Harlem Quartet
The Harlem Quartet, comprising First-Place Laureates of the Sphinx Competition, has a unique and challenging mission: to advance diversity in classical music while engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire, highlighting works by minority composers.
Dedicated to education and outreach as well as to superb classical performance, this innovative and daring all-Black and Latino string quartet serves as principal faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy at Walnut Hill School in Massachusetts, one of the premier independent arts prep schools in the world, and as visiting faculty at the Sphinx Preparatory Music Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit.
The Harlem Quartet made their acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut in the fall of 2006 at the Sphinx Organization’s 10th anniversary gala at Carnegie Hall, earning rave reviews from The New York Times. A month later they debuted at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, this time with a well-received performance of Wynton Marsalis’s At the Octoroon Balls. They return to Carnegie in late January 2007 as participants in Arts Presenters’ prestigious and highly competitive Young Performers Career Advancement (YPCA) program.
In addition to being avid chamber musicians, each member of the Harlem Quartet is a seasoned solo artist, having appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Sinaloa de las Artes (Mexico) and Baltimore symphonies and the Boston Pops, among others. As a quartet, they have performed in many communities across the country including Detroit, New York, Atlanta and Boston.
In the past year the Harlem Quartet has been featured on WNBC, CNN and the Today Show. On their busy concert calendar in 2007-2008 are bookings in Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, Indiana, and California. Upcoming in 2008-2009 is an exciting collaboration with New York Philharmonic principal cellist Carter Brey on Schubert’s String Quintet.
They are co-managed by Sciolino Arts Management (SAM) of New York City, and the Sphinx Organization of Detroit, Michigan.
Harlem Quartet Members:
Ilmar Gavilan, violin
Melissa White, violin
Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola
Desmond Neysmith, cello
More information about the quartet can be found at www.harlemquartet.org
