Name: Sphinx Virtuosi (Baltimore Debut) Sterling Elliott, cello
Start: 2025-10-19T17:30:00
Location: Johns Hopkins University

The Sphinx Virtuosi, a renowned ensemble of Black and Latinx classical soloists, is set to captivate audiences with a series of performances focusing on themes of peace and resilience. This season, they are joined by remarkable talents, including the young cellist Sterling Elliott. The events will feature a diverse selection of compositions that aim to inspire unity and reflection on our shared journey toward a harmonious future. Join us as the Sphinx Virtuosi brings their vibrant and rhapsodic music to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Costa Mesa.

Sphinx Virtuosi: A Symphony of Peace and Resilience

In a harmonious celebration of cultural diversity and artistic expression, the Sphinx Virtuosi ensemble returns to captivate audiences with their unique program 'Visions of Peace.' Featuring renowned cellist Sterling Elliott and violinist Randall Goosby, this series of performances spans Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Costa Mesa. With a repertoire that includes pieces by Clarice Assad, William Grant Still, and Alberto Ginastera, these events are a musical journey through themes of peace, resilience, and shared humanity. Join us as we delve into the transformative power of music in uniting diverse voices.

Sphinx Virtuosi: A Symphony of Peace and Unity

The Shriver Hall Concert Series is back with a remarkable lineup for the 2025-2026 season, featuring a blend of seasoned performers and emerging talents. From the youngest cellist to win Gold at the Tchaikovsky Competition to the imaginative pianist with a Grammy legacy, this series promises to enthrall audiences with diverse musical expressions. With a commitment to uplifting classical music, Shriver Hall will host recitals and orchestral performances that celebrate the resilience and creativity of renowned artists and young prodigies alike.

Celebrating a Symphony of Talent: The Shriver Hall Concert Series 2025-2026

The Shriver Hall Concert Series offers a captivating lineup for the 2025-2026 season, featuring a diverse array of performances by some of the most talented musicians in the world. From the enchanting cello and piano duos of Zlatomir Fung and Chaeyoung Park to the orchestral debut of the Sphinx Virtuosi, this season promises an unforgettable journey through classical and contemporary music. Join us as we explore the rich tapestry of performances that will grace the stages of Johns Hopkins University and beyond.

Exploring the 2025-2026 Shriver Hall Concert Series: A Journey of Artistic Excellence

The Sphinx Virtuosi, a dynamic ensemble of Black and Latinx classical soloists, returns to captivate audiences with their powerful performances emphasizing peace and unity. Featuring the talented cellist Sterling Elliott and violinist Randall Goosby, these events highlight musical works that resonate with themes of resilience and shared humanity. With performances across Philadelphia, Baltimore, Costa Mesa, and Santa Barbara, the Sphinx Virtuosi aims to uplift and inspire through a diverse range of compositions, from historical pieces by William Grant Still to modern works by Jessie Montgomery.

Sphinx Virtuosi: A Celebration of Peace and Unity Through Music

The Shriver Hall Concert Series for 2025-2026 offers an extraordinary lineup, featuring acclaimed artists and captivating performances across a variety of styles. From Richard Goode's emotional piano renditions to the spirited orchestral debut of Sphinx Virtuosi, the series promises a feast for the senses. With standout performances by renowned musicians like Christian Tetzlaff and newcomers like Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, this season celebrates both the time-honored and the contemporary, creating a vibrant tapestry of musical experiences.

A Season of Musical Mastery: Shriver Hall Concert Series 2025-2026

As the Sphinx Virtuosi embark on their latest season, they bring along a powerful narrative of resilience, unity, and peace through the universal language of music. Featuring the prodigious talents of Sterling Elliott and Randall Goosby, this journey sees the ensemble performing across various prestigious venues, exploring a repertoire that echoes the spirit of hope and collaboration. These events challenge us to reflect on our history and aspire to a future where music transcends borders and unites us all.

Sphinx Virtuosi: A Celebration of Diversity and Peace Through Music

The Shriver Hall Concert Series is set to dazzle Baltimore with an extraordinary lineup of events featuring Baltimore debuts, celebrated musicians, and vibrant performances. From the pioneering Sphinx Virtuosi to the captivating pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, this season promises unforgettable experiences that celebrate orchestral brilliance and solo recitals. Each event showcases unique talents and compositions, providing audiences with a rich tapestry of musical artistry. Join us as we delve into the standout performances that define this remarkable series, heralding a new era of classical music appreciation in Baltimore.

A Symphony of Strings: Celebrating Baltimore Musical Debuts and Masterpieces

Embark on an enchanting journey with Sphinx Virtuosi, an illustrious ensemble of Black and Latinx classical musicians. As they grace stages across the U.S., featuring the remarkable talents of cellist Sterling Elliott and violinist Randall Goosby, their performances encapsulate a profound narrative of peace, unity, and resilience. Through the language of music, they navigate the complexities of history, stirring emotions and aspirations in a quest for harmony and understanding.

The Shriver Hall Concert Series' 2025-2026 season promises an array of musical experiences, boasting both debuts and veteran performances by exceptional artists. Audiences will be treated to the pioneering Sphinx Virtuosi with cellist Sterling Elliott, the Abeo Quartet, and renowned artists like Edgar Meyer, Emanuel Ax, and Angela Hewitt. From orchestral innovations to classical recitals, this season offers a rich tapestry of performances that highlight the resilience of the human spirit and the timeless beauty of classical music.

A Season of Musical Excellence: Shriver Hall Concert Series 2025-2026

Sterling Elliott

Sphinx Virtuosi

Shriver Hall Concert Series

One of the world’s most acclaimed violinists, Christian Tetzlaff, brings his “incisive brilliance and fierce elegance” (Chicago Tribune) to some of the most profound music ever written. The German virtuoso performs four of Bach’s revelatory works for solo violin, including the beloved Chaconne from Partita No. 2 — repertoire he has spent a lifetime exploring, recording, and performing in interpretations that “match Bach’s 18th-century ingenuity with passion and warmth in the here and now” (The New York Times).

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Johns Hopkins University

The consummate pianist Emanuel Ax brings a lifetime of authority to every musical setting—whether as a soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, chamber musician, Grammy-winning recording artist, or recitalist. With “bountiful imagination, delicacy when called for and thundering power” (The New York Times) he returns to Shriver Hall performing essential repertoire including Schubert's powerful Sonata in A minor and a dazzling array of Chopin.

Emanuel Ax, piano

The leading classical musicians of tomorrow are training at the Peabody Institute today. The extraordinary young artist who wins the conservatory’s Yale Gordon Concerto Competition this year will preview classical music’s bright future in an intimate recital at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Winner of the 2025 Yale Gordon Competition

Twenty-one-year-old standout pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason — the third virtuoso of the Kanneh-Mason clan — has captivated audiences at the BBC Proms, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and London’s Wigmore Hall, performing “straight from the heart, with care, sparkle, and self-possession” (BBC Music Magazine). Her wide-ranging recital program reflects her curiosity, featuring works by composers showcased on her Spring 2025 debut solo album for Sony Classical.Twenty-one-year-old standout pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason — the third virtuoso of the Kanneh-Mason clan — has captivated audiences at the BBC Proms, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and London’s Wigmore Hall, performing “straight from the heart, with care, sparkle, and self-possession” (BBC Music Magazine). Her wide-ranging recital program reflects her curiosity, featuring works by composers showcased on her Spring 2025 debut solo album for Sony Classical.

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano (Baltimore Debut)

Globally lauded for her Baroque artistry, Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt won the prestigious City of Leipzig Bach Medal in 2020 and The Daily Telegraph has praised her “crispness and clarity” and “exquisite precision.” Her mastery shines in a program of Baroque brilliance: two adventurous Bach works, the fiery virtuosity of Scarlatti, and Rameau’s elegant Suite No. 2 – her Hyperion recording of which The Times (London) hailed as “magnificent.”

Angela Hewitt, piano

With their “polished sonority and well-balanced, tightly synchronized ensemble” (Chicago Classical Review), the young Isidore Quartet has swiftly soared to prominence, winning the 2022 Banff Competition and a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant. Now, they present a new work written for them by foremost American composer and Grammy-winning jazz pianist Billy Childs. Jeremy Denk, “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs” (The New York Times) joins them for Schumann’s expansive Piano Quintet.

Isidore String Quartet Jeremy Denk, piano

An enticing selection of art songs spans familiar and overlooked repertoire from myriad styles, all rooted in great literature with settings of Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, and Strauss’s opulent Four Last Songs with texts by Hermann Hesse. South African soprano Golda Schultz, who has starred at the Opéra National de Paris, Metropolitan Opera, and BBC Proms, brings this program to life with her “remarkable depth and dimension” and “distinctively thrilling radiance” (Financial Times).

Golda Schultz, soprano (Baltimore Debut) Jonathan Ware, piano (Baltimore Debut)

Internationally renowned British cellist, Steven Isserlis CBE, praised for leaving listeners “in perpetual wonder at the ingredients in his art” (The Australian), performs a program suited to his brilliance and versatility. From the playful charm and innovation of Beethoven to Soviet composer Kabalevsky’s personal emotion to Czech trailblazer Kaprálová’s explosiveness, Isserlis embarks on a captivating journey for all who cherish cello and piano.

Steven Isserlis, cello Connie Shih, piano

SHCS’s 60th season opens with the pioneering Sphinx Virtuosi, an 18-member self-conducted string orchestra and flagship ensemble of the Sphinx Organization. With “immeasurable power, unwavering command, and soulful beauty” (The Washington Post) these masterful players make their Baltimore debut with a program devoted to peace and the resilience of the human spirit. Acclaimed young cellist Sterling Elliott joins as soloist for American composer’s William Grant Still’s Suite, inspired by Harlem Renaissance sculptures.

Sphinx Virtuosi (Baltimore Debut) Sterling Elliott, cello

Articles & News