Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Ensembles to Present Concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
All three concerts have a focus on American music as they close out Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
Carnegie Hall is continuing its summertime tradition of shining a spotlight on 200+ teen musicians from across the country with concerts by the Hall’s three national youth ensembles: the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), NYO2, and NYO Jazz. Over the course of three nights from July 30–August 1, each ensemble collaborates with some of the world’s leading artists as they take to the famed Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. All three concerts have a focus on American music as they close out Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
On Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m., conductor Mei-Ann Chen returns to lead NYO2, Carnegie Hall’s national youth orchestra for younger teens. For this program, the ensemble performs 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.
Following their Carnegie Hall performance, NYO2 embarks on an international tour, returning to the Dominican Republic for a five-day residency to include two concerts and exchange activities, presented by Fundación Sinfonía.
On Friday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m., conductor Karina Canellakis leads the National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA). The program includes Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F featuring Kirill Gerstein as soloist, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. The program will be heard by music lovers worldwide through the Carnegie Hall Live radio broadcast and digital series, created in partnership with WQXR.
Following this performance at Carnegie Hall, NYO-USA embarks on a four-city European tour. The orchestra makes its debut at Snape Maltings Concert Hall as part of Britten Pears Arts’s “Summer at Snape” in Aldeburgh, England. NYO-USA returns to the Young Euro Classic at Konzerthaus Berlin, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Usher Hall at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Closing out the weekend of concerts, NYO Jazz—an extraordinary ensemble showcasing the bright future of American jazz—performs at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m. Led this summer by bandleader/trumpeter Kris Johnson—in his Carnegie Hall debut—and featuring Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, the evening’s program includes a commissioned work by composer, arranger, and conductor Jihye Lee; big band favorites from the Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestras, as well as genre-crossing contemporary works and new arrangements by John Clayton and Kris Johnson; and an arrangement by NYO Jazz alum, trumpeter Skylar Tang, through an NYO Jazz commissioning project highlighting compositions from Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers.
Following their New York appearance, NYO Jazz debuts at SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco before performing across Asia in Taichung, Shanghai, and Beijing.
Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
NYO2
Mei-Ann Chen, Conductor
Tessa Lark, Violin
ARTURO MÁRQUEZ Danzón No. 2
GABRIELA LENA FRANK "The Mestizo Waltz" from Three Latin American Dances
Michael Torke Sky
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome
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Friday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Karina Canellakis, Conductor
Kirill Gerstein, Piano
BARBER Overture to The School for Scandal
GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
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Saturday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
NYO JAZZ
Kris Johnson, Bandleader and Trumpet
with Special Guest
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Vocals
NYO Jazz’s stylistic range is highlighted in a commissioned work by composer, arranger, and conductor Jihye Lee; big band favorites from the Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestras; genre-crossing contemporary works and new arrangements written for the ensemble by John Clayton and Kris Johnson; and an arrangement by an NYO Jazz alum, trumpeter Skylar Tang.
