Interlochen Online's next session begins May 6—enroll in any course or certificate program now.

View Programs

Five Interlochen alumni recognized with Sphinx MPower Artist Grants

Leslie DeShazor, Mary Elizabeth Garza, Angelica Hairston, Yunior Lopez, and Mikel Anton Rollet are among 13 recipients receiving a total of $100,000.

The five Sphinx MPower winners

Top row, left-right: Leslie DeShazor, Mary Elizabeth Garza, and Mikel Anton Rollet.
Bottom row, left-right: Yunior Lopez and Angelica Hairston.

Five Interlochen Arts Academy and Arts Camp alumni are among the recipients of this year’s Sphinx MPower Artists Grants.

The scholarships, awarded annually to alumni of the Sphinx Competition, Sphinx Symphony, Sphinx Virtuosi, Sphinx Performance Academy, Sphinx Medals of Excellence, Sphinx LEAD, and EXIGENCE programs, empower young musicians to achieve their career objectives in classical music. This year’s 13 recipients will receive a total of $100,000.

Interlochen alumni recipients will use their awards on the following projects:

  • Leslie DeShazor (IAC 93) will continue her work as an independent solo artist and composer.
  • Mary Elizabeth Garza’s (IAA 05-06) work will highlight the music of Latina composers and the roles they play in culture and identity dialogue.
  • Angelica Hairston (IAC 07), with Elizabeth Steiner, will record new works for harp by Black composers.
  • Yunior Lopez (IAC 05, 07) will continue and expand his work with the tuition-free Young Artists Orchestra of Las Vegas.
  • Mikel Anton Rollet (IAC 13-14, 16) will participate in the 2021 Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition in Birmingham, UK.

The Sphinx Organization, founded by Interlochen alumnus Aaron Dworkin (IAA 86-88), is dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.