Akron, OH, Oct. 5, 2026 — Self-conducted chamber orchestra, Sphinx Virtuosi, opens Tuesday Musical’s 2026-27 Akron Concert Series alongside Grammy® Award-winning mezzo-soprano, J’Nai Bridges on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at EJ Thomas Hall.
The evening’s program, American Dialogues, celebrates the nation’s ever-evolving story through newly commissioned works and reimagined classics that give voice to our shared ideals and diverse perspectives.
Highlights include Declaration, a bold new song cycle featuring mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, with music by acclaimed composer Damien Geter and libretto by Sphinx’s founder, poet journalist Aaron Dworkin; and Rachel McFarlane’s new title work, American Dialogue. 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.
Tickets start at $19 at tuesdaymusical.org and 330-761-3460.
Prior to the performance at EJ Thomas Hall, members of Sphinx Virtuosi will present an education program for students at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Akron.
Tuesday Musical has a decades-long history of providing free tickets for all students and bus funding for student groups. Student tickets are available at the EJ Ticket Office starting one hour before the concert and bus funding information is available at 330-761-3460 and info@tuesdaymusical.org.
Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic, self-conducted chamber orchestra and the flagship performing ensemble of the Sphinx Organization, the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to transforming the arts. Since its launch in 2008, the ensemble has earned international recognition for artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and cultural leadership. Comprising 18 of the nation’s most accomplished professional string players, Sphinx Virtuosi brings together established soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral leaders, and faculty members at leading institutions nationwide.
Sphinx Virtuosi has been praised by The New York Times as “top-notch... more essential at this moment than ever.” The Strad lauds their “elegant ascent into the upper ranks of string orchestras,” a testament to their enduring influence in the field. With performances that captivate audiences nationwide, their annual Carnegie Hall appearance has become a celebrated highlight of the fall season. Their latest album, American Mirror (Deutsche Grammophon), was hailed as “superbly recorded” by Musical America and “even more impressive than the first [album]” (Gramophone). Their critically acclaimed debut album, Songs for Our Times (Deutsche Grammophon), was hailed as “a knockout” by Gramophone, which praised their “consistently polished and passionate performances.”
Members of Sphinx Virtuosi have performed with major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and the Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Seattle, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. Beyond the concert stage, they are artist-citizens, leading impactful community initiatives and fostering deep engagement with audiences worldwide.
Sphinx Virtuosi has collaborated with legendary artists such as Terence Blanchard, Denyce Graves, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Damien Sneed, Will Liverman, J’Nai Bridges, Abel Selaocoe, and Davóne Tines. Members of Sphinx Virtuosi have also worked with cultural icons including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, with high-profile appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the Grammy® Awards.
The national Sphinx Virtuosi Tour is made possible with the generous support of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Robert F. Smith, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sphinx Virtuosi Tours are funded in part by the Amphion Foundation, Inc.
Two-time Grammy® Award-winning American mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, known for her “plush-voiced mezzo-soprano” (The New York Times), and “calmly commanding stage presence” (The New Yorker) has been “marked out at an early stage as a singer headed for top flight” (Financial Times), gracing the world’s leading operatic and concert stages “with a voice both voluptuous and statuesque” (The New York Times).
In the 2026-27 season, Ms. Bridges appears with the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall as Puck in Weber’s Oberon, conducted by Sir Mark Elder. She joins The Philadelphia Orchestra for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the orchestra’s opening night concert with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and joins the London Symphony Orchestra for the world premiere of David Önaç’s Atlantic Requiem at St. Luke’s Jerwood Hall. She tours with the Sphinx Virtuosi, appearing at venues including Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, University of Notre Dame, and University Musical Society at the University of Michigan. Bridges joins the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin for Mozart’s Requiem in Berlin, and joins her native Seattle Symphony for Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette. In recital, she appears at the McCallum Theater and The Cliburn at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth in an all French program, and collaborates with pianist Craig Terry as part of the Harriman-Jewel Series at William Jewel College and in Beyond the Aria at the Harris Theater in Chicago. Alongside Laura Ward and Justin Austin, she presents Damien Geter’s COTTON at the Gaillard Center. She performs Lieberson’s Neruda Songs with the China National Symphony Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony, joins the New Japan Philharmonic and conductor Marin Alsop for Bernstein’s Jeremiah, and joins the Metropolitan Opera for its Diamond Jubilee: 60 Years at Lincoln Center, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and directed by Julian Crouch, alongside an extraordinary roster of Met stars.
Last season, Ms. Bridges made her house debut in the title role of Carmen at Teatro Real in Madrid alongside Michael Fabiano and Charles Castronovo, conducted by Eun Sun Kim, and reprised the role later in the season at both Seattle Opera and Cincinnati Opera. She reprised Maddalena in Rigoletto in her debut at San Francisco Opera, conducted by Eun Sun Kim, and returned to Washington National Opera as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Robert Spano. In concert, she reprised Maddalena in Rigoletto alongside Quinn Kelsey in the title role with Baltimore Symphony conducted by Jonathon Heyward and joined Nashville Symphony for Brian Field’s Hymn for the Hurting, with text by Amanda Gorman, and Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater. In recital, she presented an all-French program at Boston’s Celebrity Series, The Morgan Library in New York, and Wake Forest University. She also presented Damien Geter’s COTTON alongside Justin Austin and Laura Ward at La Jolla Music Society, and a program of Coleridge-Taylor, Libby Larsen, Elgar, and others with Terrence Wilson and the Catalyst Quartet at the Library of Congress and Emory University.
Download hi-res photos at Tuesday Musical’s Media Resource page.