Sphinx Competition at Orchestra Hall Highlights Diversity in Classical Music
The 23rd annual Sphinx Competition takes place at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7:30pm.
The 23rd annual Sphinx Competition will fill Orchestra Hall in Detroit on Saturday night.
This national competition provides a space for the top black and Latino classical string players to perform in front of a packed house and compete for cash prizes.
While the competition is their flagship program, the Sphinx organization goes deeper to nurture the growth and development of classical artists of color.
Click the player to hear Stephanee Strausburg on the lack of diversity in classical music and how Sphinx is combating that.
“We do so through a pipeline of programs that range in education and access programming in elementary schools in Detroit and Flint all the way up to our artist development programs that support our alumni network of over 700 Black and Latinx classical musicians across the country and around the world,” says Stephanee Strausburg, director of institutional partnerships for the Sphinx organization.
These programs produce exceptional talent, like Sterling Elliott, a cellist who started with the Sphinx Performance Academy summer program and went on to claim the 2019 Sphinx Competition victory.
