Sphinx Organization & California Artist Management Present Sphinx Virtuosi & Catalyst Quartet on Expanded National Tour

[Catalyst Quartet in performance at Carnegie Hall]

The Sphinx Virtuosi, featuring the Catalyst Quartet, a Sphinx Ensemble, will embark on its fourth annual national tour in Fall 2011 through a new partnership with California Artist Management (CAM).

Inspired by the Sphinx Organization’s overarching mission, both the Sphinx Virtuosi and Catalyst Quartet strive to advance diversity in classical music while engaging young and new audiences through performances of varied repertoire. In addition to performing masterpieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, the Sphinx Virtuosi program highlights works by composers of color, including Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, George Walker, Michael Abels and Astor Piazzolla. Founded by the Sphinx Organization, the Catalyst Quartet combines a serious commitment to diversity, excellence and education with a passion for accessible modern repertoire.

The members are violinists Bryan Hernandez-Luch and Karla Donehew Perez, violist Christopher Jenkins, and cellist Karlos Rodriguez. The Sphinx Virtuosi have received rave reviews from The New York Times’s Allan Kozinn:

"All the hallmarks of a first-rate string ensemble were in place: its tone was warm and varied, it moved with unity and fluidity, and its textures were appealingly transparent."

Kozinn praised the Catalyst Quartet for its “earthy vigor” which left the audience wanting more.

More than just a traditional chamber orchestra, the Sphinx Virtuosi is a conductor-less ensemble of 22-23 accomplished soloists of color, each a virtuoso in his or her own right. Led by the principal players of the ensemble, Sphinx Virtuosi members have attended the top music schools in the country, including the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. Several of the members hold professional orchestral positions, including the Oregon, Grand Rapids and San Antonio Symphonies.

Sphinx Virtuosi was formerly known as the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra. Afa Sadykhly Dworkin, Vice President of Programs and Artistic Director, states that the new name reflects "the masterful level of performance and accomplishment the orchestra has achieved in the past three years."

CAM will partner with Sphinx to manage the tour, which has planned performances across North America. Susan Endrizzi Morris and Donald Osborne, Managing Directors of CAM, will oversee the tour.

“'Building on the phenomenal successes we’ve had in recent years, including onstage at Carnegie Hall, the Sphinx Virtuosi Tour featuring the Catalyst Quartet will continue to build diversity in the concert halls across the country. We could not be more proud and honored to work with California Artists Management; 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.” [Aaron P. Dworkin (b. 1970), Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) and George Walker (b. 1922) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]