Sphinx Virtuosi To Perform Works By Black And Latinx Artists At Carnegie Hall On October 13

The Sphinx Virtuosi - the self-conducted chamber orchestra composed of eighteen Black and Latinx classical soloists that serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization - will make its annual appearance at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, October 13th at 7 p.m. with a program wholly composed and/or arranged by Black and Latinx artists titled "Songs For Our Times." The gala concert is part of the Sphinx Organization's 25th anniversary season and features new works co-commissioned by Sphinx and Carnegie Hall from Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery, and a Sphinx commissioned world premiere by Xavier Foley.

"Since its inception in 2004, this exceptional ensemble of dedicated and talented soloists has been one of Sphinx's crown jewels. Having the Sphinx Virtuosi become an established and acclaimed feature of Carnegie Hall's fall season programming has been a significant milestone in Sphinx's 25-year journey," says Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa S. Dworkin. "This year's program of premieres and performances by members of our extended Sphinx 'familia' truly encapsulates our overall mission to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts. We invite all music lovers to come and experience the excitement and energy of the 'Songs for Our Times' program that not only acknowledges how far we've come and celebrates where we are now, but also anticipates a rich and diverse future."

The program opens with Heitor Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, followed by the New York premiere of Valerie Coleman's Tracing Visions, a powerful parental statement that children of color have the right to grow up in safety and to have the genius within them realized. Composed at the time of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Coleman says the piece expanded to be a voice for collective grief. Fourteen-year-old violinist Amaryn Olmeda will then make her Carnegie Hall debut performing Carlos Simon's solo violin work Between Worlds, a piece inspired by Black visual artist Bill Traylor who was born a slave in Alabama in 1853 and died in 1949, living long enough to see the country go through many social and political changes. Simon received Sphinx's highest honor, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, in 2021 and is currently Composer-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Olmeda was the first place laureate of the 2021 Sphinx Competition Junior Division and was recently announced as the inaugural member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Opus 3 Artist's' Young Artist Program, making her the youngest member of the management agency's roster.

The "Songs for Our Times" program continues with the New York premiere of Jessie Montgomery's Divided for solo cello and orchestra featuring Sphinx Virtuosi's Principal Cellist and 2023 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, Thomas Mesa, as soloist. Divided is a response to social and political unrest, specifically, the sense of helplessness that people seem to feel amidst a world that seems to be in constant crisis, whether it is over racial injustice, religious discrimination, greed and poverty, or climate change. It asks how do we regain control and find beauty among the chaos? How can we stack good actions over the negative reactions that easily emerge out of conflict? Divided continues Montgomery's long association with Sphinx. A two-time laureate of the Sphinx Competition (she is also a violinist), Montgomery was the first composer to be awarded the Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2020. She served as the Sphinx Virtuosi's first composer-in-residence in 2012 and her Sphinx-commissioned work Banner composed in 2014 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of The Star-Spangled Banner and described by The New York Times as "an urgent, inventive piece" has featured on Sphinx Virtuosi's tour programs.

Divided will be followed by the world premiere of An Ode to Our Times commissioned especially for the Carnegie Hall concert by another Sphinx laureate and 2018 Avery Fisher Prize winner double bassist Xavier Foley who will also perform as a soloist on the work alongside fellow laureate violinist Hannah White. It was written as a tribute to the courage and the promise of Black and Latinx artists and the work of Sphinx on behalf of these communities. The concert concludes with Beethoven's Finale from Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, "Bridgetower" arranged for string orchestra by Sphinx Virtuosi violinist and 2018 competition laureate Rubén Rengel.

The gala concert, which is open to the public with tickets priced from $25 and available now, will be followed by the Sphinx Organization's 25th anniversary gala honoring founder Aaron P. Dworkin. The Carnegie Hall concert is part of a national tour by the Sphinx Virtuosi that will conclude with the ensemble making its international debut at Brazil's Sala São Paulo on Monday, October 24.

Thursday, October 13 at 7 p.m. ET
Carnegie Hall
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Sphinx Virtuosi
Amaryn Olmeda, violin
Hannah White, violin
Thomas Mesa, cello
Xavier Foley, bass

Program:
VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9
VALERIE COLEMAN** Tracing Visions (NY Premiere)
CARLOS SIMON Between Worlds
Amaryn Olmeda, violin
JESSIE MONTGOMERY*** Divided (NY Premiere)
Thomas Mesa, cello
XAVIER FOLEY* An Ode to Our Times (World Premiere)
Xavier Foley, double bass
Hannah White, violin
BEETHOVEN Finale from Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, "Bridgetower" (arr. for string orchestra by Rubén Rengel)

* Commissioned by Sphinx
** Co--commissioned by Sphinx, New World Symphony, and Carnegie Hall; Carnegie Hall - New York Premiere.
*** Co-commissioned by Sphinx, New World Symphony, and Carnegie Hall with additional support from Keith and Renata Ward Family Fund at the Miami Foundation; Carnegie Hall - New York Premiere.

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 social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Composed of eighteen accomplished Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States during national tours.

Since 2004, the Sphinx Virtuosi's concerts have been presented by the leading arts organizations, including annual return visits to Carnegie Hall where it is an established highlight of the fall season. Frequently selling out venues, the ensemble has garnered effusive accolades including from The New York Times that has described the group as "...top-notch...more essential at this moment than ever...a vibrant, assured performance..."; and The Washington Post that 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."

Heralded for its kaleidoscopically varied repertoire and bold thematic programming, Sphinx Virtuosi concerts give prominence to historically excluded Black and Latinx 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, 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 Atlanta Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Seattle Symphony. Members also hold professional orchestral and academic positions. The Sphinx Virtuosi's community engagement initiatives regularly extend beyond masterclasses and workshops to members leading DEI initiatives within arts organizations and connecting with other Sphinx programming to further the mission of achieving excellence through diversity. As a bilingual ensemble, these artist-citizens frequently break down existing barriers empowering the artform to connect with the broader community. During the pandemic in 2020-21, 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, J'Nai Bridges, Denyce Graves, Will Liverman, Damien Sneed, Sweet Honey in the Rock, 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. In October 2022, the ensemble will make its international debut at the Sala São Paulo in Brazil.

Sphinx Virtuosi Tours are made possible through the support of Robert F. Smith, JPMorgan Chase, and National Endowment for the Arts.

The Sphinx Organization is the social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Sphinx's four program areas - Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists, and Arts Leadership - form a pipeline that develops and supports diversity and inclusion in classical music at every level: music education, artists performing on stage, the repertoire and programing being performed, the communities represented in audiences, and the artistic and administrative leadership within the field. Sphinx programs reach more than 100,000 students and artists, as well as live and broadcast audiences of more than two million annually. Read more about Sphinx's programs at SphinxMusic.org. View the "Sphinx Organization: A 25-year Journey" timeline here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.