Sphinx Organization Announces Finalists in 2021 Virtual Competition

January 19, 2021, 2:46 PM · The Sphinx Organization has announced six finalists in its 2021 Annual Sphinx Competition who will compete at 7 p.m. ET Jan. 30 in a Finals concert that will be streamed via their Facebook, YouTube, and website (take your pick!). Awards will be announced after the Final Concert.

The finalists are:

2021 Senior Division Finalists (Age 18-30):

Christian Gray, bass (Boston University)
Luiz Fernando Venturelli, cello (Northwestern University)
Samuel Abraham Vargas Teixeira, violin (Columbus State University)

2021 Junior Division Finalists (Age 17 and under):

Amaryn Olmeda, violin (Homeschooled)
Jonathan Okseniuk, violin (Arete Preparatory Academy)
Dillon P. Scott, viola (North Penn High School)

The Sphinx Competition is the national competition offering young Black and Latinx classical string players the chance to perform under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and compete for prizes ranging from $3,000 to $50,000.

Jury members for the 2021 competition include Jennifer Arnold, Joel Krosnick, Tai Murray, Philippe Quint, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Matthew Van Besien, and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt.

A conference called SphinxConnect 2021: UNITY will take place before the Finals concert, from January 28 to 30. Artists and leaders in diversity will meet to discuss topics such as inclusion, leadership, best practices and creating connections. Register here for the conference.

Here is a nice introductory video featuring Junior Division finaalist Amaryn Olmeda:

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