Pushing the Envelope, Embracing the Inclusive

The Renowned Sphinx Virtuosi, a Chamber Ensemble Showcasing Musicians of Color, Brings a Promising and Fresh Program to Santa Barbara’s Lobero

By Josef Woodard Mon Mar 11, 2024 | 12:21pm

Of the many musical riches being ushered into our town courtesy of CAMA (Community Arts Music Association), the most adventurous-while-accessible item on the season roster arrives at the Lobero Theatre on Friday, March 15, in the form of the Sphinx Virtuosi. Making their Santa Barbara debut, this widely praised and “conductor-less” chamber ensemble, composed of gifted musicians of color performing music of composers of color, was founded in 2004 and is enjoying a relevance and its strongest stride yet.

An important public-linked arm of the mothership Sphinx Organization — “dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts” — the Virtuosi has built up an impressive roster of connections through the group and its individual players, alongside a healthy practice of commissioning new music. That commissioned composer list includes Terence Blanchard, Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Valerie Coleman. They have collaborated with Blanchard, Davóne Tines, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Denyce Graves, and made appearances at the Grammy Awards and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

This is one serious music endeavor with fingers on multiple pulses, including the pulse of advancing racial parity in the arts.

We checked in with the operation, and posed some questions to Bill Neri, Director of Ensemble Advancement.

At the risk of asking too large a question, how has the Ensemble evolved since its origin two decades ago? In some ways, not much at all. In its original formation, we were led by a conductor, so in that way it’s a huge transformation, but we are still a lean 18-member ensemble. Our programs have evolved to feature more commissions and expand the canon by showcasing new works by upwards of four Black and Latinx composers each year.

The group was ahead of its time, in terms of anticipating the slow development of more inclusivity — gender-wise, racially, and otherwise — in the classical music sphere. Is it also the case that you have much more music to draw from, in terms of composers of color finally contributing to the pool of available repertoire in recent years? Jesse Montgomery, actually a Sphinx alumnus, is just one shining example. Totally. We are fortunate to commission so many works in previous years by composers like Jesse Montgomery, Michael Dudley, Andrea Casarrubios, and many more. We’re happy to be part of the fixture that is a change for good across the industry, so others can have more music to draw from as well.

Sphinx Virtuosi performs at the Lobero on March 15 | Photo: Scott Jackson

There is always the question of how a conductor-less ensemble operates, although there are now many examples of it working beautifully, as with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Are there systems of guiding and leading within the ensemble? Totally. We prefer the term “self-conducted,” to denote our ability to treat each other as leaders. It is key that each member knows the score inside and out, and can live their music through the lines of the player standing next to them. We’re a very diplomatic and democratic group of friends, and respect each other’s thoughts during rehearsal, and are always open to hearing ideas during rehearsal.

Can you tell me about the program you will be playing in Santa Barbara, and any overarching theme involved in that? We’re super excited to showcase the new works of four composers — Quenton Blache, Javier Farias, Andrea Casarrubios, and Xavier Foley. As part of our program, you’ll delight in hearing the dueling bass concerto, Galaxy, by Foley, where his prowess on the instrument is mirrored by another Sphinx Competition winner Kebra-Seyoun Charles.

It’s a privilege to be part of an ensemble that is accredited with not just commissioning so many new works, but also recording them. We featured new pieces and arrangements on our recent album (Songs for Our Times, the group’s debut album), released on the Deutsche Grammophon label, including Jessie Montgomery’s concert for cello and string orchestra, Divided.

Songs for Our Times offers a refreshing agenda of new music from composers outside the “old guard” of dead white male composers. Do you see the album as both a kind of mission statement, chronicling the story so far, as well as a sign of music to come from the group? Absolutely, and it is refreshing to hear that sentiment. I hope that the album can serve as a call to action to ensembles and organizations around the country and leap at opportunities to widen their palate and that of their audiences to savor the richness of new music by voices from underserved communities.

Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) presents Sphinx Virtuosi on Friday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.). See lobero.org.