This July, Carnegie Hall will bring together more than 200 of the finest teen musicians from across the country to train and perform as part of its three acclaimed national youth ensembles: National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), NYO2, and NYO Jazz. The players will take part in an intensive three week residency from July 6-24-marking the first time since the global pandemic began that many of the young players will come together to play with their peers in large ensembles, as well as engage in meaningful mentorship and musical activities. In total, 209 musicians-representing 41 US states-will participate in this year's program. A free culminating concert showcasing each ensemble will stream on Saturday, July 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Carnegie Hall's website, Facebook, and YouTube channels, for audiences tuning in from home. This summer, program activities will take place in-person on the campus of Purchase College, SUNY, with strict health protocols in place.
After creating the National Youth Orchestra of the USA in 2013,
Carnegie Hall quickly built on the program's success by introducing two additional ensembles-NYO2, a sister orchestra for younger musicians, in 2016, and NYO Jazz for excellent young jazz players in 2018. Each of these highly-selective programs-free to all participants-is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when they have the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with others.
"We are thrilled to be bringing the musicians of NYO-USA, NYO2, and NYO Jazz together for an extraordinary month of music-making," said
Clive Gillinson,
Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "These three ensembles shine a spotlight on the great depth of musical talent found all across the country. The musicians are superb players who are passionate about music and dedicated to connecting and growing alongside their peers. We are also fortunate to have a stellar faculty who will mentor these superb young musicians and help them to grow artistically and personally. It will be an especially exciting time, as teens from across the country finally get to play together in-person again."
Summer 2021 National Youth Ensembles Residency
Throughout their residency at SUNY Purchase, NYO-USA and NYO2 musicians will work with leading players from America's top professional orchestras, and NYO Jazz players will work with a stellar faculty comprised of some of the finest jazz artists on the scene today. The musicians from each ensemble will begin rehearsals on July 6 at Purchase College, following a ten-day quarantine and on-boarding period as part of the strict health protocols in place to ensure the safety of the musicians, faculty, and staff. During the quarantine period, the musicians will take part in a variety of online activities including private lessons, panel discussions, and mentoring. Due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19, the national youth ensembles will not tour this summer and will not play at Carnegie Hall since the Hall remains closed until fall 2021.
Throughout the residency, the young musicians will focus on preparations for digital capstone projects and a culminating streaming performance on Saturday, July 24. Led by Guest Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, NYO-USA will perform Tchaikovsky's' Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique). NYO2 will perform Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis and Price's Ethiopia's Shadow in America, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen. NYO Jazz will perform new works, big band standards, and new arrangements of contemporary pieces, led by
Sean Jones. The presentation will also feature interviews with the young musicians as they reflect on their experiences with the program this summer.
In the final week of the residency, NYO-USA and NYO2 will record vibrant digital video projects directed by Emmy Award-winner Habib Azar-exploring a variety of works such as Shostakovich, Beethoven, Revueltas, and the first ever commission for NYO2, written by Molly Joyce-which will be released on
Carnegie Hall's website later this fall.
In addition, NYO Jazz musicians will play together as a big band and also in smaller combos over the course of the three weeks, giving the teens a variety of opportunities to learn from each other and explore diverse repertoire. The group will also record its first full length studio album under the direction of Artistic Director and Bandleader
Sean Jones, featuring special guest Melissa Aldana. The album will include each previous year's
Carnegie Hall commissioned work for the ensemble among other works exploring themes including social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy.
In addition to playing together as full ensembles, the NYO musicians will take part in sectional rehearsals, master classes, private lessons, mentorship and wellness activities, music history lessons, and other seminars on essential music skills. NYO-USA and NYO2 musicians will work together in smaller chamber reading orchestras, gaining exposure to a range of repertoire and expanding the amount of playing during the residency. For the ninth year,
James Ross, music director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, returns to lead the NYO-USA faculty as Orchestra Director.
Joseph Young, Artistic Director of Ensembles at the Peabody Institute, will serve as Resident Conductor of NYO2.
New music has always been a key component of the national youth ensembles. This summer, NYO-USA's 2020 apprentice composers, who participated in the program online last summer, have been invited to return to have their pieces premiered by the orchestra. Two additional composers have been selected to join the program this summer, expanding the compositional strand and providing more opportunities for exploration of new music during the residency. The young composers will work with celebrated American composer Sean Shepherd, who was commissioned to write a new work, Magiya, for NYO-USA's inaugural season in 2013, and serves as the composition program director and mentor/coach to the apprentices. NYO2 will record the world premiere of Side by Side, commissioned for the ensemble, by up-and-coming composer Molly Joyce. NYO Jazz will play a new work by Igmar Thomas, commissioned by
Carnegie Hall, as well as a selection of big band standards and new arrangements of contemporary pieces that explore jazz's influence on hip-hop, R&B, pop and more.
Fans of the national youth ensembles are encouraged to follow along for a behind the scenes look into this summer on NYO-USA, NYO2, and NYO Jazz's
Instagram channel. The culminating streaming performance on Saturday, July 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET will be available to stream on
Carnegie Hall's
website,
Facebook, and
YouTube channels. See below for more information about each ensemble's residency this summer:
National Youth Orchestra of the USA-Summer 2021 Details
- 106 members joining this summer from 33 U.S. states
- 46 musicians returning from previous seasons
- 25 musicians who have previously gained experience through NYO2
- 2021 NYO-USA Guest Conductor: Carlos Miguel Prieto, Music Director and Principal Conductor of Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and Music Director of Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México and Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico
- 2021 NYO-USA Orchestra Director: James Ross (leading for ninth consecutive year)
- All-star faculty from top professional orchestras including:
- Concertmaster David Chan, The MET Orchestra
- Associate Concertmaster Ying Fu, National Symphony Orchestra
- Principal flutist Demarre McGill, Seattle Symphony
- Principal horn player William VerMeulen, Houston Symphony
Click here for a complete list of NYO-USA guest artists and faculty.
NYO2-Summer 2021 Details
- 77 members joining this summer from 30 U.S. states
- 20 musicians returning from previous seasons
- Fourth summer partnering with New World Symphony
- 2021 NYO2 Guest Conductor: Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta and newly appointed Chief Conductor at Austria's recreation-Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte.
- 2021 NYO2 Resident Conductor: Joseph Young
- Leading faculty from top professional orchestras including:
- Assistant Principal violist Li-Kuo Chang, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Principal cellist Anne Martindale Williams, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- Principal oboist Titus Underwood, Nashville Symphony
- Principal trumpeter Billy Hunter, Jr., The MET Orchestra
Click here for a full list of NYO2 guest artists and faculty.
NYO Jazz-Summer 2021 Details
- 26 members joining this summer from 13 U.S. states (growing from 22 participants in past seasons)
- Eight musicians returning from previous seasons
- The first violinist in NYO Jazz history to join the roster
- Artistic Director and Bandleader: Sean Jones
- Stellar faculty of today's finest jazz musicians including:
Click here for a full list of NYO Jazz faculty.
