UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sphinx Virtuosi, a self-conducting orchestra featuring 18 string-instrument soloists of African-American and Hispanic descent, will celebrate diversity in classical music with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in Schwab Auditorium.
The program — “Latin Voyages: Viajes Latinos” — will feature Argentine tango and audial representations of Mexico and Latin heritage in works by Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Williams, Javier Álvarez, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Cesar Espejo, Osvaldo Golijov and Alberto Ginastera.
The orchestra’s visit to Penn State features a variety of no-cost engagement events for students and the public.
Sphinx Virtuosi — featuring Catalyst Quartet, which made its Penn State debut during the center’s 2015-16 season — highlights the talents of prize-winning alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition. The annual contest is open to young black and Hispanic string musicians with the goal of encouraging a love of classical music in underserved communities.
A New York Times reviewer described the orchestra’s 2004 Carnegie Hall premiere as “first rate in every way.” “The Virtuosi’s playing combined zest, attention to detail, tight ensemble, and glistening or deeply amorous tone quality, as the music called for,” wrote a Washington Post critic in reaction to a Kennedy Center performance in 2013.
The Sphinx Organization, founded by Aaron Dworkin (musician, author, arts advocate, former member of the Obama National Arts Policy Committee and 2005 MacArthur Fellow) and now led by Afa Sadykhly Dworkin, aims to cultivate an appreciation of the arts among minorities through advocacy, opportunity and mentorship.
Historically, blacks and Latinos were not included in classical music performance and academia, Sadykhly Dworkin said. “Many of the young people we touch through our educational and grass-roots programs … don’t feel included in this field and don’t feel it’s an integral part of their culture, so we’re working to overcome a much more complex set of circumstances,” she said in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader in 2013.