Marin Alsop Leads NYO-USA and Music Educators in a Free Pop-Up Concert in Times Square

This Saturday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m., conductor Marin Alsop will lead an orchestra and chorus of more than 165 people, including members of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and music teachers from around the country, in a free pop-up performance in Times Square as part of Carnegie Hall's Summer Music Educators Workshop. The program will include John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Bernstein's "Somewhere" from West Side Story (with an orchestra and a chorus made up of music educators). Ronnie Oliver, Jr. will also lead the choir of music educators in David Lang's make peace and Ernani Aguiar's Salmo 150, and Nicole Mitchell will lead a creative ensemble in improvised works.

This is the second straight year that members of NYO-USA have taken part in the Summer Music Educators Workshop, a program that gives school and community music teachers from across the country the opportunity to reenergize their teaching practice, learn from leaders in the field, and exchange best practices during four intensive days of professional development in Carnegie Hall's Resnick Education Wing. Participating teachers also have the opportunity to attend NYO-USA's annual Carnegie Hall performance.

This free public concert in Times Square will conclude a busy week for NYO-USA, which also includes a live recording of NPR's >From the Top with host Christopher O'Riley at Purchase College on Wednesday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m., and a concert at Carnegie Hall on Friday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m. On Monday, July 24, the members of NYO-USA depart on their first-ever Latin American tour, with concerts over two weeks in Guadalajara, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogotá, Colombia. In addition to performances, the tour will include side-by-side collaborations with local young musicians in all three countries.