Carnegie Hall

The Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional, self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization. Comprising 18 accomplished Black and Latino artists who reflect the highest level of musicianship in America, Sphinx Virtuosi aims to evolve the breadth and impact of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural ambassadors for audiences and communities around the US and abroad.

Since 2004, the Sphinx Virtuosi’s concerts have been presented by leading arts organizations, including annual performances at Carnegie Hall as an established highlight of its fall season. Frequently selling out venues, the ensemble has garnered effusive accolades, including from The New York Times, which described the group as “top-notch ... more essential at this moment than ever,” giving “a vibrant, assured performance.” The Washington Post wrote, “True to their name, the Sphinx Virtuosi call up the vision of an iconic mythological feline with its immeasurable power, unwavering command, and soulful beauty.” Its debut album, Songs for Our Times, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in July 2023 and represents the rich history of the Sphinx Organization and the vibrant future of classical music by centering the artistry of extraordinary composers and artistic visionaries of color.

Heralded for its kaleidoscopically varied repertoire and bold thematic programming, Sphinx Virtuosi gives prominence to historically excluded Black and Latino composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Alberto Ginastera, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Florence Price, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and George Walker. In an effort to expand its repertoire and engage new audiences, the ensemble commissions new works annually, including major new works from Michael Abels, Terence Blanchard, Valerie Coleman, Xavier Foley, Ricardo Herz, Jimmy López Bellido, Jessie Montgomery, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Carlos Simon.

Members of the Sphinx Virtuosi have performed as soloists with major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. Members also hold professional orchestral and academic positions. As a bilingual ensemble, these artist-citizens frequently break down existing barriers, empowering the artform to connect with the broader community.

Described as “superb” by the Chicago Classical Review, violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious (pronounced en-jee-oh-muh) is a passionate and versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral musician and performer. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a winner of its John Erskine Prize for scholastic and artistic achievement, she won the 2023 grand prize in the Concert Artists Guild and Young Classical Artists Trust Victor Elmaleh Competition, the Robert F. Smith first prize and the audience choice awards in the senior division of the Sphinx Competition, and first prizes for performance and interpretation in the 2018 Prix Ravel in Fontainebleau. In 2022, she was the winner of concerto competitions at the University of Delaware and the Newark Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist, she has appeared with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, Western Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and Newark Symphony Orchestra. A founding member of the Abeo Quartet, she recently completed studies with Ryan Meehan and the Calidore String Quartet at the University of Delaware, where she was also a fellow in the inaugural graduate string quartet in residence. In 2022, the Abeo Quartet won first prize and the audience favorite prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition and was invited to participate in the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition. At Juilliard, the quartet studied with the Juilliard String Quartet and has also been coached by members of the Alban Berg, Ebène, Takács, Artemis, Brentano, Miró, and Emerson string quartets.

Ms. Grevious performs frequently on chamber music series and has performed in festivals that include Music@Menlo, Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, McGill International String Quartet Academy, Meadowmount, Fontainebleau Schools, and Tanglewood. For many years, she was a scholarship recipient through Boston’s Project STEP string training program for Black and Latino youth, and at the time also earned summer study scholarship assistance through Winsor Music.

She began studying the violin at the age of four; her principal teachers include Ronald Copes, James Buswell, Mariana Green-Hill, and Farhoud Moshfegh. As a Juilliard Gluck Fellow, she performed regularly for the medically vulnerable, retirees, and children. She loves teaching composition and collaboration to New York City elementary and middle school students from underrepresented communities through the Opportunity Music Project.

Described as “superb” (The New York Times) and “technically flawless … vivacious and scintillating … it is without doubt that Murray’s style of playing is more mature than that of many seasoned players” (Muso), violinist Tai Murray has established herself as a musical voice of a generation. Appreciated for her elegance and effortless ability, she creates a special bond with listeners through her personal phrasing and subtle sweetness. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2004, she was named a BBC New Generation Artist (2008–2010). As a chamber musician, she was a member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II (2004–2006).

She has performed as guest soloist on main stages worldwide, with leading ensembles such as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and all of the BBC symphony orchestras. She is a dedicated advocate of contemporary works written for the violin. Among others, she performed the world premiere of Malcolm Hayes’s Violin Concerto at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall.

As a recitalist she has visited many of the world’s major cities, including Berlin, Chicago, Hamburg, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, and Washington, DC. Her critically acclaimed debut recording for harmonia mundi of Eugène Ysaÿe’s six sonatas for solo violin was released in February 2012. Her second recording, featuring works by American composers of the 20th century, was released by the Berlin-based label eaSonus, and her third disc, with the Bernstein Serenade, was released on the French label Mirare Productions.

Ms. Murray plays a violin by Tommaso Balestrieri made in Mantua circa 1765, on generous loan from a private collection. She is on the faculty of the Yale School of Music, where she teaches applied violin and coaches chamber music. She earned artist diplomas from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and The Juilliard School.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Josh Jones started hitting things at age two and received his first drum set at three. He began his formal studies in percussion with the percussion scholarship program under the direction of Chicago Symphony Orchestra percussionist Patricia Dash and Lyric Opera of Chicago percussionist Douglas Waddell. Mr. Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in music from DePaul University and was the orchestra fellow of both the Detroit and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras. In 2022, he joined the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra as principal percussionist.

Mr. Jones has been featured at Carnegie Hall and on radio and television, and he has had two short documentaries made about his musical development. He also authored a percussion method book series, Spatial Studies for Hitting Things, and writes musical and philosophical blogs on his website drummojo.com. Mr. Jomes enjoys giving back to the community as well as mentoring young musicians and traveling.