Examining the close cultural and musical ties between East and West, this collaboration between Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman and guitarist Sean Shibe offers music ranging from Dowland and Takemitsu to traditional songs from the Middle East. This musical journey reflects the artists’ personal experiences of dynamic, cross-over identities, as they were raised in the West but had ethnic roots in the East (Lebanon and Japan, respectively). Broken Branches explores the wood of the guitar and its relatives, as well as the splintering of history known as diaspora.

EPSG:4326

Karim Sulayman, tenor Sean Shibe, guitar

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Broken Branches takes its title from Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe’s eponymous album, a cornucopia of musical and literary treasures drawn from East and West. Their programme touches on the mystical nature of being, something innate that connects different cultures, religions and regions with deep bonds of common kinship, and the universal stories and emotions that bring people together in union.

Darwish

Events

Upcoming events

Jul 14, 2026

Karim Sulayman tenor; Sean Shibe guitar · Wigmore Hall

Past events

Oct 20, 2024

Karim Sulayman, tenor Sean Shibe, guitar · Philadelphia Chamber Music Society

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