Carnegie Hall Announces Teen Musicians Selected For NYO2 In Summer 2025
The members of the 2025 orchestra hail from a range of urban, suburban, and rural hometowns across 32 states plus Guam.
By: A.A. Cristi Mar. 25, 2025
Carnegie Hall has announced the names of the 89 young musicians selected from across the country for NYO2, an intensive summer orchestral training program for outstanding American instrumentalists, ages 14–17.
The members of the 2025 orchestra, who have been recognized by Carnegie Hall to be among the most promising young players in the country, hail from a range of urban, suburban, and rural hometowns across 32 states plus Guam.
Created in summer 2016, NYO2 actively recruits talented younger players from across the country, aiming to expand the pool of young musicians equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level. Twenty-nine musicians who took part in the ensemble in previous summers have been accepted to the 2025 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), Carnegie Hall's flagship ensemble for players ages 16–19. Carnegie Hall's national youth ensembles—including NYO2—are offered free of charge to participants, ensuring that all invited musicians can take part each summer.
This summer, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, music director of the San Diego Symphony, leads NYO2 in the ensemble's annual concert at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. NYO2's program includes Jimmy López's Perú Negro, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein as guest soloist, and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.
Following their New York performance, NYO2 will embark on its first-ever European tour as it makes its debut in Usher Hall (August 3) as a resident orchestra of the Edinburgh International Festival. During NYO2's residency in Scotland, they'll also participate in peer-exchange activities with local musicians and offer a family concert (August 4).
Tickets for the Carnegie Hall concert will go on sale to the general public on April 9. Tickets can be purchased at carnegiehall.org, by calling 212-247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office. Discounted student tickets will be available online for verified Student Insiders only, as well as to any student with valid ID at the box office or over the phone.
The NYO2 musicians arrive in New York City in mid-July to start their intensive two-week training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), located just north of New York City. NYO2's faculty of top music professionals work closely with the young players, helping them to prepare their 2025 program and coaching them in master classes and sectionals. The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra's José-Luis Novo joins as 2025 resident conductor, preparing the ensemble ahead of the arrival of its guest conductor. All NYO2 musicians receive a private, one-on-one lesson during the residency, an opportunity described by alums as one of the most valuable experiences of the program.
“Very many congratulations to the excellent young musicians who have been selected to take part in this summer's NYO2,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. “These wonderful young players will have the opportunity to learn from an incredible guest faculty, perform at Carnegie Hall, and then join the Edinburgh International Festival as one of its resident orchestras, marking the first time NYO2 has performed in Europe. It is a huge achievement to be selected for this ensemble, and we are excited to witness their remarkable artistry as they share it with audiences abroad as America's finest possible cultural ambassadors.”
NYO2 2025 Orchestra Roster
+ Prior NYO2 member
Alabama
Lundyn McEntyre, Viola (Birmingham)
Alaska
Andy Zhang, Violin (Anchorage)
Arizona
Joshua Lee, Violin (Phoenix) +
Arkansas
Nam Le, Flute (Benton)
California
Henry Stroud, Violin (Berkeley) +
Lela Buck, Oboe (Clovis)
Cade Peckham, Bass (Clovis) +
Jenna Son, Violin (Davis)
Derick Shu, Percussion (Fremont)
Asher Cupp, Violin (Fresno)
Lena Kim, Violin (Los Angeles)
Rouyan Lechner, Bass (Moraga)
Camille Chu, Harp (Palo Alto)
Jun Kim, Clarinet (San Diego)
Yoyo Wu, Percussion (San Diego)
Bryan Im, Viola (San Jose)
Lumi Kim, Violin (San Jose)
Hannah Lee, Violin (San Jose)
Colorado
Zoë Hawthorne, Cello (Boulder)
Connecticut
SofiaLee Lugo, Cello (Wilton)
Delaware
Marcos Salvador Riera, Viola (Wilmington)
Florida
Erik Links, Trumpet (Jacksonville)
Jocelyn Chalick, Horn (Naples)
Omar Khan, Percussion (Orlando) +
Ava Howell, Violin (Viera)
Bethmarie Solís Cuevas, Violin (Winter Park)
Georgia
Arsheya Singh, Viola (Alpharetta)
B. Andrew Lee, Violin (Johns Creek)
James Leffew, Trombone (Johns Creek)
Obinna Uchime, Viola (Marietta)
Guam
Jamie Xu, Violin (Barrigada Heights)
Hawaii
Kieran Alston, Orchestral Keyboard (Makawao)
Sevastyan Swan, Violin (Mililani) +
Idaho
Aaron Klein, Horn (Rexburg)
Illinois
David Vasquez, Clarinet (Aurora)
Christopher Mertz, Bass (Lincolnshire)
Indiana
Cory Sedwick, Percussion (Floyds Knobs) +
Kansas
Ryan Byun, Violin (Andover)
Maryland
Lilia Li, Violin (Baltimore)
Lawrence Du, Violin (Ellicott City)
Jonathan Henderson, Viola (North Potomac) +
Issac Won, Trumpet (Potomac) +
Chloe Robertson, Bassoon (Rockville)
Massachusetts
Eric Myung, Oboe (Andover)
Hannah Oh, Cello (Boxborough)
Leila Novak Mostaghimi, Clarinet (Newton)
Maereg Million, Bass (Wayland)
Minnesota
Emily Alexander, Cello (Minneapolis)
Ramón Campos, Violin (Rochester)
Solanite Ketema, Trumpet (Rosemount)
Missouri
Kimmi Lin, Percussion (St. Louis)
New Jersey
Odie Femi-oke, Bass (Bayville)
Semin Chun, Violin (Cresskill)
Lucas Kim, Viola (Fort Lee)
Natalie Oh, Violin (Oradell) +
Evelyn Ha, Bassoon (Saddle River)
Elizabeth Ha, Oboe (Saddle River)
Raphael Zhu, Tuba (Princeton)
New Mexico
Alicia Peng, Violin (Albuquerque)
New York
Khalid Abdallah, Trumpet (Flushing)
John Teruel, Bass Trombone (Freeport)
Logan Lee, Bass (Great Neck)
Jia Choi, Viola (Jericho)
Richard Celiceo, Violin (New York)
Juliet Diaz Onderwyzer, Cello (West Nyack)
Ohio
Angela Tang, Violin (Mason)
Oklahoma
Reece Mirkes, Trombone (Bixby)
Dylan Antonio Perez, Cello (Broken Arrow) +
Ely Gonzalez, Cello (Norman)
Oregon
Sabine Voelker, Viola (Eugene) +
Kaylee Nah, Violin (Portland)
Pennsylvania
Brady Conley, Viola (Pittsburgh)
Raymond Wu, Violin (Wayne)
Rhode Island
Alejandro Quintero Cashore, Cello (East Greenwich)
South Carolina
Xavion Boyd-Gray, Bass (Columbia)
South Dakota
Eva Gray Hernandez, Violin (Brandon)
Angelica Jones, Viola (North Sioux City)
Tennessee
Ella Liu, Flute (Collierville)
Jack Feng, Violin (Memphis) +
Texas
Elena Elorreaga, Horn (Austin) +
Christian Eduardo Betancurt, Bassoon (Brownsville)
Alex Duran, Clarinet (Dickinson)
Isabella Craig, Horn (Henderson)
Alina Zhou, Flute (Laredo)
Isaac Sprouls, Horn (Paris)
Eric Z. Wang, Viola (Plano)
Benjamin Zhou, Violin (The Woodlands)
Virginia
Noah Crumbly, Cello (Chesapeake) +
Samantha Flottman, Violin (Mechanicsville)
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