Sphinx Organization: Announcing the 2021 Recipients of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and $150,000 in Career Grants!

The Sphinx Medal of Excellence is the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization. In addition to a $50,000 career grant, Sphinx annually awards the Medals of Excellence to three artists who, early in their career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities. This year's awards make history by featuring the first-ever symphonic conductor, first-ever oboist as well as its second composer!

The 10th Annual Sphinx Medals of Excellence will be bestowed at a private luncheon co-hosted by The Kennedy Center and honorees will be celebrated at a black-tie event in Washington, D.C.

Carlos Simon: Composer

Described as an “overall driving force”  (Review Graveyard) and featured on  Apple Music’s “Albums to Watch”,  Simon was named as a Sundance/Time  Warner Composer Fellow. Simon is a  native of Atlanta, Georgia whose music  ranges from concert music for large and  small ensembles to film scores with  influences of jazz, gospel, and neo- romanticism. His music has been   performed by Tony Arnold, the  Third Angle New Music Ensemble,  Philadelphia, Saint Louis, Boston Pops,  and others. "This award allows me to continue my  journey in telling the stories of my   culture through music. I am extremely  grateful to be part of the Sphinx family  and will continue to use my gift of music  to impact the world." - Carlos Simon Lina González-Granados: Conductor Lina González-Granados is an  internationally renowned conductor  of symphonic and operatic  repertoire. She currently serves as  the Solti Conducting Apprentice at  the Chicago Symphony under the  guidance of Maestro Riccardo Muti.  She also is the Conducting Fellow  of the Philadelphia Orchestra and  the Seattle Symphony. She is the  Artistic Director of Unitas Ensemble  that performs works by Latinx  composers and provides free  performances for underserved  communities. Her work with  Unitas has earned her numerous  community awards, multiple World,  North-American, and American  premieres, as well as the  creation and release of the   Unitas Ensemble album  “Estaciones,” recorded alongside  the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. "My biggest wish with this award  as the first Latina conductor to  receive the Sphinx Medal of  Excellence is to keep paving the  way for my fellow Latina  colleagues so when they reach  the top, the landscape embraces  them fully and looks equitable  and amicable."- Lina González-Granados Titus Underwood: Oboe Titus Underwood is the  Principal Oboe of the Nashville  Symphony, having previously  served as Acting Principal Oboe  since September 2017. Prior to  performing with the Nashville  Symphony, he served as  Acting Associate Principal of the  Utah Symphony. He received  his Master of Music from The  Juilliard School, where he  studied with Elaine Douvas,  with additional studies with  Nathan Hughes and Pedro Díaz.  He earned his Bachelor of Music  at the Cleveland Institute of  Music as a pupil of John Mack,  legendary principal oboist of  The Cleveland Orchestra. While  there, he also studied with  Frank Rosenwein and Jeffrey  Rathbun.  "The Sphinx Organization has always  meant a lot to me, as my late sister  Naira was a Sphinx (violin) alum who  introduced me to the organization  over 15 years ago. Receiving this  award will allow me to fund other  projects that will hopefully inspire  other future trailblazers in the   industry."- Titus Underwood Read more about the 2021 Medalists! http://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx- medals-of-excellence/ Sphinx Organization SphinxMusic.org