Sphinx Organization Announce $100,000 MPower Artist Grant Recipients

The Sphinx Organization has announced the 16 recipients of the 2019 MPower Artist Career Grants

The Sphinx Organization, a US non-profit organization dedicated to the development of young American Black and Latin classical musicians, has today announced the 16 recipients of the 2019 MPower Artist Career Grants.

The year’s recipients are:

Paul Aguilar - $10,000 - to travel with the Callisto Quartet and to study with Gunter Pichler at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia School.

Sophia Amalia Ayer - $4,600 - to be used towards college prescreening recordings and audition costs.

Govanny Brown - $5,000 - to receive weekly music lessons with violist Michael Klotz.

Douglas Cardwell - $1,000 - to purchase seamless cartwheel mallets and timpani tilt inventions

Armando Castellano - $6,000 - to support Quinteto Latino’s Seminario - a program to train musicians of color in chamber music performance

Angelica Durrell - $8,000 - to support the INTEMPO’s after-school guitar and choral music program in public schools

Vincent Garcia-Hettinger - $7,200 - to receive lessons and audition coaching with Kenneth Freudigman

Bethlehem Hadgu - $3,300 - to attend the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, the Encore String Academy and the Bowdoin International Music Festival

Paul Laraia - $7,400 - to purchase professional grade recording equipment

Jessie Montgomery - $5,000 - to be used towards a Vinyl recording project with bassist/songwriter Eleonore Oppenheim

Gabriela Salvador-Riera - $4,800 - to attend the 2019-20 MSD Honors Program

Damien L. Sneed - $8,500 - to aid with the creation of the Damien Sneed Foundation Performing Arts Institute and educate and empower young people in various disciplines of the performing arts

Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza - $3,000 - to receive weekly lessons with Kerri Ryan in preparation for college auditions

Caen Thomason-Redus - $15,000 - to create Throughlines, a community-connected chamber music series in and around Detroit

Sophia Ines Valenti - $3,200 - to attend the Young Chamber Musicians music program and to assist with extra lessons towards audition/competition preparation

Lecolion Washington - $8,000 - to support a leadership training program at the Community Music Center of Boston, including workshops for aspiring musicians & arts entrepreneurs of color