Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Sphinx Competition: Double Bassist Xavier Foley wins 1st Place in Senior Division and Cellist Sterling Elliott wins 1st Place in Junior Division


Xavier Foley (Glenn Triest)

Sterling Elliott (Glenn Triest)

First Place Junior Division Laureate, cellist Sterling Elliott and First Place Senior Division Laureate, double-bassist Xavier Foley featured above, during the 17th Annual Sphinx Competition.

The Finals Concert for the 17th Annual Sphinx Competition presented by the DTE Energy Foundation took place on February 23rd, 2014, hosted by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Max. M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit, Michigan.

19-year-old double-bassist Xavier Foley (Curtis Institute) gave a stunning performance and was awarded First Place in the Senior Division by the internationally acclaimed Jury panel, comprising Paul Katz, Ida Kavafian, Charles Letourneau, Donald McInnes, Melissa White, Kathleen Winkler and Sonia Vega. Foley made history by becoming the Sphinx Competition’s first double-bassist to be named First Place Laureate.  He will receive a $50,000 scholarship award, a prize from Tempo Cases, and have the opportunity to be featured with Sphinx Soloist Program partners.  Foley was also the recipient of Sphinx’s Audience Choice Award sponsored by Mercedes Benz Financial Services. Second Place in the Senior Division of the Sphinx Competition went to violinist Clayton Penrose-Whitmore who will receive a $20,000 scholarship award, while cellist Nicholas Mariscal won Third Place and will receive a $10,000 scholarship award.

14 year-old cellist Sterling Elliott, from Newport News, VA, won First Place in the Junior Division and made history by becoming the first alumnus from the Sphinx Performance Academy (Sphinx’s intensive summer solo and chamber music program), to win the Sphinx Competition.  Sterling will also receive a $10,000 scholarship award, a prize from Tempo Cases, and have the opportunity to be featured with Sphinx Soloist Program partners.  

The Laureates performed with the professional all Black and Latino Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. Featured Guest Artist Simon Shaheen dazzled the audiences with his virtuosic account of the Finale of his Oud Concerto in C Minor.  


Complete Concert Broadcast
Monday, March 24th at 10:00PM
Sunday, March 30th at 2:00PM
on Detroit Public Television, Channel 56.1


Broadcast will be available on demand at www.dptv.org



Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Max M. Fisher Music Center: 
Key artistic partner and exclusive home of the 2014 Sphinx Competition 
Detroit, Michigan

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