Cellist Nygel Witherspoon, a 2017 Minnesota Varsity Showcase Artist, took first place in the 22nd Annual Sphinx Junior Division Honors Concert held Friday in Detroit's Fischer Music Center.
He performed as soloist in Luigi Boccherini's Cello Concerto in B-flat Major with the Sphinx Honors Orchestra. The win comes with a $10,000 award, as well as additional solo opportunities with major orchestras and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. He also will appear on the national series From the Top, heard each Sunday at noon on Classical MPR.
As a Varsity Showcase Artist, the then-15-year-old Witherspoon performed Zoltán Kodály's Sonata for Solo Cello in B Minor. Soon thereafter, he went on to many other honors and performances, now including his Feb. 1 Sphinx Competition win. He attends the University of Minnesota's School of Music as a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Option) student with cellist Tanya Remenikova.
This spring's Minnesota Varsity Showcase Concert will take place at the University of Minnesota's Ted Mann Concert Hall, adjacent to the School of Music, at 3 p.m. on May 11.
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