Nathan Amaral ’24 GC Wins First Prize in 2024 Sphinx Competition Senior Division
Violinist Nathan Amaral ’24 GC won first prize in the 27th Sphinx Competition Senior Division. He receives the $50,000 Robert Frederick Smith Prize and multiple solo concert engagements with major orchestras for his win.
The final round took place in Detroit, Michigan, on January 27. Amaral, 28, was awarded the top prize following his performance of the first movement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Concerto for Violin in G minor, op. 80. All finalists performed with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, an all-Black and Latinx orchestra comprising top professionals from around the country.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Nathan Amaral is an internationally awarded solo violinist. He studies at New England Conservatory with faculty member Donald Weilerstein. Amaral recently released his debut album and has collaborated with world-renowned musicians, including violinist Hilary Hahn, Tabea Zimmermann, and Yura Lee. He has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre, Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and Großer Saal Mozarteum.
The 2024 Sphinx Competition judges panel comprised esteemed musicians, including Joseph Conyers, Principal Bass, Philadelphia Orchestra; violinist Randall Goosby; cellist Seth Parker Woods; Alasdair Tait, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of Young Classical Artists Trust; George Taylor, Professor of Viola at Eastman School of Music; violinist Elena Urioste; and John Zion, President & CEO of MKI Artists.