Sunday, October 18, 2026 4:00 PM // Rackham Auditorium

American Dialogues 250
Sphinx Virtuosi feat. J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano

The Sphinx Virtuosi celebrate our country’s ever-evolving story through newly commissioned works and reimagined classics that give voice to our shared ideals and diverse perspectives.

The program includes Rachel McFarlane’s American Dialogue, as well as the timeless “Blues” movement from Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata. Works by Roberto Sierra and Jessie Montgomery offer vibrant explorations of heritage and transformation, while Stravinsky’s Concerto for Strings in D connects past and present in a timeless meditation on artistic freedom.

Through music that bridges time and culture, this program invites audiences to engage in a musical conversation about who we are — and who we aspire to become. American mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, lauded by The New York Times for her “plush-voiced mezzo-soprano,” joins the Sphinx Virtuosi for a bold, new song cycle by Damien Geter with a libretto by Aaron Dworkin.

PROGRAM

Rachel McFarlane American Dialogue
Roberto Sierra Sinfonietta for Strings
Damien Geter Declaration
Jessie Montgomery Banner
Maurice Ravel“Blues” from Violin Sonata (arr. Mladen Miloradovic)
Igor Stravinsky Concerto in D for string orchestra (“Basle”)