Carnegie Hall Presents THE SPHINX VIRTUOSI IN AMERICAN FORM/S

The self-conducted string orchestra Sphinx Virtuosi returns to Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on October 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM in a program titled American Form/s.

The concert features Curtis Stewart as Composer-in-Residence, including the New York Premiere of his new drum set concerto, Drill; the New York premieres of Carnegie Hall co-commissions by composers Jannina Norpoth and Derrick Skye; and performances by violinists Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Tai Murray, and percussionist Britton-René Collins.

Sphinx Virtuosi's American Form/s program is a musical tapestry depicting the many sounds of American classical music, including classically-framed infusions of soul, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and elements of rag. The program opens with a riveting movement by 19th-century pianist, composer, singer, and conductor Teresa Carreño. Additional concepts of American music are explored in Derrick Skye's multifaceted and optimistic American Mirror, Part One; renowned violinist-composer Curtis Stewart's Drill, whose work for prepared drumset and strings is his “summer music,” “hunter's call,” and “field recording”; the Overture from Treemonisha, written by foundational ragtime composer Scott Joplin and newly arranged by Jannina Norpoth; and an imaginative nod to Joplin by celebrated film composer, educator and advocate Levi Taylor that is meant to embody the bold, ambitious, and authentic expression in Joplin's music. The American Form/s tour also includes Juantio Becenti's Hané for String Quartet and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Novelletten for strings.

Nicknamed the “Valkyrie of the Piano,” Venezuelan pianist, soprano, composer, and conductor Teresa Carreño earned her hard-fought reputation throughout her 54-year concert career. Over her illustrious career, she performed with prestigious ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, and composed over 80 works, significantly contributing to the musical landscape alongside contemporaries like Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann. Composed in 1895 while residing in the idyllic Austrian village of Pertisau, Carreño's Serenade for Strings reflects her deep emotional expression and compositional skill. The fourth movement, a vibrant and joyful march, transports listeners to the lush, mountainous landscapes of the Tyrol region. The movement's rhythmic vigor and bright melodies evoke the spirit of a festive procession, perhaps symbolizing a connection between the vibrant life of her Venezuelan homeland and the serene Austrian setting. Despite its brilliance, this work remains underrepresented in the canon.

Jannina Norpoth's new arrangement of Scott Joplin's Overture from Treemonisha, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony, has its NY Premiere the same night. In 1911, Joplin used his life savings to register a copy of his beloved opera Treemonisha with the Library of Congress. Ahead of its time, the work combined classical form and operatic vocal stylings with the genre he is notably famous for, Ragtime. Despite several revivals many decades after his death and a 1976 Pulitzer Prize, Joplin never saw the work published or performed during his lifetime. The Overture performed by Sphinx Virtuosi is an excerpt from a contemporary re-imagining commissioned by Toronto-based experimental theater company Volcano, with Jessie Montgomery as part of the original arrangement. This newly realized adaptation brought together an international creative team of Black women in homage to the opera's namesake and protagonist, Treemonisha—a young Black woman who leads her community through conflict and turmoil.

Los Angeles-based composer, conductor, and musician known for his transcultural approach to music, Derrick Skye's American Mirror, Part One, arranged for string orchestra and co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony, also sees its New York Premiere. American Mirror reflects on the coming together of cultures in our society, which consists of many generations and descendants of refugees, immigrants, and slaves, and how intercultural collaborations are essential to the well-being of American society. Melodically, the piece draws from West African, North African, and Eastern European vocal techniques and ornamentations, in addition to modal scales. Underneath these melodies, American Mirror uses open harmonies commonly found in Appalachian folk music, and also includes drones, an accompaniment practice found in many musical cultures. Part One asks for drone singing in two sections. Skye notes, “This singing symbolizes the support we could give to one another, encouraging every individual to reach their full potential.”

Four-time GRAMMY-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart serves as Sphinx Virtuosi's 2024-2025 Composer-in-Residence, with compositions featured on their nationwide tour, including the New York premiere of Stewart's Drill, a new work for string orchestra and drum set soloist, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony. About Drill, Stewart says, “During the pandemic, the phenomenon of outside dining swept New York. Being outside was much respite from being stuck in our crowded Inwood apartment. We would sit on Broadway and let the chaos of the outside world soothe our restless souls, including the muscular roars of passing motorcycles and the wide cadence of ‘Drill music' up and down Broadway. I associate this music with outside, and with release, despite its intricate, violent, and chaotic outer layer.” 

Also on the program is the world premiere of Stewart's Double Down, commissioned with a gift from the Aronson Family Foundation, a scherzo moving between colorful chromatic runs and gospel riffs, wild bariolage and songful passage work, funk grooves, and thrown bow strokes. Commissioned by the Sphinx Organization for Tai Murray and Njioma Grevious, the two violinists will be featured during this performance. 

The final performance on the program is Levi Taylor's Daydreaming, commissioned with a gift from the Keith and Renata Ward Emerging Composer Fund, a fantasy on Scott Joplin. Right away the listener will notice nods towards Joplin's music: The opening brings a glimpse of The Entertainer, followed by light rhythmic movements inspired by Joplin's fun and syncopated rhythms. Included are also a few “odd” notes here and there along with energetic countermelodies that aim to bring the listener closer to Joplin's style. Taylor states, “Throughout all of the various moments of ‘daydreaming' in this piece, there remained one consistent ambition: To embody the bold, ambitious, and authentic expression that I find in all of Joplin's music.”

Program

Sphinx Virtuosi in American Form/s
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 7:00pm
Carnegie Hall Presents Sphinx Virtuosi 
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall | New York, NY

Program:

Teresa Carreño – “Tempo di Marcia” from Serenade for Strings
Joplin arr. Jannina Norpoth – Overture from Treemonisha (co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony) [NY Premiere] 
Derrick Skye – American Mirror, Part One (arr. for string orchestra; co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony) [NY Premiere] 
Curtis Stewart – Drill (co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and New World Symphony) [NY Premiere] 
     Britton-René Collins, Percussion
Curtis Stewart – Double Down, Invention #1 for Two Violins [World Premiere]
     Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Violin
     Tai Murray, Violin
Levi Taylor – Daydreaming (A Fantasy on Scott Joplin) [Commissioned with a gift from the Keith and Renata Ward Emerging Composer Fund]

About the Sphinx Virtuosi

The Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization – the leading non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of the arts. Comprised of 18 accomplished Black and Latino artists who reflect the highest level of musicianship in America, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve the breadth and impact of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States and abroad.

Since 2004, the Sphinx Virtuosi's concerts have been presented by leading arts organizations, including annual return visits to Carnegie Hall as an established highlight of the fall season. Frequently selling out venues, the ensemble has garnered effusive accolades, including from The New York Times, which has described the group as "top-notch...more essential at this moment than ever...a vibrant, assured performance," and The Washington Post, which wrote "true to their name, the Sphinx Virtuosi call up the vision of an iconic mythological feline with its immeasurable power, unwavering command, and soulful beauty." Their debut album, Songs for Our Times, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in July 2023 and represents the rich history of the Sphinx Organization and the vibrant future of classical music by centering the artistry of extraordinary composers and artistic visionaries. 

Their 2024-25 season includes performances for Washington Performing Arts and the John F. Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Symphony Center Presents in Chicago, IL, and a return performance at the New World Symphony in Miami.

Heralded for its kaleidoscopically varied repertoire and bold thematic programming, Sphinx Virtuosi concerts give prominence to historically excluded composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Alberto Ginastera, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Florence Price, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and George Walker. In an effort to expand its repertoire and engage new audiences, the ensemble commissions new works annually. Commissions have included major new works from Michael Abels, Terence Blanchard, Valerie Coleman, Xavier Foley, Ricardo Herz, Jimmy Lopez, Jessie Montgomery, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Carlos Simon. 

Members of the Sphinx Virtuosi have performed as soloists with major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. Members also hold professional orchestral and academic positions. The Sphinx Virtuosi's community engagement initiatives regularly extend beyond masterclasses and workshops to members leading community empowerment initiatives within arts organizations and connecting with other Sphinx programming to further the mission of achieving excellence through inclusive programming. As a bilingual ensemble, these artist-citizens frequently break down existing barriers empowering the artform to connect with the broader community. During the pandemic, the ensemble found creative ways to connect with audiences and communities virtually through performances, panel discussions, masterclasses, Q&A sessions, and more reaching over 30,000 people across 20 organizations.

The Sphinx Virtuosi has collaborated with major artists such as Terence Blanchard, Denyce Graves, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Damien Sneed, Will Liverman, J'Nai Bridges, and Davóne Tines, among others. Outside of the classical realm, its musicians have also worked with leading International Artists such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z and made high-profile appearances, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the broadcast of the 2022 GRAMMY Awards.