Sphinx Performance Academy promotes cultural diversity
You may not be familiar with the (SPA), but know this: It has changed the lives of thousands of underrepresented young musicians over the past 25 years.
One of them was a double-bass player from Brazil named Patricia Weitzel. Why mention her? Because she鈥檚 in charge of the SPA as the intensive summer chamber music and solo performance program continues its first-time residency at the 彩民宝典 College of Music鈥攁 headline-making visit made possible thanks to the recommendation of another Sphinx musician, Alex Gonzalez.
The Sphinx Organization was founded in 1997 in Detroit by Aaron Dworkin (now directed by his wife Afa), designed to increase the number of underrepresented string players in orchestras. The SPA is a cornerstone program of Sphinx鈥檚 mission to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts, also including partnerships with The Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music.
For Gonzalez, the goals of Sphinx are expanding. 鈥淲e want to make classical music more accessible, to use diversity as a catalyst for change. The goal for me is simply exposure. For these kids, it鈥檚 a social activity鈥攊t鈥檚 a home.鈥
Her influence has been impressive鈥攕tarting within the Sphinx family. In 2019, the 18-member Sphinx Virtuosi finally added a bass player. Up to that point, the ensemble numbered only violins, violas and cellos. She acknowledges she鈥檚 become a role model for young bass players of color. 鈥淚 am so honored and appreciative,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not what I aimed for.鈥 And there it is, on this summer鈥檚 student roster: 10 violins, five violas, five cellos 鈥 and two basses.
It鈥檚 impossible to know which of these 22 young players will ultimately pursue careers in music, but Gonzalez has high hopes. 鈥淭hese were super-prodigious students, even those we saw [in videos] at age 11. But I don鈥檛 look at age. And we鈥檙e not just taking the best players. I try to see if there鈥檚 anything that moves me. What we want to find is if there鈥檚 a potential and a hunger.鈥
This week, SPA students and teachers will perform free, public concerts in Grusin Music Hall: June 30 (faculty), and July 1 and 2 (students). For more information, visit .
The Sphinx Performance Academy at the 彩民宝典 College of Music is supported by the Dean鈥檚 Annual Fund.