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Press Releases
Sphinx Organization Announces SphinxConnect: Ignite! 2025 Schedule and 28th Annual Sphinx Competition Finalists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations
katy@primoartists.com | 646.801.9406
Sphinx Organization Announces SphinxConnect: Ignite!
and 28th Annual Sphinx Competition – January 22-25, 2025
SphinxConnect: Ignite! Hosts Over 30 Sessions – Ranging From Panel Discussions to
Masterclasses – Led by Classical Music’s Top Luminaries, Artistic Administrators,
Composers, and Performers in Detroit and Streamed Live Online
Opening Panels Feature GRAMMY®-Winning Composer Jessie Montgomery,
NPR’s Jenn White, Emmy®-Winning Producer and Best-Selling Author Kwame Alexander,
and Sphinx Founder Aaron P. Dworkin
Finalists Announced Today for the 2025 Sphinx Competition Junior and Senior Divisions,
Performing with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra Under Conductor Lina Gonzalez Granados
2025 Competition Jury:
Danielle Belen - Violin Professor, University of Michigan
Joseph Conyers - Principal Bass, The Philadelphia Orchestra
Charlotte Lee - President and Founder, Primo Artists
Joshua Roman - Cellist, Composer, Curator
Abhijit Sengupta - Director, Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall
Melissa White - Violinist
Mark Wilson - Executive Director, Zoellner Arts Center
“With a burst of new attention to phrases like diversity, equity and inclusion over
the past two years, Sphinx’s steady, patient work has come to seem prescient.”
– The New York Times
Detroit, MI (November 12, 2024) – From January 22-25, 2025, the Sphinx Organization brings back the largest and longest-standing global convening dedicated to excellence and inclusion in classical music, SphinxConnect: Ignite! This convening brings together musicians, educators, arts entrepreneurs, advocates, administrators, funders, and students for an enriching experience. With over 30 dynamic sessions designed to inspire, ignite action, and foster collaboration, attendees will hear from more than 90 distinguished speakers, including keynote addresses by industry luminaries and trailblazers.
To reduce barriers to access, SphinxConnect: Ignite! 2025 is “Choose What You Pay” and will offer both in-person and virtual attendance options, with sessions being streamed, recorded, and uploaded to YouTube following the convening (unless noted otherwise in the schedule). SphinxConnect will take place at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.
On Thursday, January 23, 2024, Esther Triggs, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Interlochen Center for the Arts and Founder of Journey Theatre Project, will lead a pre-convening session encouraging participants to ponder the question: What makes us human? Through dialogue, reflection, and actions, participants are empowered with the necessary tools to navigate and engage in important and sometimes difficult conversations about our shared humanity. At 7:30 PM ET, Jenn White, host of 1A on WAMU & NPR, interviews GRAMMY®-winning violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery in the Opening Plenary. The closing plenary will feature a captivating discussion as Aaron P. Dworkin, Poetjournalist and Founder of The Sphinx Organization, interviews award-winning author, producer, and educator Kwame Alexander.
Panels throughout the weekend cover topics such as AI in the Age of DEI, Fundraising for Our Future: Exploring Solutions for Inclusive Leadership in Fund Development, Navigating DEI Priorities in a Shifting Political Landscape, Mapping Black Futures Through Classical Music: The Kennedy Center's Cartography Project, and Arts Futures: An Executive Vision for the Arts; plus conversations with cellist and portrait photographer Titilayo Ayangade, HGO Philanthropy Officer Lyanne Alvarado, HGO Director of Community and Learning Jennifer Bowman, Project Director of the BIPOC Arts Network and Fund Sixto Wagan, City of Houston's Director of Cultural Affairs Necole Irvin, and many more. The full conference schedule and registration is available at www.SphinxConnect.org.
From January 22-25, 2025 in Detroit, MI, Sphinx will host the 28th Annual Sphinx Competition, a national competition for string musicians that transforms lives by celebrating artistic talent, providing career advancement opportunities, and addressing systemic obstacles within Black and Latino communities. All semi-finalists and finalists have access to scholarships and fine instruments through the Sphinx Music Assistance Fund.
On Friday, January 24, 2025 at 12 PM ET, the Junior Division Honors Concert will be held, followed by the Senior Division Finals Concert on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET in the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. The Junior Division Semi-Finalists include violinist Kai Isoke Ali-Landing, cellist Pyotr Alvarado, cellist Elan Dorman Mackenzie, cellist Sofia Hernandez-Williams, violinist Cyrano Jett Rosentrater, violinist Jacqueline Rodenbeck, cellist Emma Jane Spence, cellist Sonya Moomaw, and violinist Sydney Li-Jenkins. The Senior Division Semi-Finalists include violist Paul Aguilar, violist Julianna Bramble, violinist Brendon Elliott, cellist Miguel Fuentes, cellist Ismael Guerrero Bombut, violinist Gabriela Lara, cellist Edward Luengo, cellist Ethan Takao Murphy, bassist Devin O'Brien, and cellist Andres Sanchez.
The 2025 competition will be judged by an illustrious panel including Danielle Belen - Violin Professor, University of Michigan; Joseph Conyers - Principal Bass, The Philadelphia Orchestra; Charlotte Lee - President and Founder, Primo Artists; Joshua Roman - Cellist, Composer, Curator; Abhijit Sengupta - Director, Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall; Melissa White - Violinist; and Mark Wilson - Executive Director, Zoellner Arts Center.
Finalists in both the Junior (Ages 17 and under) and Senior (Ages 18-30) divisions have the opportunity to perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra (SSO), a unique all-Black and Latinx orchestra comprised of top professionals from around the country, and compete for a total of nearly $100,000 in prizes, including the top Robert Frederick Smith Prize. All semi-finalists and finalists have access to scholarships and fine instruments through the Sphinx Music Assistance Fund. Audience choice awards are an exciting highlight, as those in attendance cast their votes by text and select a winner in each division. Under the direction of Lina Gonzalez-Granados (Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient and resident conductor for LA Opera), the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra will also perform the world premiere of Daydreaming for Orchestra by composer Levi Taylor.
Former laureates of the Sphinx Competition include artists such as Joseph Conyers, Sterling Elliott, Randall Goosby, Tai Murray, and Elena Urioste, all of whom have gone on to major orchestral and solo careers.
The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a unique all-Black and Latinx orchestra comprised of top professionals from around the country. The SSO includes past and current members of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Met Opera Orchestra, Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Puerto Rico Symphonies, as well as faculty members of leading music institutions, including Peabody and New England Conservatories, Harlem School of the Arts, Rutgers University, and the University of Michigan.
SphinxConnect: Ignite! Program Schedule
January 23-25, 2025
Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center | Detroit, MI
Learn More: www.SphinxConnect.org
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
9:00 AM ET - 10:00 PM ET – Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions (SOPA) Excerpt Competition Live
First Prize – $3,500 award will be awarded to the winners of the Woodwinds, Strings and Harp, and Brass and Percussion categories respectively
Second Prize – $1,000 award will be awarded to the runner-ups of the Woodwinds, Strings and Harp, and Brass and Percussion categories respectively
Thursday, January 23, 2025
3:00 PM ET– Necessary Conversations: IGNITE
Esther Triggs - Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Interlochen Center for the Arts and Founder of Journey Theatre Project
7:30 PM ET– The Artist’s Journey - Finding Voice in an Age of Cacophony: A Conversation with GRAMMY Award-Winning Composer Jessie Montgomery
Jenn White - host of 1A | WAMU & NPR
Jessie Montgomery - violinist and composer
Friday, January 24, 2025
9:00 AM ET– We've Built It, When Will They Come?
Derek A. Johnson - Vice President of Marketing | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Mariah C. Forde - Director of Marketing and Communications | The Louisiana Philharmonic
Jennifer Bowman - Director of Community & Learning | Houston Grand Opera
9:00 AM ET – Young, Gifted, Empowered
Audrey Cox St. Clair - Director of Arts Partnerships | New York City Public Schools
Adrian Rodriguez - Director of Community Engagement, Chorus Director, Curriculum Manager | Music Advancement Program | The Juilliard School
Hannah Ross - Assistant Director for Community Engagement | Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School
Hassan Anderson - Teaching Artist, Assistant Professor of Oboe and Coordinator of Teaching Artistry | The University of South Carolina
9:40 AM ET– Beyond the Bow: Always on Brand
Titilayo Ayangade - Cellist & Photographer | Titilayo and Co.
Curtis Stewart - Violinist, Composer, Artistic Director | American Composers Orchestra, The Juilliard School, PUBLIQuartet
Kori Coleman - Executive & Artistic Director | D-Composed
Joshua Henderson - Violinist | W4RP (Trio)
10:20 AM ET– Soulful Strategies
Brittney Bryanna Burgess - Program Manager | Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, The Juilliard School
Alexis Victoria Prescott - Project Manager | Montessori Community School of Durham
Brianna Garcon - Program Director, National Community Partnerships | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
10:20 AM ET– Navigating DEI Priorities in a Shifting Political Landscape
Weston Sprott - Dean and Director, Preparatory Division | The Juilliard School
Rodney Cole - President | DTE Energy Foundation and Corporate Citizenship
Dr. Angelica Johnston-Perez - Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion | College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Glyne A. Griffith II - Vice President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact | Dallas Symphony Orchestra
11:00 AM ET– Igniting Action: Stories of Orchestras, Audiences, & Careers
Vanessa Reed - President and CEO | New Music USA
Kim Noltemy - CEO | LA Philharmonic
Valerie Coleman - Composer & Flutist
Juan-Pablo Contreras - Composer | New Music USA
Rei Hotoda - Music Director & Conductor | Fresno Philharmonic
1:20 PM ET– AI in the Age of DEI
DuMarkus Davis - Founder & CEO | Musicbuk
Olaluwa Adesanya - Founder & CEO | Palmplug Inc.
Aurielle Brooks - Entertainment Attorney | Arrington & Phillips, LLP
Sean Taylor - Co-Founder | Contrabrand Agency
2:00 PM ET– Facing the Music
Aaron P. Dworkin - Poetjournalist & Founder of The Sphinx Organization
Jason Phillips - Mental Health Expert | Peace & Prosperity
Dr. Lisa "Osunleti" Beckley-Roberts - Chair & Associate Professor | Jackson State University
Jannina Norpoth - Violinist, Composer, Artistic Director | PUBLIQuartet; Colburn School
2:00 PM ET– Fundraising for Our Future: Exploring Solutions for Inclusive Leadership in Fund Development
Kewan Smith Sr. - Director of Individual & Corporate Giving | New World Symphony
Kevin Gupana - Associate Director of Giving, Education and Community Engagement Initiatives | Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Michael Walker II - Senior Development Officer | American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.)
Carlos Garcia León - Asst. Director of Development | Lookingglass Theater
2:40 PM ET– In Service of Our Cities
Lyanne Alvarado (moderator) - HGO Philanthropy Officer
Jennifer Bowman - HGO Director of Community & Learning
Sixto Wagan - Project Director of the BIPOC Arts Network and Fund
Necole Irvin - City of Houston's Director of Cultural Affairs
3:20 PM ET– Portfolio Life AKA the Good Hustle
Joseph Conyers - Principal Bass | The Philadelphia Orchestra
Damon Gupton - Actor & Composer
Dr. Eugene Rogers - Founding Conductor, Pedagogue | EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble
Melissa White - Violinist, Educator, Artistic Director | Harlem Quartet | Professor at NYU and U Buffalo
3:20 PM ET– Con Moto
Bill Neri - Director of Ensemble Advancement | Sphinx Organization
Robert McGrath - Chief Operating Officer | Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Jessica Phillips - Musician, Educator | Met Opera, The Juilliard School
4:00 PM ET– Going Far Together
Ashleigh Gordon - Artistic Director & Violist | Castle of our Skins
Lia Uribe - Associate Dean/Professor of Music | University of Arkansas
Matthew J. Detrick - Founder/CEO, Violinist | Apollo Chamber Players
Dr. Marcus Norris - Composer, Director | South Side Symphony
4:40 PM ET– Sharing the Love: The Blacknificent Seven
Jessie Montgomery - Violinist | Composer
Carlos Simon - Composer-in-Residence, Composer Chair | John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Jasmine Arielle Barnes - Emmy Nominated Composer | Blacknificent 7
Dave Ragland - Composer | Blacknificent 7
5:00 PM ET— Overture @ SphinxConnect
Gladys Gonzalez - Music Director, Educator | Hattiesburg Kids Orchestra
Megan Delatour - Orchestra Director, Artistic Director | Talented Unlimited HS, ISO at Third
Reynaldo Ramires - Co-Founder and Program Director | Soundscapes
Angelica Cortez - Executive Director | Suzuki Association of the Americas
5:20 PM ET– Invisible Player
Dr. Marvin V. Curtis - President | South Bend Symphony
Justus Zimmerman - Executive Director | South Bend Symphony
Caen Thomason-Redus - VP, Inclusion & Learning | League of American Orchestras
Mary E. Corbett - Violinist | The Florida Orchestra
Nicholas Orbovich - Artistic Director/Concert Violinist | Michigan City Chamber Music Festival/South Bend Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, January 25, 2025
10:00 AM ET– Actions Speak Louder: Strategies & Responses from the World of Philanthropy
Lynne Toye - Executive Director | New Jersey Arts & Cultural Recovery Fund
10:00 AM E – Passing the Baton
Lina Gonzalez-Granados - Orchestral Conductor
Jherrard Hardemann - Assistant Conductor | Rochester Philharmonic
Dr. Leslie B. Dunner - Conductor | Interlochen Arts Academy
Gregory D. McDaniels - Colton Conducting Fellow | New Jersey Symphony
10:40 AM ET– From Candidate to Colleague
Rochelle Skolnick - Director of Symphonic Services and Special Counsel | American Federation of Musicians
Cole Randolph - Cellist | Detroit Symphony
Nicole Jordan - President / Principal Librarian | ICSOM / The Philadelphia Orchestra
Kai Rocke - Musician | Oregon Symphony
11:20 AM ET– Mapping Black Futures Through Classical Music: The Kennedy Center's Cartography Project
Trés McMichael - Senior Program Manager, Social Impact Civic Alliances | The John F. J Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Carlos Simon - Composer-in-Residence, Composer Chair | John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Brittini Ward - Librettist | Kennedy Center Cartography Project
Catherine Elizabeth - Vocalist & Composer
11:20 AM ET– Building Bold
Calida N. Jones - Founder, Co-Founder | CNJ Associates, Creative Evolutions
Dr. Kim Davis - Founder & Empowerment Coach | Five/6teen Consulting
Taneshia Nash Laird - Associate Professor | Berklee College of Music
Portia Dunkley - CEO, Founder | Teeny Violini, Inc
1:40 PM ET– Songs from the Road
Lady Jess - Violinist | The Great Gatsby Broadway
Kelsey Lu - American Singer & Cellist
Andrew Griffin - Violist | Back to the Future (Broadway)
2:20 PM ET– From Manager to Director
Daniel Acosta - Director of Marketing | Philharmonic Society of Orange County
Zennetta S. Drew - Executive Director | Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Dr. Zuly Inirio - Founder & Executive Director | Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project
Anwar Nasir - Executive Director | The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
3:00 PM ET– Igniting Excellence
Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler - Professor of Music in Entrepreneurship & Leadership/Principal Consultant |
University of Michigan/Cuyler Consulting, LLC
Arreon Harley-Emerson - President & CEO | Equity Sings
Cessalee Stovall - Director of Belonging and Inclusion, Founder | Seattle Children's Theatre, Stage A Change
Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle - Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion | Eastman School of Music
3:00 PM ET– Arts Futures: An Executive Vision for the Arts
Alexa Dumont - Assistant Director of Performance Operations | The Juilliard School
Imelda Tecson - Manager, Marketing & Patron Loyalty | Strathmore
Dr. Raynel Frazier - Programs Producer | Chelsea Factory
Eric J. Rubio - Director of Finance and Administration | The Washington Chorus
4:20 PM ET– Closing Plenary
Aaron P. Dworkin - Poetjournalist and Founder of The Sphinx Organization
Kwame Alexander - Author, producer, and educator
28th Annual Sphinx Competition Information
Junior Honors Concert:
Friday, January 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center | Detroit, MI
Information: www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-competition
Tickets: Free, no ticket required
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Lina Gonzalez-Granados, conductor
JUNIOR DIVISION PRIZES (Ages 17 and under)
1st Place – $10,000, plus solo appearances with major orchestras
2nd Place – $5,000
3rd Place – $3,000
Senior Division Finals Concert:
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET
Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center | Detroit, MI
Information: www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-competition
Tickets: www.dso.org/events-and-tickets/events/24-25-winter/28th-annual-sphinx-competition-finals-concert
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Lina Gonzalez-Granados, conductor
SENIOR DIVISION PRIZES (Ages 18 – 30)
1st Place – $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize and solo appearances with major orchestras
2nd Place – $20,000
3rd Place – $10,000
Audience Choice – $5,000
2025 Sphinx Competition Jury Panel:
Danielle Belen - Violin Professor, University of Michigan
Joseph Conyers - Principal Bass, The Philadelphia Orchestra
Charlotte Lee - President and Founder, Primo Artists
Joshua Roman - Cellist, Composer, Curator
Abhijit Sengupta - Director, Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall
Melissa White - Violinist
Mark Wilson - Executive Director, Zoellner Arts Center
About Sphinx Organization
The Sphinx Organization is dedicated to transforming lives through the power of the arts and has reached more than 100 million people worldwide. Focused on increasing representation in classical music and celebrating excellence, Sphinx programs serve beginner students, seasoned classical music professionals, cultural entrepreneurs, and artistic administrators by addressing the systemic lack of access within Black and Latino communities.
Based in Detroit, Michigan, with global reach, Sphinx envisions a day in which our art form reflects our greater society, where every young person has the opportunity to express themselves and learn classical music, where audiences reflect the breadth of our community, and where leadership – on stage and off – includes all deserving voices.
Read more about Sphinx’s programs at www.sphinxmusic.org.
View the “Sphinx Organization: A 25-year Journey” timeline here.
*Photo Credit: Brian Hatton Photography
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