Carnegie Hall Expands National Youth Orchestra of the USA

In summer 2016, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute will launch NYO2, a two-week, intensive summer program for outstanding young American instrumentalists, ages 14-17. As with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) created by Carnegie Hall in 2013, NYO2 will be free to all participants. NYO2 will support greater diversity within the classical orchestral field with a particular focus on attracting talented students who have been traditionally underserved by local music programs, offering an opportunity for participants to play alongside exceptionally talented peers and learn from a world-class faculty. Running in conjunction with NYO-USA's annual summer residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), NYO2 aims to provide the finest musical training for younger students, expanding the pool of young musicians across the country equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level.

"We are thrilled to build on the success of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, extending its mission through NYO2," said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "This will be an exciting addition to the expanding portfolio of national programs created by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, which provide important educational support for young musicians across the country. We're also delighted to be collaborating on this initiative with The Philadelphia Orchestra, our longtime artistic partner, who shares our values and aspirations in educational work. We're especially grateful to trustee Beatrice Santo Domingo for providing funding that will enable the launch of NYO2 in 2016."

"As we have gone through the audition process for NYO-USA for the past three years, we've been very aware of the number of younger musicians whose artistry is strong, but who would also benefit from focused training and participation in an inspiring community of their peers in order to take their playing to a higher level," said Sarah Johnson, Director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute. "We hope that NYO2 will help play a role in providing high-level musical training to talented students who may not have the benefit of those types of resources in their own communities. In time, we think that the training, inspiration, and access provided by a national program like NYO2 can help to expand the range and diversity of young people considering careers in the classical music field."

The first NYO2 program will take place from late June to early July 2016 and will be based at the campus of Purchase College, SUNY, located in Westchester County just north of New York City. In addition to orchestra rehearsals, approximately 80 NYO2 musicians will have side-by-side opportunities with members of 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 students will also take part in coaching sessions led by NYO-USA faculty, comprised of principal players from top US orchestras.

As a central part of the new program, NYO2 students will have the opportunity to work closely with select members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, thanks to a new partnership formed between Carnegie Hall and the orchestra, an organization with its own deep commitment to education and artist training. The NYO2 session in summer 2016 will culminate with the young musicians performing in an exciting side-by-side performance with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

"The Philadelphia Orchestra has had over a century of shared vision, rich artistry, and fruitful collaboration with Carnegie Hall," said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. "We are proud to now join them in this important program of music education that is committed to diversity, mentorship, and collective music-making. This aligns with our musicians' advancement of work in our communities through expanded side-by-sides, PlayINs, spontaneous free PopUP concerts, and residency work in Philadelphia, China, the US, and Europe, engaging thousands of amateur musicians of all ages and backgrounds. With this initiative, The Philadelphia Orchestra hopes to provide opportunities for young Philadelphia musicians to interact with NYO2's aspiring musicians and for NYO2 musicians to experience the cultural depth of the Philadelphia region."

NYO2: How Students Can Apply
The NYO2 program is free for all participants, including room and board, and all rehearsal, teaching, and performance activities. There is no fee to apply.

Young instrumentalists from all 50 states who are US citizens or permanent residents, and who are ages 14-17 during the period of the 2016 summer program, are eligible for NYO2. A formal nomination from a teacher, ensemble director, school/band/orchestra administrator, or community leader is required as part of the application. Nominators will be asked to put forth students with outstanding artistic potential who also meet the program's goals of diversity and inclusion. NYO2 welcomes the nomination of students who have not had access to highly selective ensemble training opportunities via youth orchestra programs, summer festivals or camps, or similar experiences outside their own communities. Young players may apply on the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, and percussion.

Applications will be accepted beginning on September 8, 2015. To be considered for an NYO2 position, student nominations must be received by Carnegie Hall by December 1, 2015. Students must submit all application materials, including audition video, by December 18, 2015. For more information on NYO2, including audition requirements, please visit carnegiehall.org/nyo2.

About the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
Created by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute in 2013, the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America invites some of the finest young musicians from across the country (ages 16-19), selected via a comprehensive audition process, to come together with peers, supported by a faculty comprised of principal players from top professional orchestras and a different celebrated conductor each summer, for a two week intensive musical residency at Purchase College, SUNY, followed by a tour to some of the great musical capitals of the world, serving as America's dynamic music ambassadors. The NYO-USA program is free for all participants.

The 2015 National Youth Orchestra of the USA, in residence at Purchase College, SUNY since late June, departs this weekend for the orchestra's historic first tour of China from July 15-26, featuring seven concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. NYO-USA is led by celebrated conductor Charles Dutoit and joined by world-renowned pianist YUNDI for these 2015 performances.

Applications for the 2016 NYO-USA program are due on November 4, 2015. The orchestra will appear under the batons of two esteemed maestros in July 2016: NYO-USA's concerts in Purchase, NY and at New York's Carnegie Hall will be led by Christoph Eschenbach, immediately followed by a European tour with performances led by Valery Gergiev, who conducted NYO-USA in its inaugural year in 2013.