World-renowned for her technical command of the guitar, her expressive playing, and commissioning nine works for guitar and orchestra, classical guitarist Sharon Isbin balances a busy recording and touring career with an active teaching schedule. She has received three Grammy Award nominations, and in 2001, became the first classical guitarist in 28 years to win a Grammy for her solo CD Dreams of a World (Teldec Classics International). Her latest CD, Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar, Ponce: Concierto del sur (Warner Classics), which she recorded with the New York Philharmonic, received a 2005 Latin Grammy nomination.

In addition to playing between 60 and 100 concerts annually worldwide, Isbin has tutored graduate students at Juilliard since 1989 and spends a month each summer in Colorado teaching at the Aspen Music Festival. She has published many of her thoughts on technique in the Classical Guitar Answer Book (String Letter Publishing).

When I spoke with her in November 2005, Isbin had just completed a rigorous tour of 18 concerts in 21 days with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

With such a busy touring schedule, what has motivated you to continue teaching as much as you do?

ISBIN I love being able to help young people and guide them on a path that will allow them to bring out the best in their talents and fulfill themselves. Certainly the mentors[who include Oscar Ghiglia, Julian Bream, Andres Segovia, and Alirio Diaz] I had growing up made all the difference in my life. I want to repay the generosity from people who guided me and make a difference in the future of the guitar.

How do you arrange your schedule at Juilliard to work around the tours?

ISBIN When I’m in town, I go once a week for two hours to give a master class and coach chamber music. I teach the private lessons at my home. I have kept the program very small. I usually have between five and eight students at a time.

Can you speak about the month you spend each summer at the Aspen Music Festival?

ISBIN I have been the head of the guitar department there for 12 years in a row. It’s a fabulous opportunity to reach out to students of a variety of levels from all over the world. Some are as young as 15; others may be 30. I take up to 12 students and teach in a master class format so that everyone gets to hear the lessons of their colleagues. Instead of a one-hour lesson each week, they get 10 times that amount of instruction. They also get to play chamber music and give performances. They can go hear a symphony, a solo recital, an opera, or a premiere of a new piece of music. Some of the greatest musicians of our time come there to play and give master classes.

When you first meet with a new student, do you assess what they need to learn or do you work on the areas where they say they need help?

ISBIN It is a two-way street. I will hear things right away that tell me what they need to work on. As the lessons evolve, I learn more about what they want to absorb. I’ll make suggestions about music they should work on, but I never force them to work on something they don’t want to play. It will always be music that they feel inspired by and that I believe in. It has to be a dialectic where there is good communication. That allows for the best progress.

Do you feel that you learn a lot from teaching?

ISBIN Yes, because it’s important for me to be able to explain the “why” not only the “what.” That challenges me to understand exactly what a student’s problem is and how to fix it. I love that because that’s one of the things I’m good at.

What are your other strengths as a teacher?

ISBIN When students come to me, I want to help them become the best players they can be. So I give them what I feel will benefit them most. We work on gaining technical assurance, memory confidence, a solid sense of rhythm, legato playing, and lyricism. I also help them understand articulation and structure in the music and how to apply tone color in a piece. It’s great to see someone flourish and blossom. When a student starts playing really beautifully and I get goose bumps, I feel that the effort has paid off.