By Afa Sadykhly Dworkin, Sphinx Music

On Wednesday night, by 7:00 pm, school buses surrounded the New World Symphony.  One could barely help hold a smile back, looking at a sea of young faces, full of excitement and curiosity.  As I followed them into the hall, I was faced with a magnificent site: arguably, the world’s most remarkable concert hall was more radiant than words could describe!

An audience of more than 700 was diverse in age, gender and cultural background, ready to experience something special.  Hundreds more, young and old were also camped out on the lawn, awaiting the great WallCast.  It seemed as though the world was suspended in the warm air, in anticipation of the opportunity to experience the ensemble of top musicians of color, the Sphinx Virtuosi (who just launched their tour in Macon, GA and will finish it in Charlotte, NC).

Diversity in today’s world of classical music is still a key challenge: nationally, Blacks and Latinos comprise slightly above a modest 4% of American orchestras. The numbers have doubled in the last decade, but the process is painstakingly slow. Repertoire by Black and Latino composers represents less than 1% of literature performed by American orchestras…but not on that night.

The Sphinx Virtuosi brought an array of offerings, from standard masterpieces like Schubert and Bartok to rare gems like Ginastera and Golijov (Argentinean composers) to Coleridge Taylor Perkinson (African-American composer) and Plaza (of Venezuelan origin).  The audience was welcoming and live, just like the performance space, and each piece was delivered with conviction and precision.  Howard Herring and Aaron Dworkin, leaders of the New World Symphony and Sphinx, respectively, shared a sense of commitment to the synergistic relationship between the missions of the two organizations.  The hope is to return to this magical space, where music truly has a chance to transcend centuries of man-made barriers.