Carnegie Hall Announces Tour by National Youth Orchestra of the USA

Carnegie Hall today announced details for the inaugural July 2013 tour by the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, a remarkable new ensemble, which, beginning this summer, annually brings together some of the most talented young orchestral players from across the United States, ages 16-19. The NYO-USA's 2013 summer schedule includes five performances in the US and abroad from July 11-21.

Capping a two-week summer residency at Purchase College, SUNY in Purchase, New York, world-renowned conductor Valery Gergiev will lead the NYO-USA in its first public performance at Purchase's Performing Arts Center on Thursday, July 11. From there, the orchestra embarks on its first tour, traveling to the nation's capital to make its debut at Washington DC's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, July 13.

Following these two engagements, Maestro Gergiev and the NYO-USA will travel overseas for two concerts in Mr. Gergiev's home country: in Moscow, at The Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on Tuesday, July 16 and, in St. Petersburg, at the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall on Thursday, July 18. The orchestra's first tour culminates with a concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, July 21, part of the BBC Proms. The NYO-USA's Proms performance will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded for a later television broadcast, scheduled to air on BBC Four on July 26.

The orchestra's concert program for all summer 2013 performances includes Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell as soloist; Shostakovich's Symphony No, 10 in E Minor; and Magiya, a new work by American composer Sean Shepherd, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and BBC Radio 3, specifically for NYO-USA. As part of their travel schedule, the NYO-USA players will also have the exciting opportunity to tour the cities in which they will be performing, as well as the chance to interact with local young musicians at stops along the way.

"After so much planning, we're very excited to welcome the musicians of the NYO-USA for the first time this summer," said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. "The talent, energy, and skill already demonstrated by these players will be even further elevated as they have an opportunity to train alongside their peers, be mentored by some of the greatest orchestral players from around the US, and to be led by the wonderful Valery Gergiev. It will be a pleasure to share this orchestra's inspirational music-making with audiences as these students represent the best of their country around the globe."

Hailing from 42 US states, the 120 young musicians who make up the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America have all been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest in the country following a comprehensive audition process. For a video preview of NYO-USA, including player-submitted performances and interviews about the project, visit the orchestra's new YouTube channel at youtube.com/nyousa. For more information on NYO-USA, visit carnegiehall.org/nyousa.

Prior to their tour, the NYO-USA players will arrive in New York on June 30, 2013 to begin a rigorous two-week training residency on the campus of Purchase College, SUNY. James Ross, associate director of The Juilliard School's conducting program and director of orchestral activities at the University of Maryland, will lead the NYO-USA faculty in 2013. Comprising some of the finest players and section leaders from America's greatest orchestras and music schools, the faculty will oversee rehearsals during the orchestra's residency in Purchase and will conduct master classes, chamber music readings, and other seminars on essential music skills, all leading up to the launch of the international tour.

The 2013 faculty members will be: Robert Chen, concertmaster, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Alison Harney, principal second violin, St. Louis Symphony; Carrie Dennis, principal viola, Los Angeles Philharmonic; John Sharp, principal cello, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Jeffrey Turner, principal bass, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Jeffrey Khaner, principal flute, The Philadelphia Orchestra; Elaine Douvas, principal oboe, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet, The Philadelphia Orchestra; William Short, principal bassoon, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; William VerMeulen, principal horn, Houston Symphony; David Krauss, principal trumpet, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; R. Douglas Wright, principal trombone, Minnesota Orchestra; Carol Jantsch, principal tuba, The Philadelphia Orchestra; Cynthia Yeh, principal percussion, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and Jauvon Gilliam, principal timpanist, National Symphony Orchestra.

Purchase College, SUNY, is a key partner in Carnegie Hall's new NYO-USA initiative. During their two-week residency, orchestra members will be housed on Purchase College's scenic campus, located in Westchester County, just north of New York City, where they will undertake their initial training and rehearsals. All rehearsals will be centered at the College's highly-regarded Performing Arts Center and in the rehearsal studios of its School for the Arts Conservatory of Music.

Lead Donors to the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America are: Bloomberg Philanthropies; the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and Marina Kellen French; Ronald O. Perelman; and Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation.

Support for the inaugural tour has also been provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation; Yoko Nagae Ceschina; the Rockefeller Foundation; the Peter J. Sharp Foundation; and Ann Ziff.

Public support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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