CIM lands 2022 Sphinx Performance Academy

If classical music had a combine, like professional football, that event would look a lot like the program in store the next two weeks at CIM.  

A gathering like no other, the Sphinx Performance Academy brings together some of the nation’s most gifted young Black and Hispanic musicians for two jam-packed weeks of elevating artistry and knocking down racial and socioeconomic barriers.   

The annual event, other versions of which run at The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, takes place in person July 23-August 6, after two years of disruption by Covid-19. 

“We at Sphinx greatly look forward to returning to CIM for another edition of our summer intensive,” said Afa Dworkin, president and artistic director of the Sphinx Organization, the Detroit-based organizer of the event. “We value our partnership with CIM and it is always encouraging to see our students begin or continue their educational journey at CIM.” 

A full-scholarship program, Sphinx Performance Academy is one of the most impactful initiatives making classical music more inclusive and representative. In alignment with CIM’s mission to be the future of classical music, it helps develop the nation’s brightest young violin, viola and cello players into the professional artists and teachers of tomorrow. Participants hail from all over the US, including CIM’s own Musical Pathway Fellowship program, which supports local Black and Hispanic young musicians admitted to CIM’s Academy.  

Out of more than 350 applicants, Sphinx selected just 32 musicians ages 11-17 for two weeks of private lessons, chamber music instruction, performances, and enrichment for a career in music. Instruction at CIM comes from Sphinx alumni – some of whom are also CIM graduates – as well as CIM faculty, including members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Catalyst Quartet. Racial diversity initiatives at CIM are supported by a broad base that includes the Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the David and Inez Myers Foundation and KeyBank Foundation.  

The partnership between CIM and Sphinx doesn’t end there. In addition to the Performance Academy, CIM regularly hosts the Sphinx Virtuosi, a self-conducted touring ensemble, and the Future of Music Faculty Fellowship, a career development initiative powered in part by the Sphinx Venture Fund. CIM students and faculty, in turn, regularly attend SphinxConnect, a convention supporting inclusion and diversity in classical music. In addition, Dworkin teaches CIM’s Community Engagement seminar in partnership with other Sphinx staff and performers.  

“Our relationship with Sphinx is deep and ongoing, and my friendship with Afa (Dworkin) is one that I cherish,” said Paul Hogle, president and CEO of CIM. “Together with Sphinx, through programs like the Performance Academy, we are dashing stereotypes and helping change the face of classical music.”