Afa Sadykhly Dworkin to Become President of Sphinx Organization

The Sphinx Organization recently sent out a notice that Afa S. Dworkin will succeed her husband, Aaron Dworkin, as President and Artistic Director of the Spinx Organization on July 20. Aaron Dworkin has been named the new dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

According to Board Chair Dr. William Carson, Afa’s “unmatched understanding of Spinx’s mission and history as its executive director and her capacity to inspire those around her represent a few of the many qualities which contributed to the board’s unanimous decision regarding her appointment.” She will head an organization with a budget of $4.6 million, and a combined staff and faculty of over 40.

Ms. Dworkin is an accomplished violinist, and a frequent speaker on the topics of diversity, access and inclusion in the arts. Like her husband, Afa embodies a mix of several cultures, leading her to champion new music “with a focus on inclusion.” (For a fascinating look at Aaron Dworkin’s background, read a lecture he gave at the Chautauqua Institute a few years ago.)

For more information about Aaron Dworkin’s appointment, read an article from the Detroit News.

About the author

Ann Drinan
Ann Drinan

Ann Drinan, Senior Editor, has been a member of the Hartford Symphony viola section for over 30 years. She is a former Chair of the Orchestra Committee, former member of the HSO Board, and has served on many HSO committees. She is also the Executive Director of CONCORA (CT Choral Artists), a professional chorus based in Hartford and New Britain, founded by Artistic Director Richard Coffey. Ann was a member of the Advisory Board of the Symphony Orchestra Institute (SOI), and was the HSO ROPA delegate for 14 years, serving as both Vice President and President of ROPA. In addition to playing the viola and running CONCORA, Ann is a professional writer and editor, and has worked as a consultant and technical writer for software companies in a wide variety of industries for over 3 decades. (She worked for the Yale Computer Science Department in the late 70s, and thus has been on the Internet, then called the DARPAnet, since 1977!) She is married to Algis Kaupas, a sound recordist, and lives a block from Long Island Sound in Branford CT. Together they create websites for musicians: shortbeachwebdesign.com.

Ann holds a BA in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA in International Relations from Yale University.

Read Ann Drinan's blog here. web.esm.rochester.edu/poly/author/ann-drinan

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