Violinist Nathan Amaral Wins $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize in Sphinx Competition - Full Winners Announced!

Sphinx Organization, the largest and longest-standing organization dedicated to diversity and inclusion in classical music, announces the winners of the 27th Annual Sphinx Competition in Detroit, MI, which took place from January 25-27, 2024 in the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. 

After performing the first movement of Coleridge-Taylor's Concerto for Violin in G minor, op. 80, violinist Nathan Amaral of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was named the 2024 First Prize winner of the Senior Division Finals, receiving the $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize and a number of solo appearances with major orchestras. Second place in the Senior Division and $20,000 was awarded to double bassist Aaron Olguin, while third place and $10,000 went to violinist Bethlehem Kelley. Olguin was also selected for the $5,000 Audience Choice Prize. 

As the first prize winner of the 2024 Sphinx Competition Junior Finals, New York City-born violinist Ana Isabella España will receive $10,000 and multiple solo appearances with major orchestras. Second prize went to violinist Rebecca Beato, who received $5,000, while third prize and $3,000 went to cellist Sonya Mooma.

All Junior and Senior Division finalists performed with American conductor Joseph Young and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, the all-Black and Latinx orchestra comprising top professionals from around the country. The 2024 competition was judged by an illustrious panel including Joseph Conyers, Principal Bass, Philadelphia Orchestra; violinist Randall Goosby; cellist Seth Parker Woods; Alasdair Tait, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of Young Classical Artists Trust; George Taylor, Professor of Viola at Eastman School of Music; violinist Elena Urioste; and John Zion, President & CEO of MKI Artists.

The Sphinx Competition is a national competition offering young Black and Latinx classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with and receive mentorship from established professional musicians. Finalists in both the Junior (Ages 17 and under) and Senior (Ages 18-30) divisions have the opportunity to perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and compete for a total of nearly $100,000 in prizes, including the top Robert Frederick Smith Prize. All semi-finalists and finalists have access to scholarships and fine instruments through the Sphinx Music Assistance Fund. Former laureates of the Sphinx Competition include artists such as Joseph Conyers, Patrice Jackson, Sterling Elliott, Randall Goosby, Tai Murray, and Elena Urioste, all of whom have gone on to major orchestral and solo careers.

About Nathan Amaral

Nathan Amaral, born in Rio de Janeiro, is an internationally awarded solo Brazilian violinist. Amaral studied at New England Conservatory of Music with Donald Weilerstein and recently recorded his debut album with Decca Classics. Some of his musical collaborations include violinist Hilary Hahn, Tabea Zimmermann, and Yura Lee, among others. He has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre, Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and Großer Saal Mozarteum.

About Ana Isabella España

Ana Isabella España, 17, has been playing the violin since the age of four. A native of New York City, she studies under Ms. Lynelle Smith at the Kaufman Music Center's Special Music School High School and studies privately with Professor Masao Kawasaki of The Juilliard School. Isabella is currently Concertmaster for the Grammy-winning New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) flagship orchestra for the 2023-24 season and has been a member of the orchestra for the past two seasons, with three concerts per season at Carnegie Hall.

About Sphinx Organization

The Sphinx Organization is dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Sphinx's four program areas – Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists, and Arts Leadership – form a pipeline that develops and supports diversity and inclusion in classical music at every level: music education, artists performing on stage, the repertoire and programming being performed, the communities represented in audiences, and the artistic and administrative leadership within the field. Sphinx programs reach more than 100,000 students and artists, as well as live and digital reach of nearly 100 million annually.

Sphinx began in 1997 as a singular initiative: the Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latinx string players. The goal of its founder, violinist and poetjournalist Aaron P. Dworkin, was to identify, empower, and support talented young artists and prepare them for professional careers in classical music. Over the past 27 years, Sphinx has grown from a single program to a movement that promotes artistic excellence and inclusion across the sector, through year-round tuition-free education and creative youth development, four premier ensembles and a robust roster of soloists, commissioning and performing new works by Black and Latinx composers; administrative leadership, cultural innovation, and entrepreneurship programs; and sector-wide partnerships with 300+ organizations to serve the field and bring programming to scale. The organization is now led by Afa S. Dworkin, its long-time Artistic Director, as well as 11 full-time staff members, 50+ teaching artists and seasonal teams, 1,200 alumni, more than $11 million invested in Black and Latinx musicians through artist grants and scholarships, and nearly 100 million in digital reach.

Read more about Sphinx's programs at www.SphinxMusic.org. 

*Photo Credit: Sphinx Organization