Sharon Isbin was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to attorney Katherine Brudnoy and Herbert S Isbin, a nuclear scientist and professor at the University of Minnesota.
19 Facts About Sharon Isbin
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Sharon Isbin began her guitar studies at age nine with Aldo Minella in Varese, Italy.
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Sharon Isbin later studied with Jeffrey Van, Sophocles Papas, Andres Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, Alirio Diaz and for ten years with the noted keyboard artist and Bach scholar Rosalyn Tureck.
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Sharon Isbin created and directs guitar departments at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School.
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In 1995 Sharon Isbin came out as a lesbian in a profile by Out magazine.
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In 2005, Sharon Isbin performed a world premiere of Blossom Suite along with the composer, rock guitarist Steve Vai.
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Sharon Isbin has premiered over 80 works by world-renowned composers.
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The acclaimed one-hour documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour won the 2015 ASCAP Television Broadcast Award.
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Sharon Isbin was the winner of Guitar Player magazine's Best Classical Guitarist award.
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Sharon Isbin won Musical America's 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year, becoming the first guitarist in their 59 award year history to receive the award.
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Sharon Isbin was the first guitarist to win the Munich ARD International Competition.
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Sharon Isbin won a Grammy Award in 2001 for Dreams of a World: Folk-Inspired Music for Guitar for "Best Instrumental Soloist", becoming the first classical guitarist to win a Grammy in 28 years.
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In 2010, Sharon Isbin won another Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist for her CD Journey to the New World, which includes guests Joan Baez and Mark O'Connor.
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Sharon Isbin 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 Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the New York Philharmonic.
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Sharon Isbin was the first guitar soloist to perform with the New York Philharmonic in 26 years, and the recording was the New York Philharmonic's first-ever recording with guitar.
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In November 2009, Sharon Isbin performed a concert at the White House by invitation of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
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In 1989, Sharon Isbin created the Master of Music degree, Graduate Diploma and Artist Diploma for classical guitar at the Juilliard School, and 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.
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Sharon Isbin is the author of the Classical Guitar Answer Book, and is director of the Guitar Department at the Aspen Music Festival.
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Sharon Isbin participated alongside the likes of Katy Perry, Sting, Jerry Seinfeld, Angelique Kidjo and Jim James.