NYO-USA Performs at Carnegie Hall This Friday, 7/21 Prior to Latin American Tour

Carnegie Hall's acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) -featuring some of the finest teen musicians from across the country, ages 16-19, representing 33 U.S. states-will perform its fifth annual concert at Carnegie Hall, led by acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop, on Friday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Three days later, Ms. Alsop and the orchestra depart for NYO-USA's inaugural Latin American tour, flying first to Guadalajara, Mexico for a residency and performance at the Auditorio Telmex (July 26), followed by a free concert with the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Guadalajara the next day (July 27). The tour continues with a concert at the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador (July 30), and concludes with a multi-day residency in Bogotá, Colombia, including a concert at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo (August 3) and a joint performance with students from Batuta, the country's main El Sistema program, and the Bogotá Youth Philharmonic (August 4). The Carnegie Hall concert program will feature the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank's Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra, a specially-commissioned work for NYO-USA, influenced by Peruvian folkloric music and themes, alongside John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Mahler's Symphony No. 1.

This Friday's Carnegie Hall concert is the culmination of NYO-USA's multi-week intensive training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York during which the promising, young players learn from a world-class faculty and play alongside talented peers. As part of their touring activities, NYO-USA players will serve as America's musical and cultural ambassadors, and have the opportunity to experience the richness of Latin American culture, interacting with local musicians in all three countries, making meaningful connections with people around the world.

Conductor Marin Alsop Leads the National Youth Orchestra of the USA WHAT: NYO-USA plays Carnegie Hall in advance of its first-ever tour to Latin America, which includes performances and residency activities with local musicians in Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia. The orchestra includes many Spanish-speaking musicians, including several with family ties to the Latin American tour countries. WHEN: Friday, July 21, 2017