February 3, 2020



Dear Friend,

We often wonder what the future holds for classical music organizations like the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. None of us are getting any younger, and the kind of music education many of us experienced is a thing of the past.

This week, if you hang around downtown Detroit, you can get a glimpse of what that future might look like, as the annual Sphinx Connect conference takes the Westin Book Cadillac hotel by storm, culminating in the 23rd Annual Sphinx Competition Finals at Orchestra Hall on Saturday evening.

And that future looks incredibly bright.
The Sphinx Organization was founded in 1997 by Aaron P. Dworkin to address the under-representation of people of color in classical music. Aaron, a talented African-American violinist studying at the time at the University of Michigan School of Music, was raised in New York by Jewish adoptive parents who were both university faculty members, one of them also a fine amateur violinist. Had they lived in Metro Detroit, the Dworkin family might well have attended concerts by the CMSD!
Aaron's early experience of the music profession troubled him, though, as he looked around at the composition of symphony orchestras and saw precious few people in them who looked like he did. So in 1997, with some initial help from U of M, he started the Sphinx Competition, with the goal of identifying and advancing the careers of superb African-American and Latinx string players.
What Aaron and his wife Afa have accomplished since then simply boggles the mind. Through the competition, they have elevated hundreds of gifted young musicians, including several who appear regularly on the CMSD stage. Through education programs they have trained and inspired thousands more. And for all of us, they demonstrate by the work and their example that classical music - playing and listening - is for everyone.

Decades from now, classical music organizations like ours will find themselves deeply indebted to the Sphinx Organization for widening the pathway to participation in great music-making into a highway of opportunity, helping all of us build new and broader audiences through the power of diversity in the arts.
But we're not waiting decades at the Chamber Music Society of Detroit! I am thrilled to announce that both Afa and Aaron Dworkin have agreed to join the Artistic Advisory Board of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and will serve as Artistic Advisors in the programming of our 2021-2022 Season. The perspective and knowledge they bring will help us in our ongoing effort to make the Chamber Music Society of Detroit a place of welcome to everyone.
You can join the excitement of the 2020 Sphinx Competition by attending the Finals Concert at Orchestra Hall, this coming Saturday evening at 7:30 PM.

Sphinx Competition Finals Tickets: CLICK HERE

You can also attend the Sphinx Connect Conference itself, at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel from Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon. I'll be there for the whole thing, including participating as a panelist on a Friday afternoon session called "Evergreen Programming."

Sphinx Connect Conference Registration: CLICK HERE
As the work of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit continues to grow and evolve, we know that the music that moves us so deeply is truly universal, able to touch the hearts and move the souls of anyone .

May the Chamber Music Society of Detroit be a place of musical welcome for many, many years to come.

We'll see you at the concerts!
Steve Wogaman, President
Chamber Music Society of Detroit
Tickets: 313-335-3300 or
Randall Goosby, violin
Speaking of welcome, we are excited to bring to our stage the brilliant young violinist, Randall Goosby. I first heard Randall in the competition finals at Sphinx a few years ago, and resolved then that the CMSD must be the presenter of his Detroit recital debut!

There will be two opportunities to hear him later this month: on February 28 at Wayne State's Schaver Recital Hall, and on February 29 at Northbrook Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills.

His program, with pianist Zhu Wang, includes:

Vitali: Chaconne in G minor
Debussy: Violin Sonata in G minor
Still: Suite for Violin and Piano
Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat major

Chamber Music Society of Detroit | CMSDetroit.org