Those darn kids again. I think it's time to hold them up and see how shiny they are.

February 11, 2006 12:01 PM

This week we had the the Sphinx Competition (old article) here in Detroit. Following on the heels of rampant consumerism and willy-nilly football, The Sphinx Organization brings urban diversity to classical music - Latino and African American students between 12 and 22 years old are challenging their elders with talent and enthusiasm.
posted by Slap Incognito (3 comments total)

And lest we forget the truly young at heart, let's give a nod to Sphinx Kids, too.
And then there's Mosaic, bringing youth theatre to Detroit. Mosaic challenges urban youth to be a part of professional, very well done theatre.
posted by Slap Incognito at 12:02 PM on February 11, 2006

I haven't quite understood why the money suddenly flows when minorities pursue Mozart, Beethoven, and other distinctly European music types (which I guess are under the umbrella of "classical"). Don't China, Africa, and Latin America have their own rich tapestries of music? It seems that preserving these other music forms would be honorable and a great contribution to humanity.
posted by chef_boyardee at 1:07 PM on February 11, 2006

Mosaic is amazing. Haven't made it to the Sphinx yet, but want to one of these years.

The money doesn't flow, chef_boyardee. If you'd read the second link, you'd have seen that Spinx was started (and, although it doesn't say it, all the feed money came from) Aaron P. Dworkin, who got sick of being the only non-white face in orchestras.

There isn't anything up yet for this year, but maybe you'd prefer the Concert of Colors, where you can see Peking Opera, Taiko drumming, Moroccan pop, Italian folk music, reggae, W. African drumming and so much more.

We got all kinds of music in Detroit.
posted by QIbHom at 7:46 PM on February 11, 2006