Seam Shibe

Scotland Unbound

Guitarist Sean Shibe makes his Australian debut in this inspired and thrilling season closer, directed by Richard Tognetti.

Touring to Wollongong, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Tickets from $49, or $35 for under 35s and $25 for students.

Sean Shibe plays guitar without limits. He is a chameleon of the new generation: he’s met with acclaim in the great recital halls of the world (and his recent Bach album was described by Gramophone Magazine as “the best-ever Bach recording on guitar”), but he also 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 Tognetti directing the strings of the ACO, the concert opens with a Scotland steeped in lore. Lady Margaret Wemyss died in 1648 at the untimely age of 18, but her legacy lives on in the haunting solo music she collected in her family’s Fife castle. These tunes are interspersed with the irresistible rhythms of Scottish folk songs, while a new commission from Cassandra Miller, one of the most soul-stirring composers writing today, brings this rich history right up to date.

Then tradition is thrown to the wind as Shibe takes up his electric guitar and the ACO steps into a technicolor world of musical invention. Martyn Bennett’s Bothy Culture takes inspiration from the 90s rave scene in Edinburgh while being rooted in the traditions of the Highlands and ancient cultures. Lad, by Julia Wolfe, originally composed for nine bagpipes and arranged here for electric guitar and strings, has been described by the composer as a “dive into a psychedelic landscape, at once multilayered, fractured, ecstatic, silent, driving, cacophonous, and direct.”

At just 32, Shibe is one of the most exhilarating young stars performing today, and a perfect match for the electric energy and musical curiosity for which the ACO is famous. This is the concert you’ll reflect on in years to come: “I saw him when…

 

Perth ticket holders: please note the performance on Wed 20 Nov was advertised at Winthrop Hall in our Season Brochure. The performance will now be taking place at Perth Concert Hall. Please call our friendly box office team on 1800 444 444 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm AEDT) if you require any assistance.

Program

TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH Solo lute manuscripts compiled by Lady Margaret Wemyss
JAMES MACMILLAN (arr. George Duthie) From Galloway
TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH Suite of folk songs
CASSANDRA MILLER Chanter (Australian premiere)*
JULIA WOLFE (arr. electric guitar and strings) Lad (Australian Premiere)
DAVID FENNESSY Hirta Rounds (Australian Premiere)
MARTYN BENNETT (arr. electric guitar and strings) Bothy Culture: Selections 

* Co-commissioned by Dunedin Consort (supported by John Ellerman Foundation), Barbican Centre, Saffron Hall, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Cheltenham Festival.

 

CONCERT duration
Approx. 2 hours, including interval
Playlist by the ACO
Listen to Scotland Unbound
Pre-concert talk times

Thu 7 Nov, 6:45pm


Sat 9 Nov, 6:15pm


Tue 12 Nov, 7:15pm


Wed 13 Nov, 6:15pm


Sun 10 Nov, 1:15pm


Mon 11 Nov, 6:15pm


Sat 16 Nov, 7:15pm


Sun 17 Nov, 1:45pm


Mon 18 Nov, 6:45pm


Tue 19 Nov, 6:45pm


Wed 20 Nov, 6:45pm


Scotland Unbound

Feature

Meet Sean Shibe

Sean Shibe has been described as “the most interesting voice on the guitar for a generation” and in 2024 he makes his Australian debut, performing with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
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