Sean Shibe is a distinguished guitarist known for his innovative performances and versatility across various musical genres. With a rich background in classical guitar, he has captivated audiences worldwide through collaborations with esteemed ensembles and composers. Notably, Shibe recently performed alongside the acclaimed Quatuor Van Kuijk, presenting a Spanish-inspired program that featured masterworks such as Habanera from The Exterminating Angel by Thomas Adès. His recent appearances also include a groundbreaking concert at the Baker-Baum, where he showcased the U.S. premiere of Forgotten Dances, a piece by Adès, further solidifying his reputation as an international guitar sensation. Looking ahead, Shibe is set to perform Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, an event that promises to transport listeners to the vibrant landscapes of Spain. With a commitment to pushing the boundaries of guitar music, Sean Shibe continues to be a prominent figure in the classical music scene, engaging audiences with his exceptional talent and artistic vision.

Guitarist

If you go back far enough, the divides between ‘classical’ and ‘folk’, ‘high’ and ‘low’, ‘formal’ and ‘rustic’ – all those perceived dichotomies dissolve. While many in the classical world are trying to reverse-engineer the blurring of boundaries, in this special collaboration, Aidan O’Rourke is going to the source, unearthing old melodies from manuscripts hidden away in libraries and archives and enveloping these treasures into a new collaboration with acclaimed Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe. The idea is to strip back any conservative ritual around the genres to make something truly new and avoiding any anticipated outcomes that you’d normally hear in a classical / folk partnership.

Classical Stars: Luban - Aidan O'rourke And Sean Shibe

Perth Concert Hall

A chameleon of the new generation: he’s met with acclaim in the great recital halls of the world and forges new horizons by ranging fearlessly beyond classical music. You can’t help but get carried away with his magic.

For his Australian debut, Shibe celebrates his Scottish heritage in a thrilling ride through the Highlands and beyond, with Shibe on classical guitar and Richard Tognetti directing the strings of the ACO. Then tradition is thrown to the wind as Shibe takes up his electric guitar and the ACO steps into a technicolour world of musical invention.

Scotland Unbound

This groundbreaking program seeks to examine the question of “who owns culture?” through a two-part music and dance exploration. 

The first half of the program will feature two extraordinary artists, tenor Karim Sulayman and guitarist Sean Shibe, performing music from their award-winning album “Broken Branches.” Sulayman and Shibe’s program weaves baroque music of Giulio Caccini and Claudio Monteverdi with traditional Sephardic and Arab/Andalusian works and ballads by contemporary composers and singers from Egypt and Lebanon, and frames the program with songs of Purcell and Britten.

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RE | CLAIM:  Ensemble Amedyez and Kalanidhi Dance 

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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.

Karim Sulayman, tenor Sean Shibe, guitar

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music at the Albany Institute of History and Art on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 7:30 PM. This special concert features the Grammy-winning Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman and the renowned British-Japanese guitarist Sean Shibe. Together, they will present a program that explores their cultural roots through a diverse repertoire, including works by Dowland, Monteverdi, Britten, and traditional music from the Middle East.

This performance, titled "Broken Branches," is part of the Christine Kirwin Krackeler Concert series and promises an exploration of musical narratives that span continents and centuries. The concert will take place at the Albany Institute of History and Art, located at 125 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY. General Admission seating doors will open 45 minutes before the concert begins, ensuring all attendees can find comfortable seating.

In a gesture of inclusivity and support for the arts among the younger generation, all kids and college students will be admitted free at the door, making this an excellent opportunity for families and students to experience world-class music at no cost.

Karim Sulayman, known for his "sensitive and intelligent musicianship" and "riveting stage presence," brings his award-winning vocal talents to the stage, while Sean Shibe, celebrated for his originality and mastery of the guitar, promises to captivate the audience with his exceptional skill. Together, they will take you on a journey through time and tradition, showcasing the power of music to transcend boundaries.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to witness two of the most innovative and acclaimed artists in the classical music world today. Tickets are available now, but with only 196 seats in stock, early booking is advised to secure your place at this not-to-be-missed event.

Karim Sulayman, tenor Sean Shibe, guitar Albany Art Institute

Albany Institute of History & Art

Garnering international attention as a sophisticated and versatile artist, Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman is consistently praised for his sensitive and intelligent musicianship, riveting stage presence, and beautiful voice while regularly performing on the world’s greatest stages. The Grammy Award winner has also earned acclaim for his inventive programming, which is on full display in a varied program of works examining the relationship of East and West performed with guitarist Sean Shibe. Featuring wide ranging works from Monteverdi, Britten, and Purcell to Takemitsu, Layale Chaker, and traditional Sephardic songs, this intimate recital inspects the artists own ethnic identities through song that at once was seen to exotify but through playful juxtaposition subverts that narrative into one of celebration.

Recital Series: Karim Sulayman & Sean Shibe

Park Avenue Armory

A programme running from Bach to Thomas Adès by way of leading composers from Paraguay, Brazil and the unique style of the Barcelona-born Federico Mompou, whose 1962 Suite compostelana – referring to the city of Santiago de Compostela – was written for Andrès Segovia.

Sean Shibe guitar

Wigmore Hall

This varied program blends the elegance of Bach’s Suite for Marimba, the passionate tangos of Piazzolla, the neoclassical charm of Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky’s most beloved ballet—offering a rich tapestry of stories told through dance.

Suite

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

This concert unites the poignant Mendelssohn siblings’ works—Fanny’s unduly neglected remarkable work and Felix’s stirring String Quartet, a reaction to her early passing—with compositions by artists silenced or oppressed during WWII. It embodies the spirit of perseverance and the unbreakable will of the human spirit through music.

Resilience

This “takeover” concert, curated by renowned composer Thomas Adès, showcases him as composer, teacher, pianist, and conductor, and includes the U.S. premiere of “Forgotten Dances” with international guitar sensation Sean Shibe.

Takeover @ The Baker-Baum

“Performers should not be afraid of playing good music” says Sean Shibe – the visionary, multi-award-winning Scottish guitarist who’s single-handedly redefining the way the 21st century thinks of his instrument. “And listeners should try not to be scared of listening to it”. No worries on that score, as Shibe pairs the world’s favourite guitar concerto with the first hearing (in this form, anyway) of a flickering, fantastical modern classic by the innovative Spanish composer Francisco Coll. The passion rises like heat-haze; no wonder, then, that guest conductor Delyana Lazarova has framed it with visions of wonder: Rimsky-Korsakov’s very Russian postcard from Spain, and the sorcery, secrets and ear-tingling sensations of a real BBC SSO favourite, Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’.

Afternoon Performance: Rodrigo Guitar Concerto

Glasgow City Hall

Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe, two fascinating artists with wide-ranging performance interests and big ideas, make Celebrity Series debuts in this beautifully eclectic recital that examines the relationship between the East and the West. The program brings together 16th- and 17th-century Italian and English works; traditional Sephardic and Arab-Andalusian songs; Benjamin Britten’s settings of translated poems, Songs from the Chinese; 20th-century and contemporary compositions; and more. 

Karim Sulayman, tenor and Sean Shibe, guitar

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe, two fascinating artists with wide-ranging performance interests and big ideas, come together for a beautifully eclectic recital that examines the relationship between the East and the West. The program brings together 16th- and 17th-century Italian and English works; traditional Sephardic and Arab-Andalusian songs; Benjamin Britten’s settings of translated poems, Songs from the Chinese; 20th-century and contemporary compositions; and more.

Celebrity Series | Karim Sulayman, tenor, and Sean Shibe, guitar

Winner of the inaugural Siemens-Hallé International Competition in 2020, Delyana Lazarova takes the reins for our spectacular season finale. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol sets the tone with gypsy rhythms and fiery fandangos brilliantly captured in the composer’s peerless orchestration. There’s more Iberian colour from the much garlanded Scottish guitarist, Sean Shibe, who performs the most famous concerto for the instrument, Rodgrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Recorded over a hundred times, the concerto’s popularity owes much to the haunting melody of its central adagio, which has inspired countless arrangements, from trumpeter Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain album to Tara Fitzgerald’s flugelhorn solo in the hit movie Brassed Off.

The Hallé in Nottingham: Concierto de Aranjuez

Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall

The Van Kuijk Quartet’s international accolades boast First, Best Beethoven, and Best Haydn Prizes at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet competition; First Prize, and an Audience Award at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition; as well as becoming laureates of the Aix-en-Provence Festival Academy. They join one of the most versatile guitarists performing today, Sean Shibe, to present a Spanish-inspired program, including two masterworks in the guitar quintet repertoire.

Quatuor Van Kuijk and Sean Shibe

Shining at the top of a new wave of guitarists, Sean Shibe creates imaginative programs aglow with innovation, new music, and passionate insights into classics. The Guardian enthused, “What’s really striking is the way in which Shibe sustains a world of intensity and introspection through playing that buzzes with vitality.” Named BBC New Generation Artists, the Van Kuijk Quartet’s “unanimity, tonal blend and intonation are close to flawless” (Gramophone).

Sean Shibe | Guitar & Van Kuijk Quartet

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Sean Shibe is one of the most versatile and innovative guitarists today with an approach to the instrument that has enhanced his reputation for having “one of the most discriminating ears in the business” (Gramophone).

Sean Shibe, guitar with Van Kuijk Quartet

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Reading with a program that will stir your senses and transport you to the sun-drenched plazas and tranquil courtyards of Spain.

Sean Shibe performs Rodrigo

The Hexagon

From the infectious rhythms of Bizet’s Carmen Suite to the soulful melodies of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez performed by “breathtaking” (Guardian) guitarist Sean Shibe, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s colourful Capriccio Espagnol. Before taking a trip across the continent as Stravinsky’s powerful Firebird Suite brings Russian folklore vividly to life.

Sean Shibe

Guitarist

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 19, 2025

Sean Shibe performs Rodrigo · Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Mar 19, 2025

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Rodrigo · The Hexagon

Past events

Dec 11, 2024

Classical Stars: Luban - Aidan O'rourke And Sean Shibe · Perth Theatre and Concert Hall

Nov 20, 2024

Scotland Unbound · Perth Concert Hall

Future and recently performed repertoire

Guitar in Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Guitar in Histoire du Tango by Piazzolla

La Jolla Music Society

Guitar in Guitar Quintet by Castelnuovo-Tedesco

La Jolla Music Society

Guitar in Habanera from 'The Exterminating Angel' by Adès

Art Power at UC San Diego

Guitar in Turia by Coll

La Jolla Music Society

Guitar in Forgotten Dances by Adès

La Jolla Music Society

Guitar in Broken Branches by

Capital Region Classical

About

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