Clarinetist Anthony McGill Performs Clarinet Concertos of Copland & Mozart at Carnegie Hall Jan. 15

[Anthony McGill]

We have taken great pleasure from our copy of Anthony McGill: That Lightness of Spirit, and since acquiring it have continued to follow Anthony McGill's performance career with interest. Our friend Sergio Mims sends this news of an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall January 15, 2012:

“I thought you would be interested in this. The Metropolitan Opera principal clarinetist Anthony McGill will be performing with Renée Fleming and the MET Orchestra with Fabio Luisi at Carnegie Hall on Jan 15. He's performing Aaron Coplands' Clarinet Concerto and other works:

http://www.carnegiehall.org/Event.aspx?id=3409

Sergio

“CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS

Performance Sunday, Jan 15, 2012 | 3 PM

The MET Orchestra

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

“Clarinetist Anthony McGill is a Metropolitan Opera Orchestra member who performed with violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. In 2010, he released his own CD, Anthony McGill: That Lightness of Spirit, which is distributed through CDBaby.com. Its repertoire is drawn from the music of France, Russia and the United States.”

“Performers

The MET Orchestra

Fabio Luisi, Principal Conductor

Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Stephen Williamson, Clarinet

Renée Fleming, Soprano Program

“Program

MOZART Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622

MAHLER "Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft"

MAHLER "Liebst du um Schönheit"

MAHLER "Um Mitternacht"

MAHLER "Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder"

MAHLER "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"

COPLAND Clarinet Concerto

BARBER "Give Me Some Music" from Antony and Cleopatra

HERRMANN "I Have Dreamt" from Wuthering Heights

BARBER "Do Not Utter a Word, Anatol" from Vanessa

Juilliard: James DePreist Conducts Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall Dec. 5, 8 PM

[James DePreist (Copyright 2008 Richard Termine; Photo Credit Richard Termine)]

Juilliard School Press Release

"Conductor James DePreist Leads the Juilliard Orchestra in Only Carnegie Hall Concert of the Season on Monday, December 5 at 8 PM; Program Includes Works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and George Tsontakis

"Juilliard’s Principal Conductor James DePreist leads the Juilliard Orchestra in their only Carnegie Hall concert of the season on Monday, December 5 at 8 PM. The program features Juilliard alumnus George Tsontakis’ Perpetual Angelus; Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, 'Turkish' (soloist to be announced on November 9); and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, 'Pathétique.' Mr. DePreist conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in two other concerts this season - on Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 8 PM and on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 8 PM, both in Alice Tully Hall.

"Tickets at $30 (parquet, 1st and 2nd tiers) and $15 (dress circle and balcony) will be available on October 31 at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, or online at www.carnegiehall.org." [AfriClassical.com profiles James DePreist (b. 1936), who also has his own website, http://www.JamesDePreist.com.]

'Vanessa Williams cordially invites you to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Sphinx Organization and experience'

Sphinx Organization

The Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall

Co-presented by Bloomberg

and the
Sander and Norma K. Buchman Fund

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

6:00 PM Performance

Afterglow to Follow

For general admission and group
ticket reservations, please contact

Margaret Cassetto| Margaret@SphinxMusic.org
or 646-429-1987 x714

Sphinx Organization: Sphinx Virtuosi & Catalyst Quartet Make Fourth Annual National Tour

[Catalyst Quartet]

Sphinx Organization
Don’t miss the Sphinx Virtuosi and Catalyst Quartet as they embark on their fourth annual national tour this fall.

September 19| Mercer College - Macon, GA
September 21| New World Center - Miami, FL
September 23| Sarasota Community - Sarasota, FL
September 25| Beaches Fine Arts Series - Jacksonville, FL
September 27| Central Michigan University - Mount Pleasant, MI
September 28| Interlochen Center for the Arts - Interlochen, MI

October 2| Harris Theater - Chicago, IL
October 4| University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH
October 7| University of North Carolina at Greensboro - Greensboro, NC
October 12| Carnegie Hall – New York, NY
October 19| Stanford Lively Arts - Stanford, CA

November 4| Charlotte Concerts - Charlotte, NC

DowntownMagazineNYC.com: 'The Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall' Oct. 12

[Aaron Dworkin, Carnegie Hall]

The Sphinx Virtuosi will perform at Carnegie Hall this year on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6 PM:

DowntownMagazineNYC.com

MRBienst

August 4, 2011

“The Sphinx Organization will launch its Sphinx 15 campaign, celebrating 15 years of excellence and diversity throughout its programs, at the annual Artist Series at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in October. Co-presented by Mayor Bloomberg and the Sander and Norma K. Buchman Fund, this year’s event will be hosted by Honorary Chair, Vanessa L. Williams and features the Sphinx Virtuosi, a critically acclaimed, conductor- less ensemble of soloists.

“Praised by the New York Times’ Allan Kozin, last year’s concert sold out to an audience of almost 3,000. The Sphinx Organization is a national non-profit group founded by Aaron P. Dworkin, a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, Member of the Obama National Arts Policy Committee, President Obama’s first nominee of the National Council on the Arts and a Champion for Change for Arts Education at the White House. It focuses on youth development and diversity in classical music.

“Tickets for the concert can be ordered online by visiting the Carnegie Hall website.” [Aaron Dworkin (b. 1970) is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a personal website, http://www.AaronDworkin.com]

Aaron Dworkin Discusses Sphinx Organization With DiversityInc In Carnegie Hall Video

[Aaron Dworkin (b. 1970) is profiled at AfriClassical.com as a Musician of African Descent]

AfriClassical has received this press release from SphinxMusic.org:
“Don’t miss this great interview with Sphinx Founder and President, Aaron Dworkin as he discusses Sphinx with Daryl Hannah of DiversityInc magazine backstage in the Carnegie Hall dressing room during the 2008 Sphinx Artist Series at Carnegie Hall”:
“Where Are the Black, Latino Composers? (VIDEO)"
By the DiversityInc staff
“It's rare that young people are interested in classical music. The Sphinx Organization is trying to change that. The group's president recently spoke to DiversityInc about all that Sphinx has to offer. Watch video” (5:14)

Sphinx Laureates Return to Carnegie Hall October 7, 2009

[Featuring the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, Harlem Quartet and solo performances by Laureates of the prestigious Sphinx Competition for young Black & Latino string players.]

The Sphinx Organization, celebrating 12 years of building diversity in classical music, returns to Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Under the baton of Maestro Chelsea Tipton II, the concert will feature the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, the Harlem Quartet, and other top Sphinx Competition alumni performing as soloists.

This annual celebration of diversity and classical music embraces the Sphinx Organization’s artistic mission offering standard repertoire and masterpieces by Black and Latino composers. Please join us on October 7th as we celebrate the extraordinary talents of these young musicians of color.  The mission of the Sphinx Organization is to increase the participation of Blacks and Latinos in music schools as professional musicians, as classical music audiences, and to administer youth development initiatives in underserved communities through music education. [Sphinx Founder/President Aaron P. Dworkin (b. 1970)  is profiled at AfriClassical.com] 

Roy Eaton Celebrates 60 Years of Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Award April 5 at Carnegie Hall

[Roy F. Eaton]

AfriClassical has received news from pianist Roy F. Eaton of an anniversary recital at Carnegie Hall: “Roy Eaton, winner of the first Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Award will perform on April 5th at 8PM at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in a special program commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of this award in 1949. For Ticket information call 212 734 2130.”

Pianist Roy F. Eaton, RoyEaton.net, is well known for performing and recording the works of the African American ragtime and classical composer Scott Joplin, and for interpreting the piano works of other composers, including Frédéric Chopin and the African American composer William Grant Still. Scott Joplin (1868-1917) and William Grant Still (1895-1978) are profiled at AfriClassical.com

Tickets Available for James DePreist and Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Dec. 12

[James DePreist, Fanfare Magazine, November-December 1995]

Macbeth's Opinion
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Carnegie Hall, on Mandolin
Friday, December 12, 2008 8:00 PM Carnegie Hall at 57th Street at Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019-3210 Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by James DePreist; Erno Kallai, Violin.
ENESCO Romanian Rhapsody No. 2
PROKOFIEV Concerto No. 2 in G Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 63
JOHN CORIGLIANO Symphony No. 1 (This is where Libby and her magical mandolin come in)
Tickets are $25 (parquet, first and second tiers) and $10 (dress circle and balcony). 1/2 price discounts for students and seniors. Tickets are available beginning 11/14 at the Carnegie Hall Box Office. CarnegieCharge: (212)247-7800  [James DePreist (b. 1936) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

New York Times: 'Rite of Strings, for Black and Latino Youth'

New York Times 

Music Review: 'Rite of Strings, for Black and Latino Youth'
By VIVIEN SCHWEITZER

Published: October 22, 2008
During a concert by the Sphinx Laureates on Tuesday evening, a girl sitting in a row of children behind me at Carnegie Hall wondered aloud why performers always exit the stage between bows. The formal traditions of classical concerts sometimes surprise newcomers. What may have surprised veterans, on the other hand, was seeing so many minority children and teenagers in the audience, and that kind of presence is something the Sphinx Organization — a nonprofit group dedicated to increasing the presence of blacks and Latinos in classical music as performers, composers and audience members — wants to encourage. Sphinx, founded in 1996, offers an annual competition for black and Latino string players, and laureates perform in the excellent Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, now midway through its inaugural national tour. Chelsea Tipton II, resident conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, led a diverse program of works for strings on Tuesday, opening with the Fugue from Villa-Lobos’s “Bachiana Brasileira” No. 9.

The violinist Elena Urioste, the 2007 winner of the Sphinx Competition senior division, offered a passionate, virtuosic rendition of the “Ballade” from Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 3 for solo violin. She also performed the solo part in the Ponce-Heifetz “Estrellita,” played here in a languid arrangement for violin and string orchestra by Geoffrey McDonald. The concert, presented by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, also included a lively rendition of the jazzy “Alla Burletta” from Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s “Generations” Sinfonietta and an elegant performance of George Walker’s romantic “Lyric for Strings.” The Harlem Quartet, consisting entirely of first-place laureates of the Sphinx Competition, was joined by the guest artist Paul Katz, the former cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, for the first movement of Schubert’s String Quintet in C.

In a video presentation about the organization’s goals, Melissa White — the second violinist of the Harlem Quartet, a Sphinx laureate and a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia — discussed the isolation she felt growing up and encountering so few black and Latino classical musicians. The violinist Aaron P. Dworkin, Sphinx’s founder and president, said from the stage that as a biracial classical musician he had also experienced isolation, and that classical music would benefit from the involvement of a wider section of society. The program also included the presentation of a new prize created in honor of the violinist Isaac Stern, which the organization hopes will be awarded annually to one particularly gifted Sphinx musician. The inaugural recipient was the violinist Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, 15, who demonstrated his skills during a buoyant performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto in B minor for Four Violins, which concluded the concert. [Sphinx President Aaron P. Dworkin (b. 1970) and Composer George Walker (b. 1922) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Maestro James DePreist and Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, December 12, 2008

Since July 1, 2008 a news release at Juilliard.edu has read, ”The Juilliard School, now in its 103rd year, announces a season of more than 700 dance, drama, and music (classical and jazz) performances featuring Juilliard students, faculty, and special guest artists in 2008-09. Almost all of these events are FREE and are open to the public; some carry a nominal charge.” The African American conductor James DePreist (b. 1936), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, will lead the Juilliard Orchestra in a concert at Carnegie Hall on Dec. 12, 2008. Works on the program are: Enescu: Rumanian Rhapsody in D major, Opus 11, no. 2; Prokofiev: Concerto No. 2 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 63; Corigliano: Symphony No. 1.

Sphinx Brings Message of Diversity to Carnegie Hall

PR.com

The Sphinx Laureates at Carnegie Hall presented by Chase--October 21.

New York, NY, September 27, 2008 -- The Sphinx Organization, the national organization dedicated to building diversity in classical music, will return to Carnegie Hall for a performance on October 21. The concert will feature the acclaimed Sphinx Chamber Orchestra and the Harlem Quartet. The Sphinx Laureates at Carnegie Hall is presented with generous support from Chase.

The concert at Carnegie Hall is just one performance on the orchestra’s first national tour. The tour will take the orchestra to eight cities from the Midwest to New England.

The Sphinx Chamber Orchestra will take the stage at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, October 21 at 6:00. Tickets are $20, and available through the Carnegie Hall Box Office at (212) 247-7800 or www.CarnegieHall.org. VIP and Box Seat tickets are available through Sphinx by calling (646) 429-1987 ext 713.

The Sphinx Chamber Orchestra comprises top alumni of the Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players. Conductor Chelsea Tipton II will lead the orchestra. Tipton is Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and New World Symphony Orchestras and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The Harlem Quartet, comprising first-place Laureates of the Sphinx Competition, has a unique and challenging mission: to advance diversity in classical music while engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire, highlighting works by minority composers. The Quartet has performed around the country, including three performances at Carnegie Hall.

Inspired by Sphinx’s artistic mission, the concert will offer standard repertoire along with masterpieces by Black and Latino composers. Pieces by Schubert, George Walker, Vivaldi, Villa-Lobos, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson will be featured.

“Ten years ago, I could only dream about an orchestra of Black and Latino musicians touring the country, said Aaron Dworkin, Founder and President of Sphinx. “This year, that dream becomes a reality. The Sphinx Chamber Orchestra is part of the new face of classical music that will shape the way young people connect with classical music.” Dworkin founded Sphinx in 1996 while a student at the University of Michigan. His work with the organization has been recognized around the world. In 2005, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his pioneering work. [Full Post]

Chelsea Tipton II Conducts Sphinx Laureates at Carnegie Hall

(Photo by Matt H., Jay K. Hoffman & Associates, Inc.)

Maestro Chelsea Tipton II is Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. His prior positions and his prolific work as a guest conductor have given him considerable exposure to leading U.S. orchestras. His agent, Jay K. Hoffman & Associates, Inc., elaborates at its website:

“As a sought-after guest conductor, Tipton has appeared with major orchestras in the United States, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, among others.”

The agent explains that Tipton prepared himself for careers in both conducting and clarinet performance:

"Tipton earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the Eastman School of Music, with additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine."

As a clarinet player, Chelsea Tipton II performed with numerous major orchestras and virtuoso instrumentalists, and recorded for three record labels. He has taught at Central Michigan University as an Assistant Professor, and was also Director of the Central Michigan University Band. Tipton has also been a Visiting Professor in clarinet and chamber music at Western Michigan University. His bio continues:

"Prior to his appointment with the Toledo Symphony, Tipton was Associate Conductor with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra for four seasons and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra for three seasons."

As noted on this blog on July 28, 2007, in a post entitled “Black and Latino String Players at Carnegie Hall”, Chelsea Tipton II is the conductor for the “Sphinx Laureates at Carnegie Hall”, at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007 in the Stern Auditorium. An Afterglow will be held in the Rohatyn Room & Shorin Club at Carnegie Hall. The Sphinx Organization summarizes the evening's performers and repertoire:

“The concert will feature the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, comprised of top alumni of the prestigious Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players, under the direction of Maestro Chelsea Tipton II. Top Sphinx Competition Laureates will be performing as soloists, and the Harlem Quartet will also perform. Inspired by Sphinx’s artistic mission of building diversity in classical music, the program will offer standard repertoire along with masterpieces by Black and Latino composers.”

Black and Latino String Players at Carnegie Hall

The life and career of the violinist Aaron P. Dworkin have been honored for several years at his page at AfriClassical.com,
http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Dworkin.html

Aaron Dworkin was born to White and Black parents and was adopted by a White couple in New York City at the age of two weeks. He began playing the violin at age five. When Aaron was 10, the family moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania, which had only one Black family. Racism made life difficult for him there. He graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and received his Bachelors of Music and Masters of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan.

Dworkin is Founder and President of the Sphinx Organization, which held its 10th Annual Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino string players in Ann Arbor and Detroit earlier this year. Last year, The Sphinx Chamber Orchestra gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. Anthony Tommasini reviewed the concert in The New York Times, Oct. 27, 2006:

The concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday evening offered typical fare: a string chamber orchestra playing works by Mozart, Villa-Lobos and others. But the audience, far from the typical classical music crowd, was overwhelmingly black and Latino, and most were children. Onstage as well, all the players were young black and Latino musicians. It was a sight you rarely encounter at Carnegie Hall. ... In addition, Sphinx runs a successful competition for string players, also supported by JPMorgan Chase. Every member of the 20-piece Sphinx Chamber Orchestra that performed on this occasion, as well as each impressive soloist, was a past or current prizewinner.

On the heels of its sell-out success in 2006, the Sphinx Organization has proudly announced the Sphinx Laureates Concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 6 p.m.:

Sphinx Returns to Carnegie Hall

The Sphinx Organization, celebrating 10 years of building diversity in classical music, is excited to return to Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007. The Sphinx Laureates concert will feature the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra comprised of top alumni of the Sphinx Competition under the direction of Maestro Chelsea Tipton II, as well as the Harlem Quartet and top Laureates performing as soloists. Inspired by Sphinx’s artistic mission, the program will offer standard repertoire along with masterpieces by Black and Latino composers. The significance and value of this performance is immeasurable as it represents not only the incredible performance opportunity for young musicians, but also, a strong impact on diverse audiences by exposing them to the highest level of artistry reflected within the minority community. JPMorgan Chase has given more than $100 million through grants and sponsorships to thousands of not-for-profit organizations around the world, including the Sphinx Laureates at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Support for the Sphinx Organization is given through the Community Life program, which emphasizes offering a culturally rich life for residents in order to create communities where people want to live and work. JPMorgan Chase’s long-standing support of community arts and culture includes arts giving, civic enhancement and programs that address cultural enrichment and diversity. The mission of the Sphinx Organization is to increase the participation of Blacks and Latinos in music schools as professional musicians, as classical music audiences, and to administer youth development initiatives in underserved communities through music education. Sphinx works to address this mission through five main program areas: ARTIST DEVELOPMENT (highlights the Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players and the Sphinx Symphony, along with a series of scholarship initiatives) SPHINX PREPARATORY MUSIC INSTITUTE at Wayne State University (provides Detroit area youths with yearlong classes in performance, music theory/ear training and music history). Overture Division of Sphinx Prep provides free instruments and group and individual violin lessons to young people in Detroit and Flint, MI) SPHINX PERFORMANCE ACADEMY at Walnut Hill School (offers intensive summer training to aspiring Black and Latino musicians who lack access to quality music education) SPHINX CLASSICAL CONNECTIONS (helps teachers implement music education in their in-class curriculum) SPHINX PRESENTS! (offers professional performance and exposure opportunities to Sphinx solo artists and ensembles including the Harlem Quartet, New York school residencies and highlighting the Sphinx Artist Series at Carnegie Hall)

Sphinx Organization www.sphinxmusic.org info@sphinxmusic.org 646-429-1987 x710