The Sphinx Virtuosi
Sunday, October 22, 3:00PM
Ordway Concert Hall
The Sphinx Virtuosi
The Sphinx Virtuosi is one of the nation’s most dynamic professional chamber orchestras. Composed 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. This unique ensemble earned rave reviews from The New York Times during its highly acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall in December 2004. Allan Kozin 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.”
The Sphinx Virtuosi have returned to Carnegie Hall annually since 2006 performing to sold-out halls and earning outstanding reviews from The New York Times each year. At once a bridge between minority communities and the classical music establishment, the Sphinx Virtuosi continue to garner critical acclaim during their annual national tours to many of the leading venues around the country.
Inspired by Sphinx’s overarching mission, the Sphinx Virtuosi works to advance diversity in classical music while engaging young and new audiences through performances of varied repertoire. Masterpieces by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and Mozart are performed alongside the more seldom presented works by composers of color, including Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, George Walker, Michael Abels and Astor Piazzolla, among others.
Program:
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sphinx Organization, the self-conducted Sphinx Virtuosi will perform Concerti per Venti, a collection of concerti through the ages performed by 20 stellar string musicians. From the Baroque to modern day, the program showcases tremendous variety in languages and styles. Repertoire will include works for string orchestra, string quartet, mixed ensembles, solos and duets in music by Vivaldi, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Michael Abels and a new premiere by Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez.