Music of the Americas Spotlights Diversity in the Arts
Music of the Americas Spotlights Diversity in the Arts
A May 21 event brought together Carnegie Hall Executive Director Clive Gillinson and two winners of the Sphinx Competition to explore opportunities in classical music for minorities.
On May 21, Americas Society’s Music program celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the Sphinx Organization with an evening of music and conversation. Carnegie Hall Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson led the discussion and interviewed Sphinx alumnae and violinists Melissa White and Elena Urioste, who also performed.
The Sphinx Organization was founded in 1996 by Aaron P. Dworkin, a violinist and graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. The organization’s mission is to foster diversity in classical music and to encourage the participation of African-Americans and Latinos in the field. Since its founding, Sphinx has worked with 85,000 students in 200 schools nationwide, held 260 orchestral performances attended by over 250,000 people, and reached millions through national broadcasts on PBS and National Public Radio. The Sphinx Competition—which counts White and Urioste among its winners—provides black and Latino classical string players a chance to compete, work with an internationally renowned panel of judges, and perform with professional musicians. Awards include scholarships and cash prizes, as well as solo performance opportunities with major orchestras across the United States. Many of the past laureates have gone on to study at prestigious music schools or began solo and orchestra careers.
Along with the violin performance, the evening included a discussion on diversity in the arts and how artists benefit from their contact with Sphinx. Both violinists remarked that without the Sphinx Competition, they would have lacked opportunities that proved critical to their careers.
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The artists also commented on how giving back through The Sphinx Organization has redefined their perspective on diversity in the arts and arts education. Toward the end, Gillinson remarked: “It’s interesting how people can genuinely change the world.”
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Visit www.sphinxmusic.org for more information on The Sphinx Organization.
