Carnegie Hall Welcomes Country's Top Young Musicians for NYO-USA & NYO2

Talented Teens Are in Residence on Campus of Purchase College, SUNY, Where They Will Train with Professional Musicians from the Country's Leading Orchestras This June and July, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute brings together 187 of the best young musicians from across the country for a summer of extraordinary music-making. The acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), now in its fourth year, features 109 musicians ages 16-19. They are joined this summer by 78 of their peers who are members of NYO2, a new program for ages 14-17, created with a particular focus on attracting talented students from communities underserved by and underrepresented in the classical orchestral field. In total, the musicians of NYO-USA and NYO2 come from 41 US states plus Puerto Rico. Both programs are free to all participants.

Each program will begin with an intensive training residency on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York, with NYO2 students arriving on June 18 and NYO-USA participants joining them one week later on June 25. While in residence at Purchase College, the young players will study with professional musicians from many of the country's leading orchestras.

NYO2-following a series of master classes, private lessons, chamber music readings, and orchestral rehearsals-will culminate in a weekend of activities in Philadelphia, PA, including a free side-by-side performance at Verizon Hall on Saturday, July 2 at 6:00 p.m. with The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Giancarlo Guerrero. Throughout the residency, NYO2 musicians will have the special opportunity to work closely with select members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, an organization with its own deep commitment to education and artist training, thanks to a new partnership formed between Carnegie Hall and the orchestra, as well as with additional faculty from top US orchestras.

Following its own training residency at Purchase College, NYO-USA will embark on a six-concert tour from July 13-25. This year, NYO-USA will prepare two programs, first performing music by Mozart and Bruckner with conductor Christoph Eschenbach and pianist Emanuel Ax at The Performing Arts Center in Purchase, NY on Wednesday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m. and at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. The orchestra then departs for Europe, for performances under the baton of Valery Gergiev with pianist Denis Matsuev in Amsterdam, Montpellier, Copenhagen, and Prague of music by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Mendelssohn.

"We are thrilled to bring NYO-USA and NYO2 together for the first time this year, offering nearly 200 young musicians from all across the country the opportunity to learn from each other as well as from an extraordinary faculty and embark on a wonderful summer of music-making," said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "We hope to empower these talented young players to further develop their musicianship and use music to connect with audiences and people around the globe."

National Youth Orchestra of the USA 2016-Details
The members of the 2016 NYO-USA-ages 16-19, hailing from 33 US states-have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country, following a comprehensive national audition process. This summer's roster will feature 38 returning musicians from previous seasons.

In its training residency at Purchase College, SUNY, NYO-USA will gear up for a six-concert tour led by two renowned conductors: Christoph Eschenbach and Valery Gergiev. Mr. Eschenbach will lead the orchestra in a program to include Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 featuring acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax as soloist alongside Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 in A Major at the Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York on Wednesday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m. and at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. The orchestra's Carnegie Hall concert will be recorded by WQXR Radio for later broadcast.

Following the New York appearances, NYO-USA will fly to Europe, joining Mr. Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev for a tour of some of the continent's music capitals, including performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland (July 21), part of Robeco SummerNights at the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam; the Opéra Berlioz in Montpellier, France (July 22), part of the Radio France Festival; Tivoli Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 24), part of the Tivoli Festival; and Smetana Hall in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic (July 25). The orchestra's European tour repertoire will feature Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 (Amsterdam, Montpellier, Copenhagen); Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, "Italian" (Prague only); and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 4 and selections from Romeo and Juliet. NYO-USA's July 21 concert at the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam will be streamed live online for free by medici.tv.

NYO-USA's touring activities will allow America's finest young musicians to share their artistry with American and European audiences while also experiencing the richness of European culture and music. As part of their travel schedule, NYO-USA players will have the opportunity to tour cities, interact with local young musicians, and participate in informal community performances. In addition, NYO-USA musicians will join their peers in NYO2 for a weekend of activities in Philadelphia, from July 2 to 4.

In order to prepare two complete concert programs with separate conductors and soloists, NYO-USA musicians will have a longer residency at Purchase College, rehearsing for three full weeks leading up to the tour while working with principal players from many of the country's finest professional orchestras. James Ross, director of orchestral activities at the University of Maryland, returns to lead the NYO-USA faculty for a fourth consecutive year.

For the first time, two young musicians have been selected as apprentice composers for NYO-USA. During the Purchase residency, they will have the opportunity to have their music workshopped with musicians from the orchestra, providing experience with orchestration and writing for larger forces and creating opportunities for dialogue between instrumentalists and composers who are peers. Celebrated American composer Sean Shepherd (whose work Magiya was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the inaugural NYO-USA in 2013) will serve as mentor and teacher for the young composers. The apprentice composers join an apprentice orchestra manager, apprentice librarian, and two apprentice conductors as members of the 2016 NYO-USA.

NYO2 2016-Details
The inaugural class of NYO2-ages 14-17, coming from 27 US states as well as Puerto Rico-features talented students from diverse backgrounds, many of whom have not had access to highly selective training opportunities in their own communities. Like NYO-USA, NYO2 musicians were selected following a comprehensive online audition process. In addition, Carnegie Hall asked high school educators and local youth orchestra directors for nominations of potential NYO2 candidates who would most benefit from focused training and participation in an inspiring community of their peers in order to take their playing to the next level.

In addition to coaching sessions with Philadelphia Orchestra members during their training residency at Purchase College, NYO2 musicians will have side-by-side opportunities with their peers in NYO-USA as well as access to individual instruction and workshops designed to cultivate arts leadership skills to enable them to serve their communities through music.

The finale of the NYO2 musicians' 2016 season will be a weekend in Philadelphia from July 1-4, highlighted by a free concert at Verizon Hall on Saturday, July 2 at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Guerrero will lead NYO2 in a program to include Respighi's Pines of Rome in a side-by-side performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The evening will also include Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, performed by NYO2 and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

During their visit to Philadelphia, NYO2 musicians will also have the opportunity to mentor younger students from the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) at the Curtis Institute of Music, visit the National Constitution Center, and participate in The Philadelphia Orchestra's annual Neighborhood Concert at Penn's Landing on Friday, July 1. In addition, members of NYO-USA's brass section will perform at the Philadelphia Phillies' postgame festivities on Saturday, July 2. The weekend will also include a massive side-by-side performance at the 23rd Street Armory on the morning of Sunday, July 3 at 12:00 p.m. featuring NYO2, NYO-USA, and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as local instrumentalists from Philadelphia-area youth orchestras.