Speakers


Each year, SphinxConnect welcomes 90+ luminaries and trailblazers from across the classical music industry to lead conversations related to everything from programming to fundraising; all through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Speakers will be invited throughout the summer and fall, so we encourage you to visit this page often for updates and check out some past session highlights below!

2024 Plenary Speakers


Opening Plenary

Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson
Chair | National Endowment for the Arts

Aaron P. Dworkin
Poetjournalist/Founder/Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship | Sphinx Organization/Institute for Poetjournalism/University of Michigan

Closing Plenary

Arturo O'Farrill
Composer/Pianist/Educator | Belongó/UCLA

Jenn White
Host, 1A | WAMU & NPR

Opening Plenary Performance by Jesse Hubbs

Jesse Hubbs is a sixteen-year-old classical pianist. He was introduced to the piano when he was five years old, and began playing it as his primary instrument at the age of nine. Jesse currently studies piano at The Juilliard School Pre-College in New York, under the tutelage of Orli Shaham. 

In 2018, he received a perfect score on the highest-level New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) piano exam. Jesse was one of 13 pianists, chosen from 113 statewide, to perform at the NYSSMA piano showcase - and at age eleven, was the youngest to do so. The following year, he earned a silver medal at Steinway and Son’s Piano Competitions held at Steinway Hall in New York City. 

He has been featured in major media outlets including CBS, NBC, and Newsday. His appearance on NBC-NY’s Beck’s Best Kids was recognized at the time as the most successful debut of a social media program for the channel. Jesse is a From the Top Fellow and has performed at various events for the Sphinx Organization. 

In addition to piano, Jesse also plays the cello and was a member of his school’s chamber orchestra for three years. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, playing tennis, composing, and photography. 

2024 Speakers

  • Jennifer Arnold

    Jennifer Arnold

    Violist & Consultant
    Black Orchestral Network | Richmond Symphony | Cleveland Institute of Music

  • Roberto Arruda

    Roberto Arruda

    Director of International Student Services and Study Abroad
    Berklee College of Music

  • Melanie Bacaling

    Melanie Bacaling

    Opera Director
    The Met Opera

  • Christina M. Baker

    Christina M. Baker

    Sr. Director of Artist Management
    Young Concert Artists

  • Lydia Bangura

    Lydia Bangura

    Soprano
    University of Michigan

  • Dr. Lisa "Osunleti" Beckley-Roberts

    Dr. Lisa "Osunleti" Beckley-Roberts

    Chair & Associate Professor
    Jackson State University

  • Aubrey Bergauer

    Aubrey Bergauer

    CEO
    Changing the Narrative

  • Francisco Joubert Bernard

    Francisco Joubert Bernard

    Bassoonist
    Louisville Orchestra | University of Louisville

  • Jenny Bilfield

    Jenny Bilfield

    President & CEO
    Washington Performing Arts

  • Jennifer Bowman

    Jennifer Bowman

    Director of Community & Learning
    Houston Grand Opera

  • Dale Breidenthal

    Dale Breidenthal

    Violinist
    LA Philharmonic

  • Maria Pia Bucco

    Maria Pia Bucco

    Music Educator & Performer
    Sphinx Organization

  • Torrance Buntyn Jr.

    Torrance Buntyn Jr.

    Percussionist | Timpanist | Educator | Arts Administrator | DEI Advocate
    Southern Methodist University - Meadows School of the Arts

  • Brittney Bryanna Burgess

    Brittney Bryanna Burgess

    Program Coordinator
    Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging | The Juilliard School

  • Armando Castellano

    Armando Castellano

    Artistic Director | French Horn
    Quinteto Latino

  • Dr. Maria Fernanda Castillo

    Dr. Maria Fernanda Castillo

    Flutist | Musicologist | Entrepreneur
    Latin American Music Initiative | University of Tennessee Knoxville

  • Scott Cecil

    Scott Cecil

    Director
    Prohibited Media

  • Horacio Contreras

    Horacio Contreras

    Associate Professor of Cello | Cello Faculty
    University of North Texas | Music Institute of Chicago
    Photo Credit: Natali Herrera-Pacheco

  • Freddy Contreras

    Freddy Contreras

    Associate Artistic Director
    Trenton Music Makers | Capital Harmony Works

  • Joseph Conyers

    Joseph Conyers

    Principal Bass
    The Philadelphia Orchestra
    Photo Credit: Nicole Roche

  • Lydia Connolly

    Lydia Connolly

    Senior Director, Artist Management, Head of Inclusion and Access
    Harrison Parrott

  • Karen Cueva

    Karen Cueva

    Head of Operations
    The Lewis Prize for Music

  • DeAnna Cummings

    DeAnna Cummings

    Program Director
    McKnight Foundation

  • Antonio C. Cuyler, Ph.D.

    Antonio C. Cuyler, Ph.D.

    Professor | Principal Consultant
    University of Michigan | Cuyler Consulting, LLC

  • DuMarkus Davis

    DuMarkus Davis

    Founder & CEO
    Musicbuk

  • Jordyn Davis

    Jordyn Davis

    Composer | Bassist | Educator

  • Camille Delaney-McNeil

    Camille Delaney-McNeil

    Director, YOLA/Beckmen YOLA Center
    LA Phil

  • Angelica "Angie" Durrell

    Angelica "Angie" Durrell

    Founder & CEO
    INTEMPO

  • Achia Floyd

    Achia Floyd

    Director of Foundation Relations and Community
    Sphinx Organization

  • Drew Alexander Forde

    Drew Alexander Forde

    Entrepreneur | Violist | Content Creator
    Whole Soul Music LLC

  • Anna Galura Summers

    Anna Galura Summers

    Artistic Administrator | Violinist
    The Phoenix Symphony

  • Carlos García León

    Carlos García León

    Individual Giving Manager
    Chicago Shakespeare Theater

  • Brianna Garcon

    Brianna Garcon

    Program Coordinator | National Community Partnerships
    John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

  • Brian Taylor Goldstein

    Brian Taylor Goldstein

    Arts & Entertainment Attorney
    GG Arts Law

  • Gladys Gonzalez

    Gladys Gonzalez

    Music Director | Educator
    Hattiesburg Kids Orchestra

  • Naomi Gonzalez

    Naomi Gonzalez

    Chief Education & Community Engagement Officer, VP
    Mann Center for the Performing Arts

  • Randall Goosby

    Randall Goosby

    Violinist
    Photo Credit: Kaupo Kikkas

  • Dr. Benjamin Grube

    Dr. Benjamin Grube

    Director of Orchestras | Violinist
    Texas Southern University

  • Joy Guidry

    Joy Guidry

    Bassoonist | Composer | Performance Artist
    Photo Credit: Nykelle Devivo

  • Arreon A. Harley-Emerson

    Arreon A. Harley-Emerson

    President & CEO
    Equity Sings

  • Li(sa E.) Harris

    Li(sa E.) Harris

    Interdisciplinary Artist/Composer/Founder
    Studio Enertia

  • Lane Harwell

    Lane Harwell

    Program Officer
    Ford Foundation

  • Fredara Mareva Hadley

    Fredara Mareva Hadley

    Ethnomusicologist
    The Juilliard School

  • Carolina Heredia

    Carolina Heredia

    Director of Programs
    American Composers Forum

  • Dr. Lori Hicks

    Dr. Lori Hicks

    Director of Opera
    UNC Chapel Hill

  • Devin Hinzo

    Devin Hinzo

    Artistic Administrator
    Cal Performances | UC Berkeley

  • Adriane Jefferson

    Adriane Jefferson

    Director of Arts, Culture and Tourism
    City of New Haven

  • Byron G. Johnson

    Byron G. Johnson

    Director, Global Programs | Associate Professor of Music
    Alcorn State University

  • Terell Johnson

    Terell Johnson

    Executive Director
    Chicago Philharmonic

  • Calida N. Jones

    Calida N. Jones

    Founder | Co-Founder
    CNJ Associates | Creative Evolutions

  • Taneshia Nash Laird

    Taneshia Nash Laird

    President & CEO
    Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center

  • Anjali Lalani

    Anjali Lalani

    Interns and Fellows Program Administrator
    National Museum of African American History and Culture

  • Charlotte Lee

    Charlotte Lee

    President and Founder
    Primo Artists

  • Edward Lewis

    Edward Lewis

    President & CEO

    Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

  • Dr. Charles Lwanga

    Dr. Charles Lwanga

    Assistant Professor of Music (Ethnomusicology)
    University of Michigan

  • Nexus

    Nexus

    DEI Specialist
    Dear Nexus

  • Richard Lonsdorf

    Richard Lonsdorf

    Executive Director
    New Century Chamber Orchestra

  • Thomas Mesa

    Thomas Mesa

    Cello Soloist

  • Shantanique Moore

    Shantanique Moore

    Flutist

  • James A. Muhammad

    James A. Muhammad

    President
    Classical California

  • Melissa Muñoz

    Melissa Muñoz

    Trumpeter, Program Manager, Educator
    Kaufman Music Center

  • Brandon Neal

    Brandon Neal

    Producer, Creative Enterprise, Office of the President
    The Juilliard School

  • David A. Norville

    David A. Norville

    Oboist | Media Producer
    WQXR | WNYC

  • Shawn Okpebholo

    Shawn Okpebholo

    Composer | Professor
    Wheaton College Conservatory of Music

  • Gary Padmore

    Gary Padmore

    Vice President, Education and Community Engagement
    New York Philharmonic

  • Dr. Seth Parker Woods

    Dr. Seth Parker Woods

    Cellist | Educator | Curator
    USC Thornton School of Music

  • Tom Poster

    Tom Poster

    Pianist | Founder
    Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
    Photo Credit: Elena Urioste

  • Angelique Power

    Angelique Power

    President & CEO
    The Skillman Foundation

  • Alexis V. Prescott, M.A.

    Alexis V. Prescott, M.A.

    Graduate Advisor | Black Students’ Union
    Eastman School of Music

  • William Quillen

    William Quillen

    Dean of the Conservatory of Music | Professor of Musicology
    Oberlin College and Conservatory

  • LaRob K. Rafael

    LaRob K. Rafael

    Producer | Host | Director
    Hearing in Color | WFMT Chicago

  • Berginald Rash

    Berginald Rash

    Clarinetist | TEDx Speaker

  • Cleo Reed

    Cleo Reed

    Sound Designer | Composer | Performance Artist
    Photo Credit: Jacob Consenstein

  • Andrea Restrepo

    Andrea Restrepo

    Orchestra Manager & Operations Assistant
    Empire State Youth Orchestra

  • Victoria Robey, CBE

    Victoria Robey, CBE

    Board Member
    Sphinx Organization

  • Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)

    Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)

    Violinist | Composer | Educator
    ASU | SOZO Artists

  • Vanessa Rose

    Vanessa Rose

    Executive Director
    American Composers Forum

  • Omari Rush

    Omari Rush

    Executive Director
    CultureSource

  • Eric Salazar

    Eric Salazar

    Clarinetist, Composer, & Arts Administrator

  • Mahmoud Said

    Mahmoud Said

    Manager, Community Campaign & Engagement
    ArtsWave

  • Shea Scruggs

    Shea Scruggs

    Chief Enrollment Officer and Director of Institutional Research and Musician Experience
    Curtis Institute of Music

  • Marcia Lynn Sells

    Marcia Lynn Sells

    Chief Diversity Officer
    Metropolitan Opera

  • Jaime Sharp

    Jaime Sharp

    Arts Leader, Cultural Innovator, Equity Strategist
    Grantmakers in the Arts

  • Cecelia Sharpe

    Cecelia Sharpe

    Producer | Host
    WRCJ

  • Michal Shein

    Michal Shein

    Artistic Director | Cellist
    Cellisimo

  • Ariel Shelton

    Ariel Shelton

    Co-Executive Director
    CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia

  • Alexa Smith

    Alexa Smith

    Senior Director for Anti-Racism, Equity, and Belonging
    The Public Theater

  • Koven Smith

    Koven Smith

    Senior Director/Arts
    Knight Foundation

  • Sarah Smith

    Sarah Smith

    Junior Strategist | SOLA Intern
    dcm, Inc. | Strings of Latin America

  • André Solomon

    André Solomon

    Community Knowledge Manager & Flutist
    Creative Generation

  • Weston Sprott

    Weston Sprott

    Dean and Director | Trombonist
    The Juilliard School Preparatory Division | Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

  • Kerrien Suarez

    Kerrien Suarez

    President & CEO
    Equity In The Center

  • Tamar-kali

    Tamar-kali

    Vocalist | Composer | Performer
    Photo Credit: Bas Bogaerts

  • Alasdair Tait

    Alasdair Tait

    Chief Executive | Executive Director
    YCAT (Young Classical Artists Trust)

  • Scott Tixier

    Scott Tixier

    Professor | Jazz Violinist | Composer
    University of North Texas

  • Andrea Thompson

    Andrea Thompson

    Director of Development
    Afro Latin Jazz

  • Esther Triggs

    Esther Triggs

    Director or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    Interlochen Center for the Arts

  • Titus Underwood

    Titus Underwood

    Oboist
    Nashville Symphony | University of Cincinnati

  • Elena Urioste

    Elena Urioste

    Violinist
    Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective | Intermission

  • Dr. Liana Valente

    Dr. Liana Valente

    Shared Voices Program Coordinator
    The Denyce Graves Foundation

  • Alan D. Valentine

    Alan D. Valentine

    President & CEO
    Nashville Symphony

  • Lecolion Washington

    Lecolion Washington

    Executive Director
    Community Music Center of Boston

  • Mark Williams

    Mark Williams

    Chief Executive Officer
    Toronto Symphony Orchestra
    Photo Credit: Russell Lee

  • Mark Wilson

    Mark Wilson

    Executive Director of Zoellner Arts Center
    Lehigh University

  • Paula Wilson

    Paula Wilson

    Member Services and Communications Manager
    Equity Arc

  • Dr. Demarr Woods

    Dr. Demarr Woods

    Chairperson of the Department of Music and Performing Arts
    Hampton University

  • Simon Woods

    Simon Woods

    President & CEO
    League of American Orchestras
    Photo Credit: Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging

  • John Zion

    John Zion

    President & CEO
    MKI Artists