Ella Harpstead

The chamber opera “Good Country” tells the true story of a stagecoach driver during the California Gold Rush named Charley Parkhurst. Parkhurst was born a girl, Charlotte, in 1812 but ran away at the age of 12 to live and work as a man, assuming the name Charley. No one knew Parkhurst's secret until he died in 1879 and The New York Times sensationalized the death with the headline: “Thirty Years in Disguise: A Noted Old Californian Stage-Driver Discovered. After Death.

25 years ago, Black and Latinx musicians made up about 1.5% of American orchestras. That number has almost tripled, but it’s still less than 5%. The Sphinx Organization has been at the forefront of efforts to boost diversity in the arts for almost a quarter-century. And not just because it’s important to be equitable. “The minute we start speaking about diversity we somehow have to acquiesce to compromising artistic merit,” says Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa Dworkin.

Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland photographed by Robert Torres There are well-known masterpieces in Classical music we all know and love. But every year, musicians and composers create new music that breaks boundaries. Here are 11 composers you may have heard of, or may be brand new! They represent every corner of classical music from film, jazz, choirs, concert bands and orchestras, string quartets and clarinet solos.