Sharon Isbin & Pacific Quartet to perform World Premiere of Schwantner's new work at 92NY Nov 12

Multiple Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, recognized as the 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America  will appear at 92NY’s Kaufmann Concert Hall on Saturday, November 12 at 7:30pm with the Pacifica Quartet. The program will include the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Joseph Schwantner’s evocative Song of a Dreaming Sparrow, as well as selections from their Souvenirs of Spain & Italy recording which debuted at #1 on Amazon and #2 on Billboard including Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Guitar and Strings, RV 93, Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major, G.448, “Fandango” and Joaquín Turina’s La oración del torero for string quartet, Op. 34. Isbin will also perform Brouwer’s stunning El Decameron Negro, written for her, and the Pacifica Quartet will perform Piazzolla’s Four for Tango. Tickets are $25 for both in person and online options and available at www.92ny.org.

Hailed as “one of the best guitarists in the world” (Boston Globe), Sharon Isbin has received acclaim for her extraordinary lyricism, technique, and versatility.  Celebrated as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” Isbin has been the soloist with over 200 orchestras. Recent highlights include a 21-city Guitar Passions tour with jazz greats Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo, triumphant performances with the Detroit Symphony, Montreal Symphony and National Symphony, as well as sold-out concerts at the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her most recent Carnegie Hall appearances included a collaboration with Sting.

Sharon Isbin, who has been acclaimed for expanding the guitar repertoire with some of the finest new works of our time, has two new world premiere recordings of works written for her. Affinity features multi-faceted and virtuosic works by leading composers from three continents including Chris Brubeck’s acclaimed Affinity: Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra. The disc was praised in Gramophone saying, “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.” The other, Strings for Peace is an album steeped in the tradition of ragas and talas of North Indian classical music with sarod master Amjad Ali Khan and his virtuoso sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash.  Both groundbreaking releases vastly enrich major new repertoire for the guitar and were named Best of 2020 by SiriusXM, NPR, and multiple media.

Isbin's catalogue of over 35 albums has sold nearly a million copies and reflects her remarkable versatility. Her historic Alma Española with Isabel Leonard is the first all-Spanish art song album with guitar of its kind in 40 years.  Isbin's Grammy-winning Journey to the New World spent 63 consecutive weeks on top Billboard charts and her Rodrigo Aranjuez with the New York Philharmonic, their only recording with guitar, received a Latin Grammy nomination. She has commissioned and premiered over 80 works by some of the world's finest composers and directs guitar departments she created at the Aspen Music Festival and The Juilliard School.

Isbin is the subject of an exciting one-hour documentary presented by American Public Television. Seen by millions on over 200 PBS stations throughout the US, it is also available on DVD/Blu-ray, streaming on Amazon, and won the ASCAP Television Broadcast Award.  Sharon Isbin: 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.  The following is a dedicated website where you can view the trailer, read rave reviews, and see detailed broadcast dates: www.SharonIsbinTroubadour.com. Her PBS performances also include the Billy Joel Gershwin Prize.

For more information visit www.sharonisbin.com.