Sean Shibe's new album "Vesper" presents an impressive collection of contemporary guitar works by the late Harrison Birtwistle, James Dillon, and Thomas Adès, none of whom play or have played the instrument themselves. These miniatures, recorded here for the first time, explore the expressive possibilities of the guitar in very different ways: ritualistic and evocative in Birtwistle, elementary in Dillon, and allusive in Adès. Shibe's interpretations reveal the extraordinary color, subtlety, and versatility of the instrument, bringing each work to life with imagination and nuance. On some of Birtwistle's pieces, Shibe plays the Sylvette (2021), a guitar built by guitar maker Simon Ambridge in collaboration with French-British artist Lydia Corbett. Corbett was a muse to Pablo Picasso – who himself had a significant influence on several of Birtwistle's works on this album – and also inspired Picasso to create his famous Sylvette series. The guitar, modeled after the small, responsive instruments of Andalusian guitar maker Antonio de Torres, bears Corbett's artwork on the body, adding a visual and symbolic layer to the performance. Shibe is a former BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the 2022 Leonard Bernstein Award, and his recordings have been honored with BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone awards.