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Saturday Plenary Speaker
Andre Dowell is a strategic arts administrator and thought leader who helps drive national programming and conversations around diversity in classical music. He currently serves as chief programming officer for the Sphinx Organization, the nation’s leading arts organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. In this role, he oversees all programmatic initiatives through which Sphinx expands access to classical music education, supports emerging talent, and curates performance opportunities around the country. Under Andre’s leadership, his team’s national partner network has grown to 30+ orchestras, enabling Sphinx to continue expanding its programming to new audiences nationwide.
Beyond his role at Sphinx, Andre is committed to building a thriving national arts community through a growing roster of speaking engagements and external leadership roles. He has been invited to address audiences at training centers including Interlochen Center for the Arts, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Lindenwood University, the University of Toledo, and the University of Denver. He currently serves as chair of the Classical Connections Committee within the Association for Performing Arts Professionals, a board member for Third Coast Percussion, and as a panelist for the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s ArtsCONNECT program.
Andre builds capacity for his local arts community as a board member for River Raisin Ragtime Revue and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance Alumni Society. Andre has also previously served on the board for Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra and as a selection committee member for the American Express NGen Fellows Program. Amid ongoing service to Sphinx and the field, Andre remains an active musician. He performs regularly with the River Raisin Ragtime Revue and the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club, as well as independent projects breaking ground in contemporary music.
A native of Trenton, Tennessee, Andre’s music career began in piano lessons at the urging of his mother. Despite his initial reluctance to embrace the craft, it was not long before Andre was transformed by an unshakable love of sound. Driven by a passion for music that crystallized in the Southern Black Baptist Church and school ensembles, he would complete Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in percussion performance at the University of Michigan. Andre resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and daughter, along with an expertly curated collection of bowties.
