Multiple Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin, recently recognized as the 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America, will appear on the Meany Center for the Performing Arts Meany on Screen Series April 2-9, 2021. The Strings for Peace, Weaving Traditions program is free, no pre-registration required and can be accessed at https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2021-04/production/online-strings-peace.
India’s celebrated first family of the sarod — Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash — join Isbin to present a series of video performances that bridge worlds of music, from a Spanish work for the guitar to ragas and folk tunes. Together, they make an eloquent call for harmony — in music, in religion, in culture and the world. The Times of India, in reviewing their recent tour, raved how the musicians “crossed barriers of language, culture, uniting people through music and melody … the power of their performance rocked the hall!”
In concert with the program, Meany Center Executive and Artistic Director Michelle Witt will host a Creative Process Conversation with Sharon Isbin, Amjad Ali Khan, and Ayaan Ali Bangash, April 2-9. The Creative Process conversation will be available at https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2021-04/production/online-strings-peace-weaving-traditions
and on demand beyond April 9 at https://meanycenter.org/engage/exploring-creative-process on the Meany Center’s YouTube channel.
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 (ZM 202005) featuring multi-faceted and virtuosic works by leading composers from three continents, and Strings for Peace (ZM 202004), 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, are both groundbreaking releases that vastly enrich major new repertoire for guitar.
Acclaimed as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” Ms. Isbin has been the soloist with nearly 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 collaborations with Sting, Katy Perry and Jerry Seinfeld and in recital with Isabel Leonard.
Isbin’s catalogue of over 30 albums has sold nearly a million copies and reflects her remarkable versatility. Her August 2019 release with the Pacifica Quartet, Souvenirs of Spain & Italy, debuted at #1 on Amazon and #2 on Billboard. 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 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 and Tavis Smiley – view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZBnYdMBzvk&t=8s
Visit www.sharonisbin.com for more information.