Carnegie Hall

Pioneering and convention-shattering, the Sphinx Virtuosi has established itself as one of the country’s finest chamber ensembles. It’s also a group with a unique and long-lasting vision: transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. The 18-person string ensemble is composed entirely of Black and Latinx members, and has spent nearly two decades serving as a cultural ambassador within the United States and abroad. For a closer look at the Sphinx Virtuosi, here are five things to know about the innovative ensemble.

A Carnegie Hall Mainstay

Since its 2004 debut performance, the Sphinx Virtuosi has appeared at Carnegie Hall nearly 20 times—almost every year of its existence. The group’s debut featured composers from Vivaldi and Mozart to groundbreaking African American composers Perkinson and George Walker.

That performance, and many of the ensemble’s Carnegie Hall appearances since, have showcased winners of the Sphinx Competition, a national contest that showcases the country’s best young Black and Latinx classical artists. The Sphinx Virtuosi’s debut also set the stage for future engagements at the Hall that have since featured more than a dozen New York and world premieres, and several debut commissions.

A Change-Making Institution

Along with its parent nonprofit, the Sphinx Organization, the Sphinx Virtuosi has helped significantly change the repertoire of American orchestras. Just a decade ago, music by composers of color comprised less than .5 percent of American orchestra seasons. Today, that number stands at nearly 14 percent.

The organization’s push for diversity in repertoire and personnel starts at the youth level. Sphinx provides free year-round musical instruction for Black and Latinx elementary school students in Detroit and Flint, Michigan, and a full-scholarship summer intensive program for middle and high schoolers across the country. The prestigious Sphinx Competition has also helped launch the careers of some of America’s most prominent soloists and composers. Jessie Montgomery, a Sphinx alum and the inaugural resident composer for the Sphinx Virtuosi, is the most frequently performed orchestral composer of color today. Montgomery’s works have been performed at Carnegie Hall six times by the Sphinx Virtuosi, including the 2022 New York debut of Divided, a solo work for cello and string orchestra co-commissioned by the Sphinx Organization and Carnegie Hall.

An Adaptable, Conductor-less Ensemble

The Sphinx Virtuosi is one of the nation’s most prominent chamber orchestras without a conductor. The ensemble’s flexibility also applies to its choice of repertoire, which navigates seamlessly from Baroque to Romantic to contemporary. In a 2022 Carnegie Hall appearance, the Sphinx Virtuosi performed the world premiere of Sphinx Competition winner and composer Xavier Foley’s violin-bass duo An Ode to Our Times before concluding with the final movement of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9 (which the composer had originally dedicated to George Bridgetower, a British violinist of African descent).

The ensemble’s musicians are accustomed to wide variations in style; they’ve appeared not only with top orchestras like The Cleveland Orchestra and New York Philharmonic, but also with musicians well outside the classical realm, like Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Internationally Renowned

A 2022 concert in São Paulo marked the Sphinx Virtuosi’s first international appearance. The performance entirely featured composers of color, including four pieces commissioned by Sphinx and two co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. The group visited Europe for the first time in 2023, performing a wide range of British and American compositions for audiences across the United Kingdom.

A Debut Album

Hailed as “joyous and uplifting” by the Financial Times, the Sphinx Virtuosi’s debut album on the Deutsche Grammophon label received a warm reception from listeners and critics alike. Released in 2023, Songs for Our Times reflected the organization’s commitment to uplifting composers of color. Its diverse tracks included world premiere recordings of both Valerie Coleman’s Tracing Visions and Jessie Montgomery’s Divided—both written for the ensemble. Among the album’s other tracks are fresh performances of works by Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero and African American composer Florence Price, whose works the Sphinx Organization has championed in recent years.

With 20 Carnegie Hall performances in the Sphinx Virtuosi’s nearly 20-year history, the group will remain a mainstay at the Hall for years to come. Audiences can keep watching the ensemble evolve—just as its musicians help transform the face of classical music.

Photography: Sphinx Virtuosi by Jennifer Taylor.