Sharon Isbin is an American classical guitarist and the founder and director of the guitar department at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

Personal life and education

Sharon Isbin was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota, to Katherine Brudnoy, an attorney, and Herbert S. Isbin, a

nuclear scientist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

and professor at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. She began her guitar studies at the age of nine with Aldo Minella in

Varese Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. She later studied with Jeffrey Van, Sophocles Papas, Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, Alirio Díaz, and for 10 years with keyboard artist and Bach scholar Rosalyn Tureck. She received a B.A. ''cum laude'' from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and a Master of Music (M.M.) from the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a joi ...

. She began practicing the Transcendental Meditation at age 17.

Career

Performing and recording

In 2005, Isbin performed the world premiere of Steve Vai's ''Blossom Suite'', accompanied by the composer. Her initial crossover collaborations included Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida and jazz guitarist

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

. 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 Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

on PBS's

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

Gershwin Prize The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is an award given to a composer or performer for their lifetime contributions to popular music. Created in 2007 by the United States Library of Congress, the prize is named after brothers ...

concert, and was featured on the Tavis Smiley PBS television series in February 2015. On November 5, 2015, the David Lynch Foundation organized a benefit concert at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

named "Change Begins Within," to promote transcendental meditation for stress control. Sharon Isbin participated alongside

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

, Sting,

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...

Angelique Kidjo Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given name), a French feminine name Arts and entertainment Music * Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family * ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert * A ...

, and Jim James.

Teaching and other work

In 1989, Isbin established the Master of Music degree, Graduate Diploma, and Artist Diploma programs for classical guitar at the

; she became the founding director of the guitar department. Isbin is the author of the ''Classical Guitar Answer Book'' and serves as the director of the Guitar Department at the Aspen Music Festival.

Awards and nominations

Awards and Recognitions * Won first prize at the Toronto Guitar Competition (1975) * Won the Munich ARD International Music Competition (1976) * A winner of the Madrid Queen Sofia International Competition (1979) * Concert Artists Guild Virtuoso Award (2013) * Germany's Echo Klassik Award (2002) * Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year (2020) * JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) * Guitar Foundation of America HALL OF FAME and Artistic Achievement Award (2023) Isbin was the first guitarist named Musical America's Instrumentalist of the Year. She was also the first guitarist to win the Munich ARD International Competition. Her album ''Journey to the Amazon'' received a 1999

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination for "Best Classical Crossover Album". She played on Aaron Jay Kernis' ''Double Concerto'' with violinist Cho-Liang Lin and the

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Its principal concert venue is the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. In collaboration with five artistic partners, the orchestra's musi ...

. This album received a Grammy nomination in 2000 for "Best Contemporary Classical Composition" for Kernis' ''Air for Violin''. Isbin won a

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

in 28 years. On September 11, 2002, Isbin performed for the memorial tribute at

Ground Zero A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

, which was televised live. Her recording of world premiere concertos written for her by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun won a Grammy in 2002. She received a 2005

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

nomination for "Best Classical Album" and a 2006

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

nomination for "Outstanding Music Artist" for her recording of Joaquín Rodrigo's '' Concierto de Aranjuez'' with the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

. The recording also featured concertos by Mexican composer

Manuel Ponce Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar (8 December 1882 – 24 April 1948), known in Mexico as Manuel M. Ponce, was a Mexican composer active in the 20th century. His work as a composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert s ...

and Brazilian

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has globally bec ...

. Isbin was the first guitar soloist to perform with the

in 26 years; this was the orchestra's first-ever recording with the guitar. In November 2009, Isbin performed at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

by invitation of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

and First Lady Michelle Obama.. In 2010, Isbin won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for ''Best Instrumental Soloist'' for 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 Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

and

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

during that time.

Awards

Grammy

* 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

* 2010: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist, ''Journey to the New World''

Other awards

* Toronto Guitar competition, first prize, 1975 * Winner Munich ARD International Music Competition, 1976 * Madrid Queen Sofia International Competition, 1979 * Echo Klassik Award, Winner Best Concert Recording, 2002 * Best Classical Guitarist, ''Guitar Player'' magazine * Concert Artists Guild Virtuoso Award, 2013 * ASCAP Television Broadcast Award, 2015 * Little Orchestra Society's Artistic Excellence Award, 2019 * Musical America 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year Award * Guitar Foundation of America HALL OF FAME and Artistic Achievement Award, 2023

Discography

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isbin, Sharon 1956 births 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American classical guitarists Articles containing video clips Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Classical musicians from Minnesota Educators from Minnesota American women educators Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Minnesota Juilliard School faculty LGBTQ classical musicians American LGBTQ musicians LGBTQ people from Minnesota Living people Musicians from Minneapolis Women classical guitarists American women music educators Cedille Records artists