Sphinx Chamber Orchestra Tour

This story about the tour appeared in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times.

Youthful orchestra showcases several local musicians and breaks some barriers

Chicago audiences know a little something about top-flight orchestral performances by talented teens and college-age musicians.

Free concerts by the Civic Orchestra, founded as a training ground for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra nearly 90 years ago, sometimes rival those of its big musical brother. The area has some fine student orchestras, and Gustavo Dudamel, classical music's hottest young conductor and a favorite of listeners here, burst onto the international music scene leading stunning concerts with the high-energy players of Venezuela's Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.

Local music lovers can catch a glimpse of another highly praised youth orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Founded 12 years ago in Detroit as a competition to encourage gifted young African-American and Latino string players interested in classical music, the Sphinx Organization has put together a fall tour for its Sphinx Chamber Orchestra. In addition to the Harris Theater concert, the orchestra's inaugural eight-city tour includes a performance at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 21.

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