Sharon Isbin
guitar

Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, Multiple GRAMMY Award winner Sharon Isbin was named the 2020 Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year, the first guitarist ever to receive the coveted honor in its 59-year history. She is often hailed as the pre-eminent guitarist of our time. In this interview, Sharon Isbin discusses with WQXR’s Elliott Forrest life during the pandemic, and her two May 2020 album releases of world premieres composed for her: AFFINITY and STRINGS FOR PEACE.

Jessica Rivera
soprano

Hailed by the New York Times as “Vocally luminous”, with a voice praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for its “effortless precision and tonal luster,” GRAMMY Award-winner Jessica Rivera is one of the most creatively inspired vocal artists performing before the public today.

Acclaimed conductor/pianist/composer Robert Spano observed this about Ms. Rivera “There’s a challenge in trying to describe her voice. It’s the richness and the warmth and the depth just in the sound itself that’s so mesmerizing. But it’s not just the quality of the voice, it’s also her sensitivity and intention. It’s her use of text, the way she connects with language. And her very refined sophisticated understanding of how things are unfolding musically, so it’s this marvelous combination of heart, mind and vocal cords that’s just incomparable. There’s something special about what she does that only she can do.”