Vol. 10, No. 2

The Quarter NoteUnique Finals Concert Closes Sphinx Competition

The Finals Concert of the 12th annual Sphinx Competition,

presented by Chase, was a unique experience, filled with performers of exceptional talent. What made this year’s Finals Concert so unique was that the three Senior Division Laureates each played a different instrument: cello; violin; and the special treat, a double bass.

The concert opened with a dramatic arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner, performed by this year’s guest artists, Melissa White and Elena Urisote. These two talented musicians are former first place Laureates of the Sphinx Competition. The three Senior Division Laureates who performed with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, under the competent baton of Detroit native Maestro Damon Gupton, were Tony Rymer, Benjamin Harris, and John Sanderson. The first to perform was Tony Rymer, whose brilliant presentation of Elgar’s Concerto for Cello in E Minor earned a rousing response from the audience. Bassist Benjamin Harris gave a passionate and inspiring account of the Concerto for Double Bass by Bottesini. Finally, John Sanderson performed Saint-

Saëns’s Concerto for Violin in B Minor, No. 3 with fire and spirit. In the end, cellist Tony Rymer was named First Place Laureate, followed by Benjamin Harris and John Sanderson.

Two other special performances to round out the first rate concert in the beautiful Orchestra Hall were guest artists Elena Urioste and Melissa White and this year’s first place Laureate in the junior division, Khari Joyner. Ms. Urioste and Ms. White gave a compelling and polished rendition of Prokofiev’s Solo Sonata for Two Violins, and Mr. Joyner’s emotional, mature performance of the Concerto in B Flat Major by Boccherini received thunderous applause from the audience.

The Honors Concert, presented in partnership with the University Musical Society and with the generous support of GMAC Financial Services, featured the three Junior Division Laureates and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. The performance was a delight for the more than 1,000 area youth and adults in attendance at Ann Arbor’s Rackham Auditorium. Khari

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Joyner gave a stirring performance, earning the title of First Place Laureate. Second Place Laureate Alexandra Switala’s performance of Mozart’s Concerto No. 4 in D Major belied her age; she performed confidently and with elegance. Michael Casimir, Third Place Laureate, offered a strong, convincing performance, also of Mozart’s Concerto No. 4 in D Major. After the performances, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra Guest Conductor Maestro Damon Gupton held a question and answer session with the youth in attendance. The kids enjoyed the interactive opportunity and asked many interesting questions. Fun was had by all!

Congratulations to all of our participants; your hard work and dedication are inspiring! The 12th annual Sphinx Competition Laureates will now begin preparing for a busy performance schedule with orchestras nationwide. Thank you to all of our supporters and to those who attended the concert. We would also like to offer a special thank you to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for hosting this year’s Finals!

Tony Rymer, 19, 1st Place Sr. Division

Benjamin Harris, 20, 2nd Place Sr. Division

John Sanderson, 19, 3rd Place Sr. Division

All photos: Glenn Triest

Jr. Division Laureates from left to right: 1st Place: Khari Joyner, 17, cello; 2nd Place: Alexandra Alvarado Switala, 15, violin;

3rd Place: Michael Casimir, 17, violin

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’s nOTEDear Friends,

First of all, bravo to Tony Rymer and Khari Joyner, First Place Laureates of the 12th annual Sphinx Competition presented by Chase! Among an incredibly talented group of Semi-Finalists, they distinguished themselves with polished and beautifully artistic performances. They will join over a decade’s worth of Sphinx Laureates as new faces of diversity in classical music.

Congratulations also to Mariana Green-Hill, winner of the Sanford Allen Award. Mariana has proven herself as a musician and dedicated educator, and I am so proud to have her as part of the Sphinx family.

One of the best parts of my job is seeing first-hand the work we are doing. During the Competition, I love to see so many familiar faces and listen to the

stories of how these young people defied so many odds to get to where they are today. As I was listening this year, I heard a young man participating in his first Sphinx Competition say, “Sphinx has given me the best two days of my life!” Hearing things like this are why I am proud to be a part of Sphinx.

As the economy continues to deteriorate, I hope you will consider the importance of the arts in your life, in the lives of your children, and in the lives of the young people we serve. Unfortunately, to some, the arts are expend-able. In times like these, we must invest in the arts and our youth, not divest. As you think about the role the arts play in our world, I ask you to join our many supporters to ensure our work continues by making your gift today at www.SphinxMusic.org.

Warmest Regards, Tania McGee

Editor: Stephan BobalikContributors: Stephan Bobalik, Caitlin Ilich,Tania McGeeDesign & Layout: Julie Renfro

Founder/PresidentAaron P. Dworkin

Board of DirectorsRuben Acosta, ChairJenice Mitchell Ford, Vice-ChairAnthony Glover, TreasurerKurtis T. Wilder, SecretaryDeidre Bounds Martha Darling Aaron P. Dworkin Kenneth C. Fischer Howard Hertz Al McDonough Daedra McGhee David Rudolph Beverly Willis

Board of AdvisorsSanford Allen David Cerone Ronald A. Crutcher Dominique de Lerma Matthew Derr Roberto Diaz Anthony Elliott Sandra Gibson Juanita Jackson Polly Kahn Christopher Kendall Christian Matjias Lolita Mayadas Charlene J. Mitchell Lester Monts Willis Patterson Juan Ramirez Stephen Shipps Albert Webster

Honorary CommitteeNikki Giovanni Ida KavafianNigel Kennedy Jaime Laredo Yo-Yo E. Ma Branford Marsalis Mark O’Connor Christopher O’Riley Itzhak Perlman André Previn Leonard Slatkin Michael Tilson Thomas George Walker

© 2009 Sphinx Organization400 Renaissance Center, Ste 2550Detroit, MI 48243 313-877-9100www.sphinxmusic.org info@sphinxmusic.org

Lula C. Wilson Trust

Bingham Trust

Leo Guthman Fund

Aaron Copland Fund

Sphinx Presenter

Claire Giannini Fund

Mr. David Rockefeller

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Scherman Foundation

Dorothy Richard StarlingFoundation

The Loraine & Melinese ReuterFoundation

The Kresge Foundation

Max & Victoria DreyfusFoundation

Frank & Lydia BergenFoundation

C.S. Mott Foundation

A New Journey With SphinxIn March, an exciting new initiative began at Sphinx. We invite you to join us on a journey through the music of Black and Latino classical composers and performers. Sphinx Journeys, a seven-part radio series, will take our listeners on an exploration of music created by composers and performers of color.

Each one-hour episode is hosted by Founder and President Aaron Dworkin. The content is researched and written by Sphinx’s Artistic Director, Afa Sadykhly. The series premiered Sunday, March 1 on WRCJ 90.9 FM in Detroit and will be heard on Sundays at 5 p.m. Listeners around the world can listen on the web at www.wrcjfm.org. The first episode was “A Journey of the Harlem Quartet,” featuring the all Black and Latino professional string ensemble comprised of First Place Laureates of the national Sphinx Competition. The quartet consists of violinists Ilmar Gavilan and Melissa White along with violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez and cellist Desmond Neysmith.

Future episodes will focus on the music of William Grant Still, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ástor Piazzolla and many others. All programs may also be heard online, at time of broadcast, at www.wrcjfm.org and will eventually be available “on demand” at the same site.

Sphinx Journeys is a co-production of WRCJ 90.9 FM and The Sphinx Organization, with funding provided by The Kresge Foundation and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. WRCJ 90.9 FM is a listener supported service of Detroit Public Schools and Detroit Public Television.

SPHINX NEWSThe application deadline for the Sphinx

Performance Academy at Walnut Hill School is April 6, 2009. For information on live auditions, please contact the Dean of SPA, Chris Jenkins, at chris@sphinxmusic.org; 313-877-9100, ext 711.

In January, 2008 1st Place Jr. Laureate Clayton Penrose-Whitmore performed with the Hartford and Colorado Symphonies.

Danielle Belen, 2008 1st Place Sr. Laureate, performed with the Cleveland Orchestra in January and was featured on WCLV radio.

Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, 2nd Place Laureate of the 2006 Sphinx Competition performed with Itzhak Perlman in his chamber music series at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. She will join Perlman for a performance in March at the Boca Raton Arts Festival.

Christina Castelli had the pleasure of performing some unusual works during 2008, including a violin duo concertante by Saint-Georges with the Chicago Sinfonietta. She has upcoming engagements in Florida and New Jersey. You can hear her online @ www.ChristinaCastelli.com.

Past Sphinx Symphony Orchestra clarinetist Anthony McGill had the honor of performing at President Obama’s inauguration in January. McGill joined Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero in a new John Williams arrangement written for the occasion.

Community Music Works in Providence, Rhode Island has four full-tuition and travel scholarships for Sphinx Competition alumni to their Institute for Musicianship and Public Service. For more information, www.CommunityMusicWorks.org.

Gabriel Cabezas, 2006 1st Place Jr. Laureate, performed with the Rochester Philharmonic in February.

The Harlem Quartet’s 2009 season started off with performances in Alabama, New Jersey, Massachussetts, New York, California and Idaho.

Do you have news for the Quarter Note? Send it to QuarterNote@SphinxMusic.org!

2004 Laureate Earns Allen Honor

In 2008, Sphinx began an annual award to recognize a Sphinx alumnus who has achieved extraordinary success

and has demonstrated a dedication to community involve-ment, diversity, and education. This year Mariana Green-Hill was honored with the Sanford Allen Award.

The award is named in honor of Sanford Allen, who in 1963 became the first Black permanent member of the New York Philharmonic. A long-time Sphinx supporter, Mr. Allen still performs with the Philharmonic and is the Director of the Leaf Peeper Concert Series.

“Sanford led the way for so many musicians of color, and we’re proud to honor Mariana and her commitment,” said Sphinx Founder and President Aaron Dworkin. “Mariana has given us so much to be proud of already, and I am confident her future will bring much more to celebrate.”

A violinist, Ms. Green-Hill is a three-time Sphinx Compe-tition Laureate. She provides intensive music training for young string musicians during the summer. As a performer, she has appeared as a soloist with the New Jersey, Mem-phis, Detroit, Boston Symphony Orchestras, and the Boston Pops. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Juilliard School and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes College of Music under the respective tutelage of Stephen Clapp, Ann Setzer and Ida Kavafian. She has performed as part of the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and led the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra as concertmaster at Carnegie Hall. Her unwavering commitment to providing access to music education within underserved communities finally led her on the path of being named Artistic Director for Project STEP, a well-known Boston-based program committed to providing quality music training to young musicians of Black and Latino backgrounds. In doing so, she became the first graduate of the program to return and assume a key leadership position.

Thanks to the generosity of Rick and Susan Snyder, the San-ford Allen Award includes a cash prize of $10,000.

Photo: Jason Brown

400 Renaissance CenterSuite 2550Detroit MI 48243

Something to Ponder:

Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite.-Thomas Carlyle

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CENTER STAGE

The Quarter Note recently caught up with Tony…

Quarter Note: What does the future hold for you?

Tony Rymer: I have no idea. I plan on working hard and seeing what opportunities come my way.

QN: What ’s your biggest challenge?

TR: Cooking.

QN: What ’s on your iPod these days?

TR: The Beatles , Daddy Yankee, Daft Punk, Ruben Blades QN: You won 2nd Place in the Junior Division of the Competition when you were 14, and now you’ve won the Senior Division. What affect has Sphinx had on your life?

TR: Sphinx has given me an enormous amount of sup-port throughout the years, which has played an integral part in my development as a musician. The scholarships to attend camps and schools,

Tony Rymer

A t j u s t 1 9 y e a r s o l d , Tony Rymer is one of the youngest winners of the Sphinx Competition Senior Division. A native of Boston, Tony took up the cello at the age of five.

Tony spent nine years as a scholarship student in Project STEP, the Boston program that prepares talented young musicians of color to enter the professional world. A graduate of the Walnut Hill School, Tony now studies with cellist Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory.

Photos: Glenn Triest

instruments on loan, and performance opportunities all over the US have made my association with Sphinx invaluable.

QN: Do you have any favorite Sphinx memories?

TR: Playing for the first time in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Au-ditorium at the annual Sphinx Gala was an amazing experi-ence for me. I was blown away when I first walked on stage—I had never been there before. It became crystal clear why I had been practicing for so many years and why to continue practicing. I decided then that my goal would be to play on the level of that hall. QN: What advice do you have for other young musicians of color who are striving for many of the things you’ve achieved?

TR: Quality over quantity when it comes to practicing.