Most parents will do anything to get their musically precocious children to practice.
Sharon Isbin’s father let her set off model rockets in their Minnesota back yard in turn for playing guitar one hour each day.
It paid off: Isbin’s one of the foremost classical guitarists in the world, a Grammy winner and the subject of a documentary, “Sharon Isbin: Troubadour.”
Out soon on DVD/Blu-ray, it has everyone from Michelle Obama to Joan Baez, Steve Vai and David Hyde Pierce singing her praises.
The high point so far? “Playing at the 9/11 Memorial,” Isbin says. “Looking at the faces of 24,000 family members and survivors, I realized why I was on the planet and became a musician — to help heal the world.”
Here’s what’s in her library:
The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen
Concert pianist Mona Golabek writes movingly of her mother’s life in Austria as a musical prodigy whose dream was abruptly derailed by the Nazis, followed by a terrifying escape to an orphanage in London. [Golabek] is now playing the role of her mother in a powerful one-woman show that’s mesmerized audiences coast to coast.
With Strings Attached by Jonathan Kellerman
Ever wondered how a 1920s “Baby Dreadnought” Martin or Gibson Mandocello came to be? With the thrilling ride of his mystery novels, Kellerman explores these and other tales of his 120-plus guitar collection. This book inspired me to play on the author’s Torres, once owned by 19th century composer Francisco Tárrega.
Astro Turf by M.G. Lord
When my childhood passion for model rockets led to a CD launch in the Space Shuttle Atlantis, how natural that I’d be drawn to this stunning book! Inspired by her scientist father, who toiled at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Lord [recalls] the women and men who created history. The secrets she reveals will make your head spin.
Red Orchestra by Anne Nelson
Author, journalist and playwright Anne Nelson reveals how a group of German artists, leaders and officials risked their lives to resist the Nazis and send compelling intelligence information to the Allies. Though their warnings often fell on deaf ears, their story inspires with its tales of bravery and defiance.