At the Sphinx Competition, left to right: Afa S. Dworkin, Brandon Leonard, Alejandra Switala, Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Dillon Scott, and Aaron P. Dworkin.
“On 27 and 28 January, the finals of the annual Sphinx Competition took place in Detroit MI, U.S.,” states an unsigned article in Tuesday’s (1/31) Strad (U.K.). “17-year-old cellist Brandon Leonard was awarded first prize in the Junior Division, while violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious, 23, took home first prize in the Senior Division. Leonard won $10,000, solo concert engagements and a radio performance opportunity, and Grevious received the $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize and solo concert engagements with major orchestras. She also received the Audience Choice Prize, worth $5,000. In the Junior Division, violinist Gabriela Salvador Riera, 16, won second prize and $5,000, while 17-year-old cellist Vincent Garcia-Hettinger was awarded third prize and $3,000. In the Senior Division, second prize and $20,000 went to violinist Alejandra Switala, while third prize and $10,000 were awarded to violist Dillon Scott.… The 2023 competition jury comprised Joseph Conyers, Zuill Bailey, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Patrice Jackson, Jennifer Koh, Michael Kondziolka, and Erik Rönmark. All finalists performed with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kalena Bovell. The Sphinx Organization … aims to celebrate Black and Latinx classical string players from around the world.”
