Sphinx Virtuosi to perform at UB

The Sphinx Virtuosi, a professional chamber orchestra dedicated to increasing racial and cultural diversity in classical music, will perform at UB on Oct. 15.

The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

Two days after their concert at UB, members of the ensemble will spend a morning working with and performing for high school students from The Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.

The Sphinx Virtuosi features 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latinx classical soloists who are primarily alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition, the leading social justice nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. A key goal of the Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities across the United States during national tours.

The program for the UB concert:

Jessie Montgomery: Strum

Michael Dudley: Prayer for our Times

Valerie Coleman: Tracing Visions

Jessie Montgomery: Divided

Simon: Between Worlds

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas No. 9

Ricardo Herz: Sísifo na Cidade Grande

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47, "Bridgetower," Andante con Variazoni and Presto (arranged for string orchestra)

Tracing Visions, Divided and Sísifo na Cidade Grande were all commissioned by the Sphinx Virtuosi.

The Virtuosi explains that the UB concert program “was inspired by the conditions of our present day, the brilliant voices narrating and commemorating current events, as well as the vibrant gifts of the past that we cherish today. We share in the poignant division among our communities, while looking for light and hope, which come from empathy, listening, remembrance and visioning.

“We celebrate today through the creative living voices from the Black and Brown communities, while reflecting on our past, its history and pay tribute to tradition through today’s lens. Through this program, we hope to bring joy, discovery and hope to our long beloved and newly engaged audiences.”

Tickets for the concert are $20; UB students with valid ID may pick up their free ticket before concert time.

Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, at the Center for the Arts box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, or at the Slee Hall box office an hour before concert time.