Sean Shibe & Karim Sulayman Broken Branches

They perform music by Dowland, Britten and Monteverdi, among others, supplemented with traditional songs from the Middle East. Together they tell a story about shared history and interwoven identities.

Both musicians draw on their own backgrounds: raised in the West, but rooted in the East – Sulayman in Lebanon, Shibe in Japan. From that personal connection, they explore how music and identity can merge, fall apart and be reshaped.

Broken Branches brings together classical and traditional music in an intimate and personal program. An evening full of feeling and expressiveness, in which music shows how culture and origin are connected - sometimes fragile, sometimes powerful, always human.

Sean Shibe

Sean Shibe, born in 1992 in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a leading guitarist who plays both classical and electric guitar. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Allan Neave and continued his training with Paolo Pegoraro in Italy. Shibe is known for his innovative approach to classical music and has received several prestigious awards, including the Leonard Bernstein Award in 2022. His discography includes albums such as 'softLOUD' and 'Bach' to critical acclaim. He is currently Professor of Guitar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Karim Sulayman

Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman has gained international recognition as a versatile and sophisticated artist. He has been praised for his "bright, velvety tenor and pop star charisma" (BBC Music Magazine). In 2019, he won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Performance. Known for his original and innovative programming, Sulayman has appeared on renowned stages worldwide in opera, orchestral concerts, recitals, and chamber music.