The Sphinx Organization, which offers intensive musical training and performance opportunities to young black and Latino musicians, recently received a $4 million gift from an anonymous benefactor. The gift will enable Sphinx to expand its numerous educational and training programs.
"We are deeply grateful for this incredibly generous gift which will enable us to capitalize tremendously on the depth of the programs we have been building over the past two decades," said Aaron Dworkin, founder and president of Sphinx.
Many graduates of Sphinx training programs have gone on to professional careers in music. To wit, Sphinx is yet another musical success story to come out of Detroit recently. This most recent gift will allow Sphinx to build on those successes, including its annual solo competition for young black and Latino string players.
The next competition is just around the corner--February 19-23 at Detroit's Orchestra Hall. The competition will culminate in the Finals Concert on February 23, which is open to the public.
More information about those events is available at sphinxmusic.org.
With the new money, Sphinx has increased the scholarship awards it presents during the competition. The Senior Division first place scholarship will rise to $50,000 from $10,000. Meanwhile, the top prize in the Junior Division will rise to $10,000 from $5,000.
Laureates of the Sphinx Competition are invited to join the Sphinx Virtuosi, the top Sphinx performing ensemble. The Sphinx Virtuosi go on tour every year, playing in Carnegie Hall and many other prominent venues across the U.S.
Allan Kozinn of the New York Times described their performances at Carnegie Hall as "first-rate in every way." He wrote further that 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."
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