Spring - Sphinx Organization

q The Quarter Note
Spring 2014
Vol. 15, No. 2
Aaron P. Dworkin
Founder
A Week in Detroit: Two Signature
Sphinx Programs in the Spotlight
February 19-23, 2014 marked the 17th Annual
Sphinx Competition and Sphinx’s 2nd annual
convening on diversity in the arts, SphinxCon.
These two events combined incredible
performances and dynamic talks to leave
participants inspired by the power of diversity in
the arts.
Sponsored by the DTE Energy Foundation, the
17th Annual Sphinx Competition featured 20
talented young musicians of color. All participants
competed in front of a world-renowned jury panel
and received invaluable professional development
and educational opportunities. SphinxCon,
with support from the Ford Foundation, W.K.
Kellogg Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts
and Cultural Affairs, MASCO Corporation
Foundation, DPTV, Marriott and Google,
brought together leaders from across the United
States to share solutions to challenges regarding
diversity in the performing arts. The timing
of these two programs allowed for valuable
synergistic components: select members of the all
Black and Latino Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
also participated as speakers at SphinxCon; all
Competition participants had the opportunity
to attend portions of SphinxCon; and many
SphinxCon participants also attended the
Competition Finals Concert.
The first event of the week was the Sphinx
Competition Honors Concert for the junior
division semi-finalists, where each of the three
semi-finalists performed individually with the
Sphinx Symphony. 14-year-old cellist Sterling
Elliott was named first place Laureate, earning a
$10,000 artist grant and the opportunity to perform
with Sphinx Soloists program partners across the
world. Violist Mira Williams received the $5,000
second place artist grant, and violinist Hannah
White received the $3,000 third place artist grant.
After the Honors Concert, the focus shifted to
SphinxCon’s opening address by Aaron Dworkin,
who presented “Sphinx America’s Top 20,” a
response to the lack of demographic variety in
Musical America’s “Movers and Shakers: 30
Key Influencers in the Performing Arts.” Later,
Rip Rapson, President and CEO of The Kresge
Foundation, participated in an interview conducted
by Maria Jackson, Senior Advisor to the Arts and
Culture program for The Kresge Foundation. The
two discussed creative placemaking and the value
of the arts in communities. In a special session,
Sphinx’s Executive and Artistic Director Afa
Dworkin led an engaging conversation with this
year’s recipient of the Arthur L. Johnson Memorial
Series Award, oud and violin virtuoso Simon
Shaheen. Shaheen gave a thought-provoking
interview, as well as stunning performances on both
of his instruments. SphinxCon came to an end
with the last featured speaker, Nigel Lythgoe, CoCreator, Executive Producer and Judge for So You
Think You Can Dance.
Upon the conclusion of SphinxCon, many speakers
and attendees made their way to Orchestra Hall for
the Sphinx Competition Finals Concert. Preceding
the concert was the Legacy Luncheon sponsored
by PNC Bank, which paid tribute to the legacy of
Black and Latino musical achievement. The Finals
Concert offered stunning performances by the
senior division finalists with the Sphinx Symphony.
After the performances, representatives from the
GM Foundation, the Knight Foundation and
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services presented the
senior division awards. Double-bassist Xavier Foley
was named first place Laureate and also received
the Audience Choice Award. Foley, a 19-yearold student at the Curtis Institute, made history
by becoming the first bassist to win the Sphinx
Competition. He received a $50,000 artist grant,
a prize from Tempo Cases and the opportunity to
be featured with Sphinx Soloists Program partners.
Violinist Clayton Penrose-Whitmore received
the second place $20,000 artist grant, and cellist
Nicholas Mariscal received the third place $10,000
artist grant. The concert ended with an exquisite
performance of Simon Shaheen’s Oud Concerto,
leaving the audiences inspired by the diverse array of
musical offerings and unwavering artistic integrity.
The Sphinx Competition and SphinxCon brought
together in Detroit a contingent of artists and arts
leaders and enthusiasts from Michigan and beyond.
These two events provided a wonderful platform to
increase awareness and support of Sphinx’s mission
of transforming lives through the power of diversity
in the arts.
From Top: Erica Lall performs with cellist Christine Lamprea; Xavier Foley’s winning performance;
Sterling Elliott celebrates his win; Maria Jackson interviews Rip Rapson; Simon Shaheen performs
with the Sphinx Symphony; Featured SphinxCon speaker Nigel Lythgoe speaks at SphinxCon;
Featured SphinxCon speaker Adrian Anantawan performs; Sterling Elliott performs with the Sphinx
Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Brandon Keith Brown. Photos: Glenn Triest (Sphinx
Competition) and Brian Surguine (SphinxCon)
PRESIDENT’S NOTE
Editor: Therese Goussy
Contributors: Andre Dowell,
Aaron Dworkin, Stephanee
Strasburg, Xavier Verna
Dear Friends,
Design & Layout: Julie Renfro
Aaron P. Dworkin
I hope that this note finds you in good spirits and enjoying the lovely spring season!
The beginning of this year has been busy and full of excitement for Sphinx and
our artists, and I am thrilled to share with you some wonderful updates regarding
recent events and an important new program.
Founder
Special Artistic Advisor
Yo-Yo Ma
Honorary Committee
Branford Marsalis, Chair
Glenn Dicterow
Nikki Giovanni
Ida Kavafian
Ani Kavafian
Nigel Kennedy
Jaime Laredo
Tania Leon
Yo-Yo E. Ma
Mark O’Connor
Christopher O’Riley
Itzhak Perlman
Toby Perlman
André Previn
Awadagin Pratt
Bright Sheng
Leonard Slatkin
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
Arnold Steinhardt
Michael Tilson Thomas
George Walker
Jeffrey Zeigler
Board of Directors
Anne L. Taylor, Chair
William H. Carson, Vice Chair
Anthony Glover, Treasurer
Carl Herstein, Secretary
Rachel Barton Pine
Diana Bianchi Moison
Martha Darling
Aaron P. Dworkin
Kenneth Fischer
Maxine Frankel
Patricia Garcia
Sandra Gibson
Linda Gillum
Norman Herbert
Howard Hertz
Andrea Hoffman
Deidre Lambert-Bounds
Joan Israelite
Marianne Lockwood
Majorie Pearsall
Vivian Pickard
Sally Stegeman DiCarlo
Kathy Weaver
Beverly Willis
Shaun Wilson
This January, we introduced a new competitive initiative as part of the Sphinx
Music Assistance Fund. The MPower Artist Grants are designed to empower
alumni of select Sphinx programs to achieve their career objectives in music.
These artist grants will be awarded based on competitive submissions and will
range in amount according to the need of each applicant. We could not be more
excited to be able to offer more compelling opportunities for our incredibly talented alumni and look forward
to further transforming their lives through the power of diversity in the arts!
With great anticipation, we look forward to another season of our Sphinx Performance Academy at Oberlin
Conservatory as well as Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. We were especially elated to see
an alumnus of SPA, Sterling Elliott, win the junior division of this year’s Sphinx Competition, demonstrating the
incredibly high level of achievement at SPA and a powerful pipeline between our programs.
These programs and all of our initiatives would be impossible without support from individuals like you. Thank
you, as always, for your passion for our mission!
Take care,
-Aaron
I am
“
Aaron P. Dworkin
Founder
Our fundamental proposition [in The Kresge
Foundation] is that arts and culture needs to be
at the core of every conversation we have about
community development in our country. [When]
that happens...the conversations are richer and
more balanced, they have much more to do with
the creative potential of inviting people to examine
not only their potential for human development
but also the potential that arts and culture has to
drive economic development, to drive sensitive
placemaking, to drive the kind of long term
visioning that a community needs in order to
remain vital and healthy.”
- Rip Rapson, President
and CEO of The Kresge
Foundation, from his talk
at SphinxCon
Sphinx Competition
Presenter
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
www.53.com
© 2014 Sphinx Organization
400 Renaissance Center Ste 2550
Detroit MI 48243
313-877-9100
[email protected]
www.SphinxMusic.org
Stella & Frederick Loeb
Charitable Trust
ADMINISTERED BY
SPHINX NEWS
Sphinx Medals of Excellence
Presented at Kennedy Center
L to R: Damien Sneed, Pedrito Martinez, Carla Dirlikov, Justice
Sonia Sotomayor, Aaron Dworkin. Photo: Kevin Kennedy.
Sphinx Performance Academy alumnus Giovanni
Venezia had the privilege to perform Shostakovich’s 5th
Symphony in the National Honor Orchestra, surrounded
by some fantastic young fellow musicians, graciously
sponsored by ASTA (The American String Teacher’s
Association).
On March 19th, 2014, Sphinx was
thrilled to present the 3rd annual
Sphinx Medals of Excellence
celebration, which honors
extraordinary Black and Latino
leaders in music who, early in
their career, demonstrate artistic
excellence, outstanding work
ethic, a spirit of determination,
and leadership. The 2014
honorees were Mezzo-Soprano
Carla Dirlikov, Pianist Damien
Sneed and Percussionist Pedrito
Martinez.
Sphinx Performance Academy alumnus Josh Kambell
is touring this summer to support the fine arts and
encourage people to get involved in the arts. The
proceeds from the tour will go towards new equipment
for schools, Make-A- Wish Foundation and another
program soon to be selected.
Sphinx welcomes its newest board members, Shaun
Wilson, Dr. William H. Carson, and Joan Israelite. For
biographies on these new members, please visit
www.SphinxMusic.org.
Each recipient was presented with the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and a $50,000 career
grant at a luncheon hosted by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and
the Aspen Institute. They were then honored at a black-tie dinner in Washington, D.C.,
where Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were among
the attendees.
Welcome to our newest Sphinx Team member, Manager
of Communications Therese Goussy!
Also in attendance to celebrate the evening were CEOs, board members and leadership
of key institutions, including the Kennedy Center, Aspen Institute, The Independent
Sector, Carnegie Hall, League of American Orchestras, Chamber Music America,
Chorus America, Americans for the Arts, IMG Artists, Gala Hispanic Theater,
Washington Performing Arts Society, Atlanta Symphony, Michigan Opera Theatre,
Boston University, University Musical Society, Rockefeller University and others.
The Joyce Foundation Award
The Joyce Foundation has named
the Sphinx Organization and
Composer Jessie Montgomery
a recipient of the 2014 Joyce
Awards. The $50,000 grant will
support the creation, production
and performance of “Banner!” a
new work for string quartet and
orchestra that celebrates and
reimagines the national anthem
on its 200th anniversary. “Banner!” will premiere in
October 2014 and premiere nationally through the
Sphinx Virtuosi Tour, which reaches more than 10,000
people each year.
The 2014 Sphinx Medals of Excellence was generously underwritten by Kaiser
Permanente; William H. Carson, M.D.; James and Ann Nicholson; and Victoria Hull
Sharp.
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Makes First West Coast Appearance at
Napa Valley Festival del Sole
This summer, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra debuts on the West Coast
as the orchestra-in-residence at Napa Valley Festival del Sole 2014. One
of America’s premier music and lifestyle festivals, the 10-day summer
celebration blends world-class music, theater and dance with the region’s
fine wine and cuisine. The festival also features free community concerts, a
wellness series promoting healthy living, and arts education initiatives.
Both the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and the Sphinx Virtuosi will perform
July 11 – 20, 2014, alongside renowned artists and emerging talent at
stunning venues throughout the famed wine region.
Friday, July 11 – Joshua Bell and Sphinx Virtuosi open the festival with
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the piazza of the Tuscan-inspired Castello di
Amorosa.
Saturday, July 12 & Tuesday, July 16 – Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
accompanies Pinchas Zukerman in his festival debut with a performance of
the popular Bruch Violin Concerto.
Monday, July 14 – Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and gifted young soloists
perform at the picturesque Opus One under the baton of conductor Dmitry
Sitkovetsky.
Tuesday, July 15 – 2014 Sphinx Senior Division winner, Xavier Foley, will
give a solo recital program at Jarvis Conservatory as part of the Bouchaine
Young Artist Concert series
Thursday, July 17 – The Sphinx Virtuosi, one of the nation’s most dynamic
ensembles, will perform at Jarvis Conservatory as part of the Bouchaine
Young Artist Concert series
Thursday, July 17 – Michael Barrett conducts Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
in the great Leonard Bernstein’s one-act opera, Trouble in Tahiti.
Sunday, July 20 – Maestro Carlo Ponti conducts Sphinx Symphony
Orchestra and leading opera stars soprano Maria Agresta and tenor Matthew
Polenzani in performing duets and arias from beloved Italian operas.
The Napa Valley residency is part of a newly established partnership between
Sphinx and IMG Artists, a global leader in performing arts and lifestyle
events management, which will also offer Sphinx artists the opportunity to
perform at festivals and other IMG-ran events as well as collaborating with
IMG artists.
For the full festival schedule visit www.festivaldelsole.org. To inquire about
Sphinx Organization preferred rates on tickets, passes and accommodations,
please contact Tessa Edwards, Festival del Sole patron services director, at
888.337.6272 or [email protected].
Photo: Kevin Kennedy.
Sphinx Virtuosi
to Embark on 7th National Tour
Don’t miss this opportunity to book the Sphinx Virtuosi, one of the
nation’s most dynamic professional classical ensembles! The 2014
fall tour will highlight performances in the Pacific Northwest, Texas,
Kansas, Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York.
The 2014 Sphinx Virtuosi tour, titled “Americana,” will feature
works by composers such as Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland, John
Corigliano and Phillip Glass. One of the highlights of the program is
a celebration of the centennial of the Star Spangled Banner through a
new commission by Sphinx Virtuosi Composer-In-Residence, Jessie
Montgomery.
For more information and bookings, visit: www.SphinxVirtuosi.org.
Aaron P. Dworkin
Founder
400 Renaissance Center
Suite 2550
Detroit MI 48243
Something
to Ponder:
“Music may achieve
the highest of all
missions: she may
be a bond between
nations, races, and
states, who are
strangers in many
ways; she may unite
what is disunited and
bring peace to what is
hostile.”
- Dr. Max Bendiner
Q & A with Xavier Foley
for the double bass. The two
specific composers that I have
been listening to are Beethoven
and Mozart. Neither one of these
two composers has written music
specifically for the double bass;
however, it is still possible for a
double bass player to perform works
originally for other instruments.
QN: What has been the most
memorable performance of your
career thus far?
19-year-old double-bassist
Xavier Foley, the 2014 Sphinx
Competition senior division firstplace Laureate, took the time to
answer some questions from The
Quarter Note about his musical
background, his experiences in the
Competition and what he’s working
on now!
Quarter Note: What kind of music
have you been listening to lately?
Xavier Foley: I have been listening
to classical violin, viola, and cello
repertoire, with an aim to find
pieces that can be transcribed
XF: So far, the most memorable
performance I have had was when I
performed my Violin and Bass duo,
with Nigel Armstrong on violin,
at a homeless shelter. This was the
first time I performed my own
composition in public.
QN: How did you get started
composing? What kinds of pieces
have you been working on recently?
XF: The moment when I
considered composing was the
moment when I listened to Edgar
Meyers Double Concerto for Bass
and cello; featuring Edgar himself
on bass and Yo-yo Ma on the cello.
I was inspired not only by Edgar’s
virtuosity, but by the way Edgar
kept me interested and engaged
throughout his entire Double
Concerto. Regarding the pieces
that I compose, I always attempt
to create a story with music by
borrowing different compositional
techniques from different genres.
I have recently been working on a
Concert Duo for Bass and violin,
and a Bass Solo piece; again trying
to achieve a mixture of genres into
my works.
QN: This was your fourth time
participating in the Sphinx
Competition. How have you seen
yourself grow each year since your
first competition in 2010?
XF: Competing in the Sphinx
Competition each year has played a
significant role in my development
as a musician. Since the Sphinx
Competition goes beyond the
competition aspect and provides
opportunities for all semifinalists to play in master classes
and participate in lectures, the
competition provided memorable
experiences for me to learn from,
so when I leave the competition, I
know what to start working on. So
for me, as a four-year competitor,
the Sphinx Competition has made
a huge impact on me in the four
years that I have competed.
QN: In what ways has being
involved with Sphinx changed your
life?
XF: Sphinx has allowed me to
continue my development as a
musician by offering full tuition
scholarships to a variety of well
renowned Summer Music Festivals.
Participation at these Festivals gives
me the chance to network with
other great musicians. To me, this is
life changing.
QN: What advice would you give
to future Sphinx Competition
participants?
XF: I would advise future Sphinx
Competitors to prepare their
repertoire to their maximum
potential. If, however, a competitor
does not advance, then they will
now know that what they thought
was their maximum potential can
actually be expanded beyond what
they thought they were capable of.
This is how I went about it when
competing the four times that I
have.

Download Report