Sean Shibe

Sean Shibe ( ; born 1992) is a classical and electric guitarist from Edinburgh, Scotland, of English and Japanese parentage. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (and was the youngest student to enter the then Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) and to study with Italian guitarist Paolo Pegoraro. His debut album was described as "not just great guitar playing... the best [the jury] had ever heard" by BBC Music Magazine, and "the best solo guitar disc I've heard" by The Arts Desk.

Shibe also plays electric guitar, as on his 2018 album softLOUD, on which he performs Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, as well as electric guitar arrangements of works by David Lang and Julia Wolfe. Sean Shibe also performs Georges Lentz's epic, hour-long Ingwe for solo electric guitar.

Shibe also plays renaissance lute, performing 16th Century French repertoire at Baroque at the Edge, LSO St Luke's.

Early life Shibe was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1992 to English and Japanese parents.

Career Shibe has performed as soloist with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Sinfonia Viva. He has performed at the Brighton Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, St Magnus Festival, East Neuk Festival and Marlboro Music School and Festival. He made his Wigmore Hall debut in 2012 and has performed there annually since.

In 2014 he performed Alasdair Nicolson's piece Magnus, written specially for the event, at an 80th birthday celebration for Peter Maxwell Davies at Glasgow City Halls.

He was one of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists for 2012–2014, and performed with the BBC Singers in a concert broadcast live from St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge in January 2015. His performances appeared on the cover disc of the February 2016 edition of BBC Music Magazine.

'Dreams & Fancies', his 2017 debut album released on Delphian Records, entered the UK Classical Specialist Charts at No.3. BBC Radio 3's Record Review said of the album: "It's not often a guitar recital leaves me slightly stunned, but this one did. Just listen to the sound, the way Shibe changes the colour even during a phrase... what a seductive sound, incredibly clean playing, and almost miraculous changes of colour and timbre, never empty gestures, always to articulate the counterpoint and phrasing. Inspired by Julian Bream's pioneering spirit perhaps, but this is playing on an exalted level... If you only buy one guitar recital this year – it's called Dreams & Fancies." Graham Rickson at The Arts Desk wrote: "This is the best solo guitar disc I've heard."

In March 2020 Shibe performed 'Ingwe' at "ear splitting volume" at Wigmore Hall, resulting in over 20 audience members leaving the recital.

Shibe's third album on Delphian, titled BACH won Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice and sat at the top of the UK Official Charts for seven weeks.

In 2020, Shibe signed an exclusive, multi-album agreement with PENTATONE, and has released three critically-acclaimed releases with the label. In April 2024, Shibe won the BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Award for his album Profesión.

Discography

Vesper, Pentatone, 2026 Adès: Forgotten Dances, Pentatone, 2025 Campanella, Pentatone, 2024 Profesión, Pentatone, 2023 Broken Branches, Sean Shibe and Karim Sulayman, Pentatone, 2023 Lost & Found, Pentatone, 2022 Camino, Pentatone, 2021 Bach: Pour la Luth ò Cembal, Delphian Records, 2020 softLOUD: music for acoustic and electric guitars, Delphian Records, 2018 Dreams & Fancies, Delphian Records, 2017

Awards 2009: Ivor Mairants Guitar Award 2011: Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition String Prize, Gold Medal and First Prize 2012: Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship recipient 2012–2015: Appointed BBC New Generation Artist 2015–2018: Appointed Young Classical Artists Trust Artist 2017: Gramophone Editor's Choice and BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Choice for first solo album, 'Dreams & Fancies' 2018: 'Dreams & Fancies' shortlisted for BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Award; shortlisted for 2 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards (Instrumentalist and Young Artist); receive RPS Award for Young Artists; shortlisted for Classical Brit Award; 2nd album, 'softLOUD', released and receives BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Choice. 2019: 'softLOUD' shortlisted for BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Award; 2022: Leonard Bernstein Award 2023: Grammy nomination, for Broken Branches, with Karim Sulayman 2024: BBC Music Magazine, Instrumental Award for Profesión