Sphinx Chamber Orchestra & Harlem Quartet to Tour U.S. in 2008

(Harlem Quartet: Ilmar Gavilan, violin; Melissa White, violin; Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola; Desmond Neysmith, cello)

The Sphinx Organization, dedicated to diversity in classical music, announces an Historic U.S. Tour for the fall of 2008. Sphinx Founder Aaron P. Dworkin is profiled at AfriClassical.com This first national tour will feature the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra and the Harlem Quartet, and will include a return to Carnegie Hall, where previous performances have been warmly received by audiences and critics alike. Tour management will be shared by Sphinx and Opus 3 Artists. The press release continues:

The Sphinx Chamber Orchestra is comprised of top alumni of the annual Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino String Players presented by JPMorgan Chase. Joining the Orchestra on tour will be the Harlem Quartet and several top Sphinx Competition Laureates (winners) as soloists. The members of the Harlem Quartet are all first-place Laureates of the Sphinx Competition.

“Building on the phenomenal successes we’ve had in Detroit and at Carnegie Hall, the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra tour will continue building diversity in the concert halls across the country. This will be a truly historic undertaking, and we could not be more proud and honored to work with Opus 3 Artists; their unmatched expertise will be truly invaluable,” said Aaron P. Dworkin, the Sphinx Organization’s Founder and President. “The tour allows us to share not only the incredible talent of our Competition alumni, but also the underperformed masterpieces of Black and Latino composers,” Dworkin added.

Past Sphinx Chamber Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall have earned rave reviews in the pages of The New York Times. “[F]irst rate in every way—polished, nuanced, rich in tone and thoughtfully shaped,” wrote Allen Kozinn reviewing the 2004 performance. He also noted, “…this student ensemble produced a more beautiful, precise and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional orchestras that come through Carnegie Hall…” In the Times’ review of Sphinx’s most recent Carnegie Hall performance, Vivien Schweitzer wrote, “The Harlem Quartet played with panache.”

The Sphinx Organization is the national non-profit arts and youth development organization committed to building diversity in classical music. The mission of the Sphinx Organization is to increase Black and Latino participation in music schools, as professional musicians, as classical music audiences, and to administer youth development initiatives in underserved communities through music education.

For Sphinx Chamber Orchestra tour booking information, please contact Opus 3 Artists at 212-584-7500 or info@opus3artists.com.

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