PHOTO BY KEVIN KENNEDY
“…brilliant, fierce, dedicated, and inspiring programs…celebrating the eve of their twentieth year of standing as a sort of rebuke to the hidebound institutions of classical music—insisting on representation, participation, education, and development of Black and Latino musicians…beautifully played…absolutely haunting.” – New York Concert Review
Join us in welcoming one of the nation’s most dynamic professional chamber orchestras to the Wilson Center! Comprised of 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latino classical soloists, these alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition come together each fall as cultural ambassadors to reach new audiences. Held every year in Detroit, Michigan, the Sphinx Competition is open to all junior high, high school, and college-age Black and Latino string players residing in the United States, and its primary goals are to encourage, develop, and recognize classical music talent in the Black and Latino communities.
This unique ensemble earned rave reviews from The New York Times during its highly acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall. Allan Kozinn described their performance as “first-rate in every way” and “the ensemble produced a more beautiful, precise and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras that come through Carnegie Hall in the course of the year.”
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sphinx Organization, the exciting Concerti per Venti program that will be performed on October 27 offers a collection of concerti through the ages. From Baroque to modern day, the program has something for every listener, showcasing tremendous variety in languages and styles. The tour will include the newly commissioned Guardian of the Horizon: Concerto Grosso for Violin, Cello, and Strings, by award-winning composer Jimmy Lopez (co-commissioned by the Sphinx Organization, with the support of Linda and Stuart Nelson, Carnegie Hall, and New World Center in honor of Sphinx’s 20th Anniversary Celebration); Delights and Dances by Michael Abels, a three-movement work for string quartet and string orchestra (commissioned by Sphinx in 2012); Concerto Grosso by Vaughan Williams; and Beethoven’s timeless Grosse Fugue.
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