Carnegie Hall Announces Teen Musicians Selected for Inaugural Year of NYO Jazz

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of 22 outstanding young musicians selected from across the country for the inaugural year of NYO Jazz, a four-week intensive summer program designed to nurture and showcase the talents of exceptional young American jazz instrumentalists (ages 16-19). The members of NYO Jazz 2018-hailing from 16 US states and drawn from every region of the United States-have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country following a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process. The musicians will have the opportunity to play alongside talented peers, learn from world-class jazz masters, and perform with celebrated guest artists on the stages of some of the world's most prestigious concerts halls and music festivals.

Click here for the complete roster, including the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of NYO Jazz.

The musicians of the first NYO Jazz will travel to New York in mid-July 2018 to begin their two-week training residency on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York. Led in its inaugural year by esteemed trumpeter and educator Sean Jones, NYO Jazz players will have the opportunity to work with some of the America's top jazz artists who will lead in-depth training workshops and master classes. A highlight of the residency will be NYO Jazz's Carnegie Hall debut on Friday, July 27, 2018 at 8:00 p.m., led by bandleader/trumpeter Sean Jones, and featuring special guest artists Dianne Reeves and Wycliffe Gordon.

Following their New York appearance, NYO Jazz-joined by Dianne Reeves-will embark on its first-ever international tour from July 30 to August 10, with stops in Europe's great music capitals, including debut performances in London (Cadogan Hall), Amsterdam (Robeco SummerNights at the Royal Concertgebouw), Edinburgh (Edinburgh International Festival), Kassel, Germany (Kultursommer Nordhessen), and Berlin (Young Euro Classic Festival at the Konzerthaus). This summer's program will range from big band standards to the first two Carnegie Hall-commissioned works for NYO Jazz-new compositions by John Clayton and Miguel Zenón-plus arrangements of contemporary pieces that explore jazz's influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music.

NYO Jazz builds on the success of Carnegie Hall's critically acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and NYO2-created by Carnegie Hall in 2013 and 2016, respectively-which draw together outstanding young classical musicians from across the country each summer for training, performances, and international touring. NYO Jazz gives young musicians the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors on an international stage and share a uniquely American musical genre with cultures around the world through an international tour each summer. All three of these prestigious national youth ensemble programs are offered free-of-charge to all participants, including room and board, and all rehearsal, teaching, performance, and touring activities.

"We are very excited to bring together some of the most brilliant young jazz players from across the country to form the very first NYO Jazz," said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. "It is our hope to empower these superb musicians to further develop their artistry and inspire audiences around the world through performances of America's beloved art form. We look forward to what promises to be a truly memorable summer of life-changing experiences through unparalleled training and performance opportunities at home and in Europe where the inaugural members of NYO Jazz will serve as musical ambassadors for their country."

"I am incredibly honored to have been invited by Carnegie Hall to be the artistic advisor and a featured guest artist for NYO Jazz in its first year," said Sean Jones. "I look forward to sharing a truly unique educational and cultural experience with the students who will come together to create NYO Jazz, as well as inspiring audiences with memorable performances that place the spotlight on our gifted youth. NYO Jazz will demonstrate that the Big Band is the perfect vehicle to reveal the diversity, scope, and profound ability of jazz music to express the vast dynamics within American music."

Tickets for the Carnegie Hall performance, priced at $20-$50, are on sale now at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or at carnegiehall.org.

To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz

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