Sphinx Virtuosi Inspires Students in the School of Music and Dance
Sphinx Virtuosi, one of the nation’s most dynamic and prestigious professional chamber orchestras, recently held a three-day residency at SJSU’s School of Music and Dance. Sphinx musicians spent two days instructing and mentoring SJSU students and local high schoolers, giving students insights into what it takes to be a professional musician in the modern world of classical music. The Sphinx Virtuosi capped their residency with a packed performance on campus that brought folks from all walks of life to SJSU. Titled “Inspiring Women,” the performance included works by Jennifer Higdon, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Joan Tower.
Comprised of eighteen of the nation’s top black and Latino classical soloists, the Sphinx Virtuosi is the performing wing of the Sphinx organization, a Detroit-based national group “dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.” The organization was founded in 1996 by Aaron Dworkin, a black violinist at the University of Michigan who experienced the lack of diversity in classical music, both in musicians and audiences for whom they performed. Dworkin formed Sphinx to “address the stark under-representation of people of color in classical music” and “to create positive change in the arts field and in communities across the country.” Dworkin went on to become Dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance, as well as President Obama’s first appointee to the National Council on the Arts. The organization he founded continues its national mission, reaching over 100,000 students and two million audience members each year.
Dr. Fred Cohen, Director of SJSU’s School of Music and Dance, appreciates the impact that Sphinx Virtuosi has on students. “It’s great for students to be around fine classical musicians with whom they can identify. Like the Sphinx performers, very few of our students come from privileged backgrounds, and they share many life experiences with the Sphinx musicians. When students see young people who share similar life stories performing at the level of Sphinx Virtuosi, it’s nothing short of inspirational. It makes a career as a 21st century musician seem that much more achievable.”
SJSU students will continue to work with the Sphinx Organization this spring when the Catalyst Quartet, the string core of the Sphinx Virtuosi, returns to the School of Music and Dance for another residency. Dr. Cohen says that quartet members will help SJSU student musicians develop their technical proficiency while learning about professional development. The quartet’s residency will culminate in a highly anticipated performance on April 20th. “The musicians in the Catalyst Quartet are profound thinkers,” Dr. Cohen says. “They know how to put on a concert that matters and has meaning. It’s not just replicating great programs from previous centuries. They make selections and give performances that directly relate to contemporary issues.”
The School of Music and Dance is sponsoring a large number of performances in spring ’16, most notably the February 13 live recording of NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley, a one-hour classical music show heard by more than half a million listeners across the country. From the Top features high school choirs chosen in a competitive process from across California. We hope you will join us for this exciting event, either in the SJSU Music Hall, or on your local NPR station.
