for ten years with the noted keyboard artist and Bach scholar Rosalyn Tureck. Isbin collaborated with Tureck in preparing first-performance editions of the Bach lute suites for guitar, published by G Schirmer, and recorded by Isbin as Complete Bach Lute Suites on Warner Classics.[8] Isbin created and directs the guitar departments at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School.
In 2005, Isbin performed a world premiere of Blossom Suite along with the composer, rock guitarist Steve Vai. Her earliest crossover collaborations began with Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida and jazz guitarist Larry Coryell. In 2014, she performed a 20-city Guitar Passions tour with jazz musicians Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo.
In 2015, she performed with Josh Groban on PBS's Billy Joel: Gershwin Prize concert,[11] and in February 2015 she was featured on the Tavis Smiley PBS television series.
Isbin's catalogue of over 35 albums has sold over one million copies ranging from Baroque music, Spanish/Latin, and 20th century to crossover and jazz fusion. Her most recent releases are LIVE IN ASPEN (2024), AFFINITY: World Premiere Recordings, and STRINGS FOR PEACE: Premieres for Guitar & Sarod with Amjad Ali Khan, both of which were named Best of 2020 by NPR, SiriusXM, and multiple media. Her Souvenirs of Spain & Italy (Cedille) with the Pacifica Quartet debuted at number two on the Billboard charts and at number one on Amazon. Her Alma Espanola (Bridge) with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard was honored by a 2018 GRAMMY Award for Producer of the Year, Classical. The acclaimed one-hour documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour won the 2015 ASCAP Television Broadcast Award.[13][14][15] In October 2014, Warner Classics released a 5-CD box set of her most popular albums titled Sharon Isbin: 5 Classic Albums. Her 2011 release, Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions (Sony), became a bestseller on Amazon.com and includes guest artists Steve Vai, Stanley Jordan, Nancy Wilson, Steve Morse, Romero Lubambo, Rosa Passos, Thiago de Mello, and Paul Winter.
Awards and nominations
Isbin has been regarded as "the pre-eminent guitarist of our time". Isbin has also won the following awards:
First at the Toronto Guitar Competition (1975)
Winner of the Munich ARD International Music Competition (1976)
Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year (2020)
Guitar Foundation of America HALL OF FAME and Artistic Achievement Award (2023) [16]
Isbin's winning of the Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year made her the first guitarist in the award's history to do so.[17] She was the first guitarist to win the Munich ARD International Competition.
Her album Journey to the Amazon received a 1999 Grammy nomination for "Best Classical Crossover Album", and the album on which she appeared playing Aaron Jay Kernis' Double Concerto with violinist Cho-Liang Lin and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra received a 2000 Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Classical Composition" for Kernis' Air for Violin.
Isbin won a Grammy Award in 2001 for her work in Dreams of a World: Folk-Inspired Music for Guitar (Warner Classics), becoming the first classical guitarist to win a Grammy in 28 years. On September 11, 2002, Isbin's performed for the memorial tribute at Ground Zero, which was televised live. Her world premiere concertos, written for her by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun, won a Grammy in 2002. She received a 2005 Latin Grammy nomination for "Best Classical Album" and a 2006 GLAAD Media Award nomination for "Outstanding Music Artist" for her recording of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the New York Philharmonic. The recording also featured concertos by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce and Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos. Isbin was the first guitar soloist to perform with the New York Philharmonic in 26 years. This was the orchestra's first-ever recording with the guitar. In 2010, Isbin won another Grammy Award for the Best Instrumental Soloist in her CD, Journey to the New World (Sony). The album spent 63 consecutive weeks on Billboard charts and ranked as the number one bestselling classical CD on Amazon and iTunes during that time. In November 2009, Isbin performed a concert at the White House by invitation of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.[18] In 2010, Isbin won another Grammy Award for the Best Instrumental Soloist in her CD, Journey to the New World (Sony). The album spent 63 consecutive weeks on Billboard charts and ranked as the number one bestselling classical CD on Amazon and iTunes during that time.
Teaching and other work
In 1989, Isbin created the Master of Music degree, Graduate Diploma, and Artist Diploma for classical guitar at the Juilliard School, becoming the founding director of their guitar department; she added the Bachelor of Music degree and Undergraduate Diploma to the program in 2007, and the Doctor of Musical Arts in 2018.[19]
Isbin is the author of the Classical Guitar Answer Book, and is the director of the Guitar Department at the Aspen Music Festival.[20]
1999: Grammy nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album, Journey to the Amazon
2000: Grammy nomination, Kernis: Double Concerto for Violin and Guitar with Cho-Liang Lin and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
2001: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist, Dreams of a World
2002: Grammy Award for Rouse: Concert de Gaudi
2005: Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album, Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Villa-Lobos: Concerto for guitar; Ponce: Concierto del Sur with the New York Philharmonic
2010: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist, Journey to the New World
With The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hugh Wolff. World premiere recording of concertos written for Sharon Isbin by John Corigliano, Joseph Schwantner, Lukas Foss.
With Paul Winter, and Gaudencio Thiago de Mello. Music by Almeida, Lauro, Barrios Mangore, Thiago de Mello, Montana, Savio, Brouwer, Canonico, Vianna. 1999 Grammy Nomination
1998
Wayfaring Stranger
Warner Classics
3984-23419-2
1 CD
With mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, music by Schubert, Seiber, Niles, Sainz de la Maza, Rodrigo, Granados, Martini, Tarrega,
With violinist Cho-Liang Lin and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hugh Wolff. World premiere recording of concerto for written for Sharon Isbin by Aaron Jay Kernis.
1999
Dreams of a World
Warner Classics
3984-25736-2
1 CD (DDD)
Folk-inspired Music for Guitar. 8 World Premieres; Music from Appalachia, Ireland, Greece, Israel, Spain, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil. 2001 Grammy Award
With the Gulbenkian Orchestra conducted by Muhai Tang. World premiere recording of concertos written for Sharon Isbin. 2002 Grammy Award, Echo Klassik Award
2003
Sharon Isbin Plays Baroque Favorites for Guitar
Warner Classics
0927-45312-2
1 CD
With the Zurich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Howard Griffiths, music by Bach, Vivaldi, Albinoni
2004
Sharon Isbin – Artist Portrait
Warner Classics
2564-61591-2
1 CD
Music by Vivaldi, Bach, Rodrigo, Sainz de la Maza, Lauro, Almeida, Thiago de Mello, Niles, Tan Dun, Albinoni, Takemitsu, Tarrega, Martini, Schubert, Rouse
2005
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Villa-Lobos: Concerto for guitar; Ponce: Concierto del sur
Journey to the Amazon, Dreams of a World, Baroque Favorites, Rouse-Tan Dun Concertos, Rodrigo/Villa-Lobos/Ponce Concertos with New York Philharmonic
2015
Sharon Isbin: Troubadour
Video Artists International
DVD 4580
Blu-ray 8202
Award-winning documentary presented by American Public Television. Guests include Joan Baez, First Lady Michelle Obama, Martina Navratilova, Garrison Keillor, Steve Vai, Stanley Jordan, Mark O'Connor, John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse, Tan Dun, Joan Tower, Romero Lubambo, David Hyde Pierce, Janis Ian & more. Winner 2015 ASCAP Television Broadcast Award
2017
Alma Española: Isabel Leonard & Sharon Isbin
Bridge Records
9491
1 CD
Composers: Federico García Lorca, Joaquín Rodrigo, Agustín Lara, Manuel de Falla, Xavier Montsalvatge, Francisco Tárrega, Enrique Granados
2019
Souvenirs of Spain & Italy: Sharon Isbin & Pacifica Quartet
^Maurice J. Summerfield: The Classical Guitar. Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800 (Blaydon-on-Tyne: Ashley Mark Publishing Co., 5th edition, 2002), p. 153–155.
^Peterson, Diane (January 21, 2011). "Ambassador of guitar to star with SR Symphony: Sharon Isbin broke new ground, founding program at Juilliard". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, Calif. p. D.1.
