The Sphinx Organization has named the three recipients of its 2022 Sphinx Medals of Excellence: pianist Michelle Cann, violinist Randall Goosby, and soprano Karen Slack. The award, which comes with a $50,000 career grant for each recipient, recognizes extraordinary classical musicians of color. Since the inaugural Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2012, the organization has awarded $1.38 million in career grants to 33 Black and Latinx artists, including pianist Lara Downes, sopranos Raquel González and Ailyn Pérez, pianist/conductor/composer Damian Sneed, and bass-baritone Davóne Tines, among others. The 2022 recipients will receive their medals on March 17, 2022 at a luncheon hosted by the Kennedy Center and a private back-tie dinner in Washington, D.C. Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa S. Dworkin said, “With our 11th annual Sphinx Medals of Excellence, we invite the world to celebrate the artistry and visionary leadership of Karen Slack and her #KikiKonversations as she sheds light upon historically excluded artists; we are thrilled to amplify Randall Goosby’s Roots album as a project of musical and personal discovery; and applaud Michelle Cann’s vision and ongoing excellence in uncovering and championing the voice of Florence Price, evolving the classical music canon for our sector. These leaders set extraordinary examples.”
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