Tucson teen Levi Powe can add national award-winning cellist to his growing musical résumé, which includes being a three-time winner of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition.
The 17-year-old took first prize Friday in the junior division of the prestigious 21st annual Sphinx Competition in Detroit, a contest open to young African-American and Latino string players in junior high school through college.
Past winners include violinist Elena Urioste, who was a featured soloist with the TSO in 2013 and 2015.
At Friday’s competition, Powe performed two contrasting movements of Bach Cello Suites, the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1, and Villa Lobos’ “Song of the Black Swan,” a concert favorite for cellist/pianist duos.
Powe, a student of TSO cellist Mary Beth Tyndall, received $10,000 as part of the prize, which also includes solo appearances with major orchestras, performances with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and an appearance on the nationally broadcast radio show “From the Top.”
