Sphinx Competition’s top prize goes to double-bassist Kebra-Seyoun Charles

“Double bassist Kebra-Seyoun Charles is the first-prize winner in the Senior Division of the 2022 Sphinx Competition,” reads an unsigned article in Saturday’s (1/29) Violin Channel. “A graduate of the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Todd Seeber and Lawrence Wolfe, and current postgraduate student at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Joseph Conyers, Kebra-Seyoun will receive the US $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize plus a number of solo appearances with major orchestras.… The second and third prizes in this year’s Senior Division were awarded to violinist Gabriela Lara and violist Harper Randolph. First prize in the 17 years and under Junior Division was awarded to violinist Jonathan Okseniuk. The second and third prizes were presented to cellist Brandon Leonard and violinist Ana Isabella España. The Sphinx Organization, … dedicated to the development of young American Black and Latin classical musicians, hosts a competition and conference every year to showcase young talent throughout America. Originally slated to be held in Detroit with in-person participation, both were held virtually owing to uncertainty over the COVID-19 variant developments…. The 2022 competition jury comprised Zuill Bailey, Danielle Belen, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Patrice Jackson, Midori, Laura Snyder, and Melissa White.”