[From
TOP: Anthony McGill, Elena Urioste & Tai Murray]
March 22, 2012
On March 15, Sphinx honored three
young musicians whose accomplishments distinguish them among
musicians of color. The three were the recipients of the inaugural
Sphinx Medals of Excellence. The recipients were honored at a
black-tie dinner in Washington D. C. The recipients of the inaugural
medals were Anthony McGill, Tai Murray and Elena Urioste. Senator
Carl Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Supreme
Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen
Breyer were among the attendees.
The
Sphinx Medals of Excellence honor young Black and Latino leaders in
classical music who demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work
ethic, a spirit of determination, and leadership potential. The
awards also carry a $5,000 honorarium to further these burgeoning
careers.
“The
incredible success that Anthony, Tai and Elena have already achieved
is a clear indication that diversity and artistic excellence play
important roles in classical music,” said Sphinx founder and
president, Aaron P. Dworkin.
About
the 2012 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Honorees
Anthony McGill
A
recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Anthony McGill currently
serves as principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Prior to this position, he was associate principal clarinet of the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, directly following studies at the
Curtis Institute.
An
experienced chamber musician, he has participated at the Marlboro
Music Festival, Sarasota Festival, Tanglewood, La Musica
Interna tional Chamber Music Festival, Opera Theatre and Music
Festival of Menlo, Italy. In 2009, Mr. McGill performed at the 56th
presidential inauguration ceremony. Since his solo debut in 1991, he
has appeared with the Baltimore and New Jersey Symphonies, and with
the Tokyo, Guarneri, and Avalon Quartets, and Opus One. He has
performed at Carnegie Hall, and appeared at Lincoln Center as a
member of its Chamber Music Society. Mr. McGill also serves as
faculty at the Peabody Institute of Music.
Tai
Murray
First-place
Laureate of the inaugural Sphinx Competition in 1998, Ms. Murray was
acclaimed as “superb” by The New York Times. A rising star of her
generation increasingly in demand for both recitals and orchestral
engagements, she has performed on the stages of Berlin’s
Konzerthaus, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Copenhagen’s Tivoli
Gardens, Shanghai’s Concert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Recently, she made her debut with the Houston Symphony and Deutsche
Oper am Rhein Orchestra. Other recent debuts include her appearance
at the BBC Proms, and performances with the Cincinnati and Dallas
symphony orchestras, the Shanghai Symphony, London’s BBC Symphony,
the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, and the Danish National
Symphony Orchestra. A recipient of the distinguished Avery Fisher
Career Grant, her upcoming engagements include those in Ireland and
Germany, as well as United States. Ms. Murray is represented by Opus
3 Artists.
Elena
Urioste
As
first-place Laureate in both the junior and senior divisions of the
Sphinx Competition, Ms. Urioste debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and
has returned as a soloist regularly, earning rave reviews from The
New York Times. She has collaborated with acclaimed conductors Sir
Mark Elder, Keith Lockhart, Robert Spano, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and
Alondra de la Parra, having appeared as a soloist with the New York
Philharmonic, Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore,
Pittsburgh, Richmond, San Antonio, and Sarasota symphony orchestras.
In Europe, she has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,
the Wurzburg Philharmonic, and Hunga ry’s Orchestra Dohnányi
Budafok. Ms. Urioste concertizes internationally and was featured
recently in Latina Maga zine as well as Symphony Magazine as one of
the emerging artists to watch. Ms. Urioste is represented by Sciolino
Artist Management of New York.
[Aaron Dworkin (b. 1970), Founder and President of The Sphinx Organization
is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a personal website,
http://www.AaronDworkin.com]
No comments:
Post a Comment