Nathan Amaral
Brazilian violinist Nathan Amaral, 28, is the winner of the 27th edition of the Sphinx Competition in Detroit, USA. He will receive US$50,000 and contracts to perform with major orchestras.
The Sphinx Competition is organized by the Sphinx Organization, an organization dedicated to social change through the arts that promotes diversity and inclusion in classical music. The competition offers young Black and Latino string players the opportunity to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with and receive mentorship from renowned professional musicians.
Nathan Amaral was born in Rio de Janeiro and grew up in Morro da Mangueira. At the age of 11, he joined the social project of the Cartola Cultural Center, where he began to study the violin. Later, he won the Eleazar de Carvalho Competition at the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival.
In 2016, Nathan was admitted to the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where he won the Paul Roczek Prize for the best violin student. The musician has also won the Weimar, Wiener Klassik, Ruggero Ricci and Waslau Burkowsky competitions. Nathan Amaral is currently studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, USA.
Second prize in the Sphinx Competition went to American bassist Aaron Olguin and third prize to violinist Bethlehem Kelley, also from the United States.
