Sphinx Organization Announces 2026 SphinxConnect: Discover! and Sphinx Competition Semi-Finalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations 
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 Sphinx Organization Announces 2026 SphinxConnect: Discover! and Sphinx Competition in Detroit – January 21-24

SphinxConnect: Discover! Hosts Over 30 Sessions – Ranging From Panel Discussions to Workshops to Masterclasses – Led by Classical Music’s Top Luminaries, Artistic Administrators, Composers, and Performers, and Livestreamed Online

Opening Panel Features Performance By Imani Winds and Conversation with Oboist Titus Underwood, and Closing Plenary Features Conversation Between Tania León and Sphinx Founder Aaron P. Dworkin

Semi-Finalists Announced Today for the 2026 Sphinx Competition Junior and Senior Divisions, with the Opportunity to Perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra Under Conductor and Sphinx Medal of Excellence Recipient Kalena Bovell

2026 Competition Jury: 
Leon Bosch – Conductor and Soloist Director, Virtuoso Double Bass Soloist
Sterling Elliott – Cellist
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt – Violist
Philippe Quint – Violinist
Martin Sher – Chief Artistic & Operating Officer, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

      

“[Sphinx Organization] is creating new audiences and empowering the next generation of leaders in classical music.” – Good Morning America

www.sphinxmusic.org 

Detroit, MI (November 18, 2025) – From January 22 to January 24, 2026, the Sphinx Organization brings back the largest and longest-standing global convening dedicated to excellence and inclusion in classical music, SphinxConnect: Discover! This convening brings together musicians, educators, arts entrepreneurs, advocates, administrators, funders, and students for an enriching experience. With dynamic sessions designed to inspire, ignite action, and foster collaboration, attendees will hear from more than distinguished speakers, including keynote addresses by industry luminaries and trailblazers. 

To reduce barriers to access, SphinxConnect: Discover! 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 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM, Dr. Zuly Inirio, LSW will lead a pre-convening workshop on From Fear to Flow, which provides psychoeducational insights to contextualize performance anxiety and its unique impact on performers. Participants will explore somatic tools and practices designed to alleviate anxiety, foster self-awareness, and cultivate grounded, authentic performances. Then, at 3:30 PM, Quinteto Latino convenes the various Latinoa/o/e and Latin American constituents at SphinxConnect to explore topics of collective identity with the goal of building power and moving us towards liberation. At 7:30 PM ET, Imani Winds will be in conversation with Titus Underwood in the Opening Plenary. The closing plenary will feature Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer and conductor Tania León in conversation with Aaron P. Dworkin, Poetjournalist and Founder of The Sphinx Organization.

Panels throughout the weekend cover topics such as Future-Proof: Grantmaking for the Next Now, Soulful Strategies, Artists As Architects, The Evolution and Convergence of the Black Avant-Garde, Change of Key, Vibe Check: Team Thrive, Many Paths, One Purpose, Politics, Policies, and the (Fine) Print, Leading with Vision, Championing International Artists: Essential Guidance and Support, The Factotum, Shrinking the Practice-Performance Gap, and more. There will also be conversations with composer George Lewis, soprano Karen Slack, GRAMMY®-nominated composer/violinist Curtis Stewart, GRAMMY®-winning composer/singer Will Liverman, GRAMMY-winning singer J’Nai Bridges, and many others. The full conference schedule and registration are available at www.SphinxConnect.org. 

From January 21 to January 24, 2026, in Detroit, MI, Sphinx hosts the 29th Annual Sphinx Competition, a national competition for string musicians that transforms lives by celebrating artistic talent and providing career advancement opportunities. Finalists in both divisions have the opportunity to perform with the professional Sphinx Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell (recipient of the 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence). Finalists are comprised of top professionals from around the country, and compete for a total of more than $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. Sphinx will be performing the world premiere of Tiny Galaxies by Rachel McFarlane at both the Honors Concert and again at the Finals. They will also be performing excerpts from The Factotum by Will Liverman and DJ King Rico, featuring Melody Betts, for the Finals.

Led by conductor Kalena Bovell, on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 12 PM ET, the Junior Division Honors Concert will be held, followed by the Senior Division Finals Concert on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 7:30 PM ET in the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. The Junior Division Semi-Finalists include Ethan Abrahams-Nhliziyo, bass; Kai Isoke Ali-Landing, violin; Ana Chirinos, cello; Sofia Hernandez-Williams, cello; Ayra Karlin, violin; Sonya Moomaw, cello; Liam Thomas, violin; Beatrice Valenzuela, violin; and Alette Williams, violin. The Senior Division Semi-Finalists include Taylor Abbitt, bass; Paul Aguilar, viola; Sophie Ayer, violin; Noah Carr, violin; Maxwell Fairman, violin; Miles Goosby, cello; Gavin Hardy, bass; Edward Luengo, cello; Thierry de Lucas Neves, violin; Dora Oliva Devoghel, violin; and Andres Sanchez, cello.

The 2026 competition will be judged by an illustrious panel including conductor and soloist Leon Bosch, cellist and former laureate of the Sphinx Competition Sterling Elliott, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, violinist Philippe Quint, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Vice President and Chief Artistic & Operating Officer Martin Sher. 

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 orchestra comprised of top professionals from around the country, and compete for a total of nearly $100,000 in prizes. 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. 

Former laureates of the Sphinx Competition include artists such as Joseph Conyers, Randall Goosby, Tai Murray, and Elena Urioste, all of whom have gone on to major orchestral and solo careers.

The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra (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: Discover! Program Schedule
January 22-24, 2026
Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center | Detroit, MI
Learn More: www.SphinxConnect.org 

Thursday, January 22, 2026

3:00 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET – From Fear to Flow
Dr. Zuly Inirio, DMA, LSW

3:30 PM ET - 5:30 PM ET – Quinteto Latino
Armando Castellano, Leslie Tagorda, Diane Grubbe, Jamael Smith, Kyle Bruckmann

7:30 PM ET - 9:00 PM ET – Opening Plenary - Imani Winds, Titus Underwood

9:00 PM ET - 11:30 PM ET – Opening Plenary Party

Friday, January 24, 2026

10:00 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET – Future-Proof: Grantmaking for the Next Now 
Kristina Newman-Scott, Michael Angell, Sarah Lyding, Michelle D. Johnson, Adam DesJardins 

10:00 AM ET - 11:30 AM ET – 11:30 AM ET – Soulful Strategies 
Brittney Bryanna Burgess, Alexis V. Prescott, M.A., Zoe Donovan, Brianna Garcon

12:00 PM ET - 1:00 PM ET – Sphinx Competition Honors Concert 

2:00 PM ET - 3:00 PM ET – Artists As Architects
Karen Slack, Sterling Elliott, Michelle Cann

2:00 PM ET - 3:00 PM ET – The Evolution and Convergence of the Black Avant-Garde
Curtis Stewart, Jannina Norpoth, George Lewis, A. Spencer Barefield

2:00 PM ET - 3:00 PM ET – Change of Key
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Dr. Shawn E. Okpebholo, Kedrick Armstrong, Dr. Mieko Hatano

3:30 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET – Vibe Check: Team Thrive
Deidre Lambert-Bounds, Patty Isacson Sabee, Ria DasGupta, Tifini McCylde-Blythe

3:30 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET – Beyond the Stage
Afton Battle, J’Nai Bridges, Pamela Jones, Yvette Loynaz

3:30 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET – Many Paths, One Purpose
Elizabeth Steiner, Jaman E. Dunn-Danger, Ruben McFarlane, Dr. Patricio Molina Ph.D. 

5:00 PM ET - 6:00 PM ET – Politics, Policies, and the (Fine) Print 
Blake-Anthony Johnson, Lesley Rosenthal, Omari Rush, Heather Noonan

5:00 PM ET - 6:00 PM ET – Beyond Survival
Portia Dunkley, Dr. Marcus Norris, David A. Norville, Dr. Leah Claiborne

5:00 PM ET - 6:30 PM ET – Discover, Develop, Deliver
Alysia Lee, Eric Williamson

5:00 PM ET - 6:00 PM ET – Speaking for the Many
Alexa Smith, Melissa Wegner, Simon Woods

Saturday, January 24, 2026

10:00 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET – Leading with Vision
Hassan A. Anderson, Jamal Rossi, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Tayloe Harding  

10:00 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET – Championing International Artists: Essential Guidance and Support
Andrea Restrepo, DMA, Kathleen Gasparian, Lígia Pucci, Dr. Roberto Arruda

10:00 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET – The Factotum
DJ King Rico, Kerriann Otaño, Will Liverman

11:30 AM ET - 12:30 PM ET – Models of Music
Megan Sesma, José Fernando Flórez, Nebiyu Daniel, Hsin-Ching Wu Ph.D.

1:00 PM ET – 2:30 PM ET – Shrinking the Practice-Performance Gap
Noa Kageyama 

1:30 PM ET - 2:30 PM ET – Breaking Boundaries
Jazmin Goodson, Levi Taylor, Dr. Ceylon Mitchell, Lisa E. Harris

3:30 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET – Closing Plenary
Tania León, Aaron P. Dworkin

7:30 PM ET - 9:30 PM ET – Sphinx Competition Finals Concert

9:30 PM ET - 11:30 PM ET – Closing Reception & Dance Party 

29th Annual Sphinx Competition Information
Junior Honors Concert:
Friday, January 23, 2026 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
Kalena Bovell, 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 24, 2026, 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/25-26-winter/29th-annual-sphinx-competition-finals-concert 

Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Kalena Bovell, 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

2026 Sphinx Competition Jury Panel:
Leon Bosch
Sterling Elliott 
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt
Philippe Quint
Martin Sher

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 where every young person has the opportunity to express themselves and learn classical music, where audiences reflect the people we see on our streets, and where leadership – on stage and off – includes all deserving voices. We are working toward a future in which our art form reflects our greater society. Learn more at www.SphinxMusic.org.

View the “Sphinx Organization: A 25-year Journey” timeline here.

*Photo Credit: Brian Hatton Photography

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