Carnegie Hall Reveals Teen Musicians Selected For NYO2 In Summer 2026
Mei-Ann Chen to conduct, featuring violinist Tessa Lark, with performances scheduled at Carnegie Hall and a special residency in the Dominican Republic
Carnegie Hall announced the names of the 89 young musicians selected from across the country for NYO2, an intensive summer orchestral training program for outstanding American instrumentalists, ages 14–16. The members of the 2026 orchestra, who have been recognized by Carnegie Hall to be among the most promising young players in the country, hail from a range of urban, suburban, and rural hometowns across 27 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Created in summer 2016, NYO2 actively recruits talented younger players from across the country, aiming to expand the pool of young musicians equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level. Thirty-three musicians who took part in the ensemble in previous summers have been accepted to the 2026 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), Carnegie Hall's flagship ensemble for players ages 16–19. Carnegie Hall's national youth ensembles—including NYO2—are offered free of charge to participants, ensuring that all invited musicians can take part each summer.
This summer, conductor Mei-Ann Chen, who previously worked with the orchestra in 2022, leads NYO2 in the ensemble's annual concert at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m. NYO2's program includes Arturo Márquez's Danzón No. 2; Gabriela Lena Frank's "The Mestizo Waltz" from Three Latin American Dances; Michael Torke's bluegrass-inspired Sky, which was composed in 2018 for guest violinist Tessa Lark; Gershwin's An American in Paris; and Respighi's Pines of Rome. This concert is part of Carnegie Hall's United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
Following their New York performance, NYO2 returns to the Dominican Republic for a five-day residency and performances in Santo Domingo and Santiago, presented by Fundación Sinfonía. While in the Dominican Republic, NYO2 will also participate in peer exchange with local musicians.
Tickets for the Carnegie Hall concert will go on sale to the general public on April 9. Tickets can be purchased at carnegiehall.org, by calling 212-247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office. Discounted student tickets will be available online for verified Student Insiders only, as well as to any student with valid ID at the box office or over the phone.
The NYO2 musicians arrive in New York City in mid-July to begin their intensive two-week training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), located just north of New York City. NYO2's faculty of top music professionals work closely with the young players, helping them to prepare their 2026 program and coaching them in master classes and sectionals. The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra's José-Luis Novo joins as director of orchestras, preparing the ensemble ahead of the arrival of its guest conductor alongside assistant conductors Samuel Hollister and Yiran Zhao. All NYO2 musicians receive a private, one-on-one lesson during the residency, an opportunity described by alums as one of the most valuable experiences of the program.
“Huge congratulations to the outstanding young musicians who will make up this summer's NYO2,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. “This exceptional group of players will have the opportunity to deepen their artistry this summer through intensive work with our top-notch faculty and performances with conductor Mei-Ann Chen and violinist Tessa Lark, both at Carnegie Hall and on tour. We're especially grateful to Fundación Sinfonía for welcoming NYO2 back to the Dominican Republic for a five-day residency that will combine performances by the orchestra with meaningful peer exchange. It is a significant milestone to be selected for this orchestra. We are proud to celebrate these young musicians and all they have achieved.”
NYO2 2026 Orchestra Roster + Prior NYO2 member
Alaska
Kevin Zhang, Violin (Anchorage)
California
Julian Yoon, Violin (Anaheim)
Stephanie Zhou, Oboe (Diamond Bar)
Andrew Zhang, Violin (Gilroy)
Lucas Lee, Cello (Irvine)
Ashton Cohan, Clarinet (Los Angeles)
Victoria Yoon, Harp (Placentia)
Hyesun Hong, Violin (Pleasanton)
Emel Cubukcu, Violin (San Diego)
Natalie Krause, Cello (San Diego)
Wiley Zamora, Trombone (San Diego)
Terri Choi, Clarinet (San Jose)
Garrett Guo, Timpani/Percussion (San Jose)
Lumi Kim, Violin (San Jose) +
Serena She, Violin (San Jose)
Henry Miller, Violin (Santa Rosa)
Gracie Park, Viola (Tustin)
Natalie Xu, Violin (Tustin)
Kaiden Surti, Violin (Yorba Linda)
District of Columbia
Addison Ellis-Otovo, Viola (Washington)
Florida
Zavier Elvena, Bassoon (Boca Raton)
Miranda Leone, Flute (Bonita Springs)
Ava Howell, Violin (Viera) +
Georgia
Fareed Rahji, Viola (Alpharetta)
Fisher Yu, Viola (Alpharetta)
Daniel Ivansco, Cello (Atlanta)
Nile Solomon, Cello (Johns Creek)
Illinois
Drew Losnedahl, Bass Trombone (Lansing)
Christopher Mertz, Bass (Lincolnshire) +
Indiana
Abigail Kang, Violin (Granger)
Kansas
Zach Rephlo, Viola (Overland Park)
Kentucky
Megumi Martin, Violin (Louisville)
Louisiana
Valerie Gaffney, Violin (New Orleans)
Maryland
Erin Yi, Viola (Ashton)
Donna Lee, Timpani/Percussion (Clarksburg)
Chloe Robertson, Violin (Rockville) +
Bakari Lyons, Violin (Woodlawn)
Massachusetts
Samuel Lee, Violin (Lexington)
Mississippi
Ian Gonzalez, Cello (Hattiesburg)
Montana
Josephine Grayl, Bass (Bozeman)
Nevada
William Huang, Bass (Henderson)
New Jersey
Ian Gavilan, Viola (Englewood Cliffs)
Alexander Gigliotti, Bass (New Providence)
Luciana Sofia Velez, Violin (Princeton)
Felix Zhou, Bassoon (Princeton Junction)
Taejin Shah, Flute (Tenafly)
New Mexico
Alexander Peng, Violin (Albuquerque)
New York
Ashley Gaeun Park, Violin (Ithaca)
Ella Xu, Oboe (New York)
Spencer Sebestyen, Violin (Woodside)
North Carolina
Brian Phillips, Trumpet (Apex)
Neela Venigalla, Trombone (Charlotte)
Gabriel Luza, Trumpet (Harrisburg)
Zion Anderson, Cello (Raleigh)
Oklahoma
Evan Goodson, Trumpet (Edmond)
Mia Brown, Clarinet (Tulsa)
Simon Carter, Horn (Tulsa)
Oregon
Ellie Liu, Cello (Portland)
Jayden Seo, Oboe (Portland)
Kaylee Nah, Violin (Portland) +
Pennsylvania
Ethan Kim, Violin (Dresher)
Sydney Vance, Timpani/Percussion (Lower Gwynedd)
Albert Dong, Cello (Pittsburgh)
Char Houghton, Horn (Pittsburgh)
Brady Conley, Viola (Pittsburgh) +
Alejandro Wu-Mula, Orchestral Keyboard (Warrington)
Puerto Rico
Esmeralda S. García, Bass (Carolina)
Sergio A. Aranibar Quilichini, Violin (San Juan)
Pablo J. Avila Hernandez, Timpani/Percussion (San Juan)
South Carolina
Zay Boyd-Gray, Bass (Columbia) +
Tennessee
Levi Lei, Cello (Germantown)
Simon Weston, Violin (Oak Ridge)
Angel Reverol, Flute (Smyrna)
Texas
Julia Choi, Viola (Corpus Christi)
Mark Eads, Bass (Denton)
Benjamin Beshay, Viola (Flower Mound)
Yohan Nguimfack, Bassoon (Frisco)
Diego Palacios, Trumpet (Houston)
Patrick Carmona, Tuba (Pearland)
Lucas Liu, Timpani/Percussion (Plano)
Nicholas Barrera, Horn (Roma)
Lillian Maldonado, Horn (San Antonio)
Catherine Choi, Viola (Southlake)
Utah
Deann Huang, Violin (Sandy)
Virginia
Philip Weeks, Viola (Ashburn)
Washington
Victor Zinchuk, Apprentice Orchestra Librarian (Richland)
US Musicians Living Abroad
William Beasley, Horn (Estialescq, France)
Parker Lee Smith, Violin (Mexico City)
Kasey Li, Violin (Taipei, Taiwan)
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