Danielle Belen
Janai Brugger
Demarre McGill
On March 18, 2015,
Sphinx will honor three outstanding artists of color who demonstrate
the following qualities: artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a
spirit of determination, and great potential for leadership.
Danielle Belen, Janai Brugger
and Demarre McGill
These
three artists are the recipients of the 4th annual Sphinx Medals of
Excellence. The awards will be bestowed at the official Sphinx Medals of
Excellence luncheon and honorees will be celebrated at a black-tie
private dinner in Washington, D.C. The three Medalists will also each
receive a $50,000 artist grant for their career development.
"We
are proud to celebrate the incredible successes of Danielle, Janai and
Demarre! Their contributions have been transformational to our art
form, as well as our communities," said Sphinx Founder and President,
Aaron P. Dworkin.
Violin/Pedagogue/Entreprenuer
Newly
appointed to the full-time Violin Faculty at the University of
Michigan School in Ann Arbor, Danielle Belen is already making a name
for herself as a seasoned pedagogue with a strong studio of young
artists. She also maintains a small class of students at The Colburn
School in Los Angeles. Winner of the 2008 Sphinx Competition, Ms. Belen
has appeared as a soloist with major symphonies across the U.S.,
including the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco
Symphonies, the Boston Pops, and the Florida and Cleveland Orchestras.
Zachary Lewis from the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote "Violinist Danielle
Belen... captivated every ear with an assured, impassioned performance
of Ravel's "Tzigane," knocking off the daunting showpiece as if it were
a trifle." Ms Belen is the Artistic Director and founder of Center
Stage Strings, a summer camp and festival in Three Rivers, CA, which
attracts gifted young string players ages 9-19 years old from across
the country. Ms Belen plays on a 1709 Allesandro Gagliano on generous
loan from The Mandell Collection of Southern California.
|
A
former winner of Placido Domingo's prestigious Operalia vocal
competition and of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions,
American soprano, Janai Brugger, begins the 2013-14 season
as Liu Turandot at Hawaii Opera Theatre. She returns to Los Angeles
Opera to make her debut as Pamina Die Zauberflote and in the Spring she
continues to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the role of Helena The
Enchanted Island. Later in Denver Miss Brugger makes her debut as
Michaela Carmen with Opera Colorado. Last season the artist's
appearances included Liu at the Metropolitan Opera in the Zefferelli
production of Turandot; she travelled to Prague to appear in concert at
the Peter Dvorsky Festival, she appeared in the May Festival with the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Conlon and joined
Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel as High Priestess Aida in
performances at the Hollywood Bowl.
Demarre McGill, Flute
Demarre
McGill was named Principal Flutist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
beginning in September, 2013. Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher
Career Grant, Demarre McGill is one of the most entertaining and
sought-after flutists of his generation. Mr. McGill has performed with
numerous orchestral and chamber ensembles around the world. Concerto
solos include performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh
Symphony, Seattle Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and
Milwaukee Symphony, among others. In addition to his performance
schedule, Mr. McGill is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Art of
Élan, a chamber music organization in San Diego that aims to expose new
audiences to classical music.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment