Sphinx Organization Announces 2021 Sphinx Venture Fund Recipients

The grants were awarded to programs affecting extensive positive change in regards to cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts

The 2021 recipients of the Sphinx Venture Fund are:

• Scoring for Equity in Opera
• The Institute for Composer Diversity Expansion and Community Impact Initiative
• Celebrate Diversity in String Music: A Graded Anthology of Works for Solo and Ensemble by Black and Latinx Composers
• Rising Sun Recordings

More than 150 organizations, 2,000 students, 5,000 audience members, countless music listeners will be impacted by these Sphinx-funded ventures.

Scoring for Equity in Opera is aimed to advance the art form's understanding and approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as position the Black Opera Alliance as a leader in the broader performing arts sector.

The Institute for Composer Diversity Database Expansion and Community Impact Initiative is a project dedicated to expanding its databases to include more works by Black and Latinx composers, in addition to partnering with organizations worldwide to create more diverse and inclusive musical experiences.

The University of Tennessee School of Music seeks to address the significant disparities of representation in the pedagogical repertoire of Western Classical Music by creating and distributing graded anthologies of string repertoire for solo and ensemble settings.

Rising Sun Recordings, curated by renowned pianist and producer Lara Downes in collaboration with a roster of leading American artists, will release more than 200 years of never-before-recorded music by Black composers.