St Lucian Caleb Georges and Cuban Ismael

Guerrero Bombut are among the stellar field of 10 semi-finalists in the senior

division of the Sphinx Competition.

The Sphinx Competition, a national

competition in the US, offers young Black and Latinx classical string players

aged 18-30 a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally

renowned panel of judges, and to perform with and receive mentorship from

established professional musicians.

The senior division finals concert will take place on February 8, 2020, at 7:30 pm in Detroit, Michigan.

All 10 semi-finalists, vying for the coveted

Robert Frederick Smith Prize, seek the ultimate goal of solo appearances with

major orchestras, and a performance with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra at the

Finals Concert. The first-place winner also pockets a cool $US50,000.

Caleb, 27, plays the viola while Ismael,

29, plays the cello.

Caleb, who originally hails from Babonneau,

St Lucia, is a product of the island’s School of Music (as both student and mentor),

and currently attends the University of Michigan.

He was named laureate of the 2016 Ohio

Viola Society Competition, first prize at the 2015 Douglas Wayland Chamber

Music Competition as well as the 2018 Dale & Nancy Briggs Chamber

Competition. Most recently, Caleb placed third at the Senior Division 2019

Sphinx Competition.

As a recent recipient of the Sphinx Full

Tuition Award, Caleb is currently pursuing a specialist degree at the

University of Michigan under the tutelage in Professor Caroline Coade.

A committed chamber musician, earlier this year

Caleb toured with the coveted Sphinx Virtuosi and also attended the

Orpheus@Mannes Festival.

He is also the proud co-founder of the

Ivalas Quartet, a group devoted to diversity in classical music. Between 2016

and 2019, with his quartet, Caleb had the opportunity to perform with artists

such as the Calidore String Quartet, Danielle Belen, and Patricia Terry-Ross.

Ismael, originally from Havana, Cuba, began

his cello studies at the tender age of eight.

While in Cuba, he won several competitions

and participated in masterclasses from renowned cellists such as Carlos Prieto,

Clemen Hagens and Leidi Litschauer, among others.

The Cuban prodigy is now in the fourth year of his undergraduate studies at Peabody Conservatory, which he attends on full scholarship, studying with Amit Peled.

The remaining prizes for the Sphinx

Competition include:

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[naviga:li]Second place: US$20,000 cash prize, performance with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra at the Finals Concert[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Third place: $10,000 cash prize, performance with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra at the Finals Concert[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Audience Choice award: $5,000 cash prize, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.[/naviga:li]

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Best of luck Isamel & Caleb! We know you both will do well reppin’ the Caribbean.