| This year the Sphinx Organization celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a series of events under the banner Sphinx10! A national non-profit committed to building diversity in classical music, Sphinx offers an annual concerto competition for African-American and Latino musicians.
This year’s showcase of amazing talent is capped off by two performances featuring the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra: the Junior Division Honors Concert at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor on February 9; and the Senior Division Finals Concert in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on February 11.
A collaborator and partner to Sphinx, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra joins the party with performances of The Symphony of The Sphinx on its Classical Roots Concert Series February 22 through 24. Commissioned and premiered by the Sphinx Symphony in 2006, this symphonic poem for soprano, chorus and orchestra was composed by the late Coleridge Taylor Perkinson, renowned African-American composer, conductor and co-founder of the Symphony of the New World.
“It is great to be continuing our partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the presentation of the Sphinx10! Finals Concert,” says Aaron P. Dworkin, Founder and President of Sphinx. “We are thrilled to be celebrating ten years of building diversity in classical music, bringing premier artistic talent to the city’s forefront as a part of this wonderful collaboration. We truly appreciate the DSO’s commitment to working with us to create a world in which classical music reflects the communities in which we live.”
Unlike many competitions, the Sphinx Organization strives to provide a nurturing educational environment for its competitors. In addition to standard audition and performance experience, participants are offered the opportunity to take part in master classes, coaching and seminars with renowned musicians and music professionals. They also benefit from mentoring by Sphinx’s prestigious jury and Symphony Orchestra members.
The first place Senior and Junior Division winners earn the opportunity to appear as soloists with the DSO, as well as the New York Philharmonic, and the major orchestras of Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle and Puerto Rico, among others. Sphinx Laureates (winners) and Semi-Finalists will receive prizes and scholarships totaling over $100,000.
In celebration of Sphinx10!, all winners from the previous nine years of the competition have been invited back to perform as members of the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. Michael Abels, one of the foremost African-American composers today, was commissioned to write a new orchestral work, Delights and Dances, which will be premiered at the Finals Concert. An orchestra composed entirely of professional African-American and Latino musicians, the Sphinx Symphony will be conducted Kay George Roberts. Dr. Roberts is the first African American, and only the second female conductor to earn a Doctoral in Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from Yale University.
Annual Sphinx Competition
Presented by JPMorgan Chase
February 7-11, in Detroit and Ann Arbor
Honors Concert for Junior Division Finalists
Friday, February 9 at 12 p.m.
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor
Finals Concert for Senior Division Finalists
Sunday, February 11 at 2 p.m.
Orchestra Hall at The Max
Tickets: $12 (finals concert only)
Call (313) 576-5111
www.detroitsymphony.com
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