THE SPHINX VIRTUOSI’s AMERICAN FORM/S
PRESENTED BY
MUSIC WORCESTER and
THE PRIOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
SUNDAY MARCH 30th AT
THE PRIOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
AT THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS
(Worcester, MA – February 5, 2025) Music Worcester and The Prior Performing Arts Center are co-presenting the acclaimed self-conducted string orchestra The Sphinx Virtuosi in American Form/s Sunday, March 30th at 4pm at The Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross. Tickets and information can be found at priorperformingartscenter.holycross.edu.
Described by the Washington Post as musicians who demonstrate “immeasurable power, unwavering command and soulful beauty,” the Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring chamber orchestra. It serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.
The Sphinx Organization has reached more than 100 million people worldwide. Focused on increasing representation in classical music and celebrating excellence, Sphinx programs serve beginner students, seasoned classical music professionals, cultural entrepreneurs, and artistic administrators by addressing the systemic lack of access within Black and Latino communities.
Comprised of 18 accomplished Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. As a bilingual ensemble, these artist-citizens break down existing barriers to foster connections with the broader community.
“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Music Worcester in bringing the extraordinary artists of Sphinx Virtuosi to the state-of-the-art concert hall at The Prior Performing Arts Center,” said Kyle Frisina, Interim Director of The Prior. “It has underscored our shared commitment to making the arts accessible to all.”
“Engaging Sphinx Virtuosi for their first visit to Central MA addresses so many aspirations of Music Worcester,” added Adrien Finlay, Executive Director of Music Worcester. “We are very happy to be working with Holy Cross to activate this amazing new cultural facility and to inspire future generations of musicians through a robust educational residency by the orchestra across the city.”
American Form/s is a musical tapestry depicting the many sounds of American classical music, including classically framed infusions of soul, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and elements of rag. The program opens with a riveting final movement of Serenade for Strings by 19th-century pianist, composer, singer, and conductor Teresa Carreño. Additional concepts of American music are explored in Derrick Skye’s multifaceted and optimistic American Mirror, Part One; renowned violinist-composer Curtis Stewart’s Drill Set for Prepared Drumset and Strings which features guest percussionist Josh Jones. Jones earned his bachelor’s in music from DePaul School of
Music and was the orchestra fellow of both the Detroit and Pittsburgh symphonies. In 2022, Josh joined the Grant Park Festival Orchestra as Principal Percussionist.
American Form/s will also include The Overture from Treemonisha, written by foundational ragtime composer Scott Joplin and newly arranged by Jannina Norpoth; and an imaginative nod to Joplin by celebrated film composer, educator, and advocate Levi Taylor that is meant to embody the bold, ambitious, and authentic expression in Joplin’s music. The program is completed with a string orchestra arrangement of Juantio Becenti’s Hané for String Quartet and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Novelletten for Strings.
Of the American Form/s program, Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa Dworkin says, “This program aspires to evolve the American concert music canon through a celebration of kaleidoscopic voices of the past and present. The beauty of today’s landscape is expressed by the abundance of both the harmonic and rhythmic exploration that we hope resonates with audiences far and wide.”
About Music Worcester Music Worcester, Inc., originally known as the Worcester County Music Association, for years ran the Worcester Music Festival. Current programs reflect the merger in the mid-1990s of the Festival with the International Artists Series and the MA Jazz Festival. Performances regularly include visiting orchestras and guest soloists, chamber music ensembles and ballet companies, world music and jazz groups, and choral masterworks. Multiple educational programs currently serve youth and families of greater Worcester: masterclasses by visiting artists, Tickets to Opportunity, Festival Singers, in-school residencies, and the Artist-in-Residency program. Integral to Music Worcester’s annual operations, The Worcester Chorus has been part of the organization since the very first concert season in 1858.
About The Prior Performing Arts Center
A catalyst for creativity and learning, The Prior Performing Arts Center amplifies the arts at Holy Cross and provides the College, the greater Worcester community, and visiting creative thinkers with an inspiring environment to pursue diverse questions of the human experience. Its Prior Presents series is the keystone of the center’s public-facing programming, merging thrilling live events by visiting artists with robust educational and outreach activities. Defined by exceptional artistic quality, interdisciplinary impulses, and the potential to spark both wonder and reflection, this annual series celebrates artistic risk-taking and the exchange of ideas and perspectives from around the globe.
Prior Performing Arts Center and Music Worcester co-present The Sphinx Virtuosi Sunday March 30th at 4pm at The Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA. Tickets and information for The Sphinx Virtuosi and Prior Center events are available at priorperformingartscenter.holycross.edu. Tickets and information for all Music Worcester events can be found at musicworcester.org.
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For additional program information and photos:
please contact:
David Balsom/CK Communications Group 617.510.2316 – dbalsom@ckcommgroup.com
Adam Klein/CK Communications Group 617.504.6156 – adam@ckcommgroup.com
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Coming up during the 2024-2025 Season at Music Worcester
*Part of THE COMPLETE BACH
Imani Winds and Boston Brass
Friday, February 14th 8pm Tuckerman Hall
Ian Bostridge: Shakespeare Songs Sunday, March 2nd at 4pm Tuckerman Hall
Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields & Bruce Liu
Sunday March 9th 6pm Mechanics Hall
Bach’s Birthday Bash 2025 Mechanics Hall
The Complete Keyboard Partitas Jeremy Denk
Friday, March 21st at 7pm
The Worcester Chorus Secular Cantatas BWV 213 & 214
Saturday, March 22nd at 4pm
Handel and Haydn Society Concerti for Two Harpsichords
Saturday, March 22nd at 8pm
Worcester Bach Collective Cantatas BWV 28, 36, 40, 64, 133
Sunday, March 23rd at 4pm
Moveable Feast: Bach Organist Recital
Sunday, April 27th at 4pm Trinity Lutheran Church and First Baptist Church
Time for Three
Wednesday, May 14th at 7:30pm BrickBox Theatre at JMAC
The Worcester Chorus
Saturday, May 17t h at 8pm Mechanics Hall
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Coming up at The Prior Performing Arts Center
August Wilson’s Two Trains Running/The Acting Company
Monday, February 10th at 7pm at The Prior
Jeremy Flower | A Series of Resolutions
Thursday, February 27th at 7pm at The Prior
Jha D Amazi of MASS Design
Tuesday, March 18th at 6pm at The Prior
