Georgia 17-year-old wins annual Detroit Sphinx Jr. Competition
(CBS DETROIT) - The 25th annual Sphinx Competition took place in downtown Detroit this weekend, with string musicians nationwide showing up to the Renaissance Center.
"The level of playing is so high and its so beautiful," says Patrice Jackson, a cellist and 2002 Sphinx Jr. Competition winner. As an alumni of the group, she had the opportunity to judge the Jr. competition this year.
The Sphinx organization gives a platform to Black and Latinx performers of all ages.
"I came to Sphinx for the first time, actually it was in 1999 and I was very overwhelmed. I was like, There's people that look like me. They do the same thing I'm doing. Like, what?" Jackson said.
Brandon Leonard, the 17-year-old newly crowned 2023 Jr. Competition winner comes to Detroit from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Leonard has been playing the cello for eight years. His first cello, pictured below, as a Christmas gift back in 2014.
Since then, Leonard has been recognized as an Allstate Principal Cellist, also getting opportunities to work with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which helped lead him to this opportunity to compete in Detroit.
"Especially here is very different from the audience that we're used to, and it's mostly people of color here. So I think it's really inspiring," says Leonard.
"As soon as Brandon walked out on stage, these young kids screaming. You would have, I don't know, thought Justin Bieber came out," Jackson says.
Leonard, who is finishing up his high school career, is hoping to continue his studies in cello performance at the college level.
