Sharon Isbin. Photo by J. Henry Fair
Multiple Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, recognized as the 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America, will appear on the Friends of Music Concert Series in Sleepy Hollow with the Pacifica Quartet on Oct 5 at Sleepy Hollow High School’s Kusel Auditorium, 210 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY, 10591 at 3pm. Tickets are $40 and available here, Guests under 18 are free.
Isbin, who received the 2023 Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame Artistic Achievement Award will perform selections from her Souvenirs of Spain & Italy recording with the Pacifica Quartet which debuted at #1 on Amazon and #2 on Billboard, including Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Guitar and Strings, RV 93, and Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major, G.448, “Fandango”.
Recent highlights include a 21-city Guitar Passions tour with jazz greats Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo, tours with India’s legendary Amjad Ali Khan, a collaboration with Sting, triumphant performances with the Detroit, Montreal and National Symphonies, as well as sold-out concerts at the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, and Carnegie Hall.
Hailed as “one of the best guitarists in the world” (Boston Globe) and celebrated as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” Sharon Isbin has been soloist with over 200 orchestras, premiered nearly 100 works written for her by some of the world’s finest composers, and has given sold-out performances in celebrated halls across 40 countries.
Isbin was the 2023 cover story of Acoustic Guitar magazine – the only classical guitarist ever featured on the publication’s cover in their 33-year history.
Her catalogue of over 40 albums, which has sold over a million copies and streamed more than 30 million times, reflects her remarkable versatility. Highlights include her Grammy-winning Journey to the New World which spent 63 consecutive weeks on top Billboard charts, and her Latin Grammy-nominated Rodrigo Aranjuez with the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra’s only recording with guitar.
Isbin’s album Live in Aspen with India’s legendary sarod master Amjad Ali Khan was released last summer to rave reviews. An Amazon #2 bestseller, it was recorded live at their sold-out concert for the Aspen Music Festival and climbed to the top 10 Billboard charts. Earlier this year they appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts which has been viewed close to 100,000 times and can be enjoyed here.
This spring saw the release of Romántico which debuted as SiriusXM’s Album of the Week and features the world premiere recording of Karen LeFrak’s Miami Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, a dazzling Latin dance-inspired concerto that pays homage to Miami’s musical scene with influences from Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Isbin premiered the first movement “Bailamos” with the National Symphony for over 10,000 on the U.S. Capitol Lawn.
PBS specials include the Billy Joel Gershwin Prize, and the acclaimed documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, seen by millions around the globe and winner of ASCAP’s Television Broadcast Award. Troubadour paints the portrait of a trailblazing performer and teacher who over the course of her career has broken through numerous barriers to rise to the top of a traditionally male-dominated field. She directs guitar departments she created at the Aspen Music Festival and The Juilliard School.
