Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of the 78 young musicians selected from across the country for the inaugural season of NYO2, a two-week, intensive summer program for outstanding American instrumentalists ages 14-17, which begins on June 18, 2016. NYO2 is an extension of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), a program for musicians ages 16-19, launched by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in the summer of 2013 to great acclaim. Both NYO-USA and NYO2 are free to all participants.

The members of the 2016 NYO2 orchestra—hailing from 27 US states as well as Puerto Rico—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as exceptionally talented players. See below or click here for the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of NYO2 2016.

Running in conjunction with NYO-USA’s annual summer residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), NYO2 has been established with a special focus on attracting talented young musicians from communities underserved by, and underrepresented in, the classical orchestral field. This new program, in partnership with The Philadelphia Orchestra, aims to expand the pool of young musicians across the country equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level, particularly those who will bring greater diversity to classical orchestral music or those who have not had access to highly selective training opportunities. Like NYO-USA, NYO2 musicians were selected following a comprehensive online audition process. In addition, Carnegie Hall asked high school educators and local youth orchestra directors for nominations of potential NYO2 candidates who would most benefit from focused training and participation in an inspiring community of their peers in order to take their playing to the next level.

“Following the success of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, we are thrilled to launch NYO2,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “In time, we think that the training, inspiration, and access provided by a national program like this can help to expand the range and diversity of young people considering careers in the classical music field. We are delighted to be collaborating on this initiative with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Carnegie Hall’s longtime artistic partner. Together, we hope to empower these talented young players to further develop their musicianship and use music to connect with audiences and people everywhere.”

This summer, NYO2 will be led by renowned conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, Music Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. As a central part of this free program, NYO2 musicians will have the opportunity to work closely with select members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, an organization with its own deep commitment to education and artist training, thanks to a new partnership formed between Carnegie Hall and the orchestra. (See below for complete list of NYO2 faculty.)

“We are honored to be working in partnership with Carnegie Hall on a project that is at the very heart of what we both believe in—mentorship, access, and exceptional opportunities for artists and citizens of the future,” said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. “We will build on the Orchestra’s recently-announced HEAR initiative in both education and access to help bring the program to life in Philadelphia, providing opportunities for young Philadelphia musicians to interact with NYO2’s aspiring musicians and for NYO2 musicians to experience our city and its rich cultural community.”

In addition to coaching sessions with Philadelphia Orchestra members during their training residency at Purchase College, NYO2 musicians will have side-by-side opportunities with their peers in 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 finale of the NYO2 musicians’ 2016 season will be a weekend in Philadelphia from July 1–4, highlighted by a free concert at Verizon Hall on Saturday, July 2 (time is to be announced). Mr. Guerrero will lead NYO2 in a program to include Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, and Respighi’s Pines of Rome in an exciting side-by-side performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The evening will also include Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Information on how to obtain tickets to the July 2 concert as well as additional details on NYO2’s Philadelphia visit will be announced later this spring. 

NYO2
2016 Orchestra Roster

Alaska
Alex Apicella, Violin	(Fairbanks)
Arizona
Chase Lee, Violin	(Laveen)
Carissa Powe, Violin	(Tucson)
Levi Samuel Nathan Powe, Cello	(Tucson)
California
Josue Chavez, Trumpet	(Los Angeles)
John A. Gonzalez, Bassoon	(Los Angeles)
David Green, Trumpet	(Santa Rosa)
Joel Kim, Viola	(Northridge)
Sean Loveland, Violin	(Los Angeles)
Javier Morales-Martinez, Clarinet	(Los Angeles)
Hector Ponce, Bass	(San Jose)
Brenda Wong, Viola	(San Gabriel)
Edwina Xiong, Viola	(Diamond Bar)
Diego Zamalloa-Chion, Violin	(Kensington)
Katherine Zhu, Violin	(San Diego)
Florida
Sophia Jean, Flute	(Lakeland)
Mikhail Marasigan, Clarinet	(Miami)
Ethan S. Olaguibel, Bass	(Miami)
Jiddu Vega, Violin	(Miami)
Georgia
Kyle Favors, Timpani/Percussion	(Atlanta)
Quentell Gipson III, Tuba	(Stone Mountain)
Melodie Spencer, Violin	(Albany)
Hawaii
Jou Kim, Violin	(Honolulu)
Idaho
Drew M. Stanley, Horn	(Idaho Falls)
Illinois
Steven Baloue, Viola	(Chicago)
Ella Bondar, Cello	(Chicago)
Sean Edwards, Timpani/Percussion	(Chicago)
Angelica Lorenzo, Timpani/Percussion	(Chicago)
Kentucky
Ntinyari Miriti, Bassoon	(Lexington)
Nicholas Recktenwald, Trumpet	(Louisville)
Maryland
Tracie Kwon, Flute	(Germantown)
Vincent Igusa, Bassoon	(Baltimore)
Kara Poling, Oboe	(Reisterstown)
Sooah Sohn, Violin	(Clarksburg)
Michigan
Zak Rahal, Trombone	(Plymouth)
Mississippi
Lydia Evangeline Newton, Violin	(Moss Point)
Missouri
Adam Barker, Violin	(Spokane)
J. David Eulentrop Jr., Viola	(Winfield)
New Jersey
Juliette Duguid, Viola	(Westfield)
Kingston Ho, Violin	(New Providence)
Parker Jones, Horn	(Bergenfield)
Gregory Llewellyn, Cello	(Englewood)
Valerie Mun, Violin	(Old Tappan)
New York
Che Buford, Violin	(Brooklyn)
Joshua Cai, Viola	(Mount Sinai)
Epongue Ekille, Violin	(Rochester)
Oliver Lindblom, Trombone	(Rochester)
Ohio
Redd C. Ingram, Bass	(New Albany)
Pennsylvania
Braden Ellis, Bass	(Broomall)
Sabine Jung, Cello	(West Chester)
Puerto Rico
Rafniel E. Ríos Babilonia, Trumpet	(Aguada)
Javier F. Torres-Delgado, Violin	(San Juan)
South Carolina
Zoe Kushubar, Violin	(Campobello)
South Dakota
Gillian Hilscher, Viola	(Sioux Falls)
Naomi Powers, Violin	(Mitchell)
Tennessee
Miles Goosby, Cello	(Bartlett)
Allen Liu, Violin	(Chattanooga)
Texas
Marcel Alexis Bobé, Cello	(Corpus Christi)
Nathan Cloeter, Horn	(Lake Jackson)
Matthew E. Garcia, Viola	(Harlingen)
Diego Garza-Romero, Bass	(Edinburg)
Richard Huang, Oboe	(Frisco)
Jonathan Keith, Bass	(Houston)
Jonathan Lopez, Clarinet	(El Paso)
Rahel Lulseged, Cello	(Richardson)
Nicholas Ochoa, Horn	(Brownsville)
David Schonberger, Bass Trombone	(El Paso)
Derek Song, Violin	(College Station)
Andrea Velasquez, Flute	(Kingwood)
Utah
Lily Springer, Viola	(Lehi)
Vermont
Nathan Bamberger, Horn	(St. George)
Andrew Fyles, Timpani/Percussion	(St. Albans)
Virginia
Imani Edwards, Violin	(Fairfax)
Washington
Ben Albertson, Harp	(Olympia)
Donovan Bown, Oboe	(Seattle)
Tanner Rodriguez, Cello	(Seattle)
West Virginia
Devin Lai, Violin	(Morgantown)
Wyoming
Jacob Lorenz, Violin	(Jackson)

 

The following musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra will serve as NYO2 faculty in 2016, working closely with the ensemble’s young musicians during their residency at Purchase College:

Juliette Kang, First Associate Concertmaster
Hirono Oka, First Violin
Daniel Han, First Violin
Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second Violin
Amy Oshiro-Morales, Second Violin
Che-Hung Chen, Viola
Marvin Moon, Viola
Hai-Ye Ni, Principal Cello
Gloria dePasquale, Cello
Ohad Bar-David, Cello
Harold Robinson, Principal Bass
Joseph Conyers, Assistant Principal Bass

Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English Horn
Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinet

David Bilger, Principal Trumpet
Anthony Prisk, Trumpet
Blair Bollinger, Bass Trombone

Don Liuzzi, Principal Timpani

* * * * *

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 (NYO-USA) brings together the brightest young musicians, ages 16-19, from across the country each summer for a two-week training residency at Purchase College, followed by an international tour. In 2016, NYO-USA works with two world-renowned maestros and esteemed soloists. The orchestra performs music of Mozart and Bruckner with conductor Christoph Eschenbach and pianist Emanuel Ax at Purchase College (July 13) and Carnegie Hall (July 14) before embarking on a European tour with Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev (July 16—27). While in Europe, NYO-USA will perform music by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, and Prokofiev at debut concerts in Amsterdam, Montpellier, Copenhagen, and Prague. The orchestra’s performance in Amsterdam will be streamed live for free on medici.tv. In 2017, NYO-USA will make its first tour to South America, led by celebrated conductor Marin Alsop. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org/nyousa.

About Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute

Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall’s commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall’s mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world’s greatest artists, WMI’s programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall’s concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. Approximately 600,000 students, teachers, families, young musicians, and community members of all ages engage each year in WMI’s programs—most offered at low or no cost to participants—at Carnegie Hall, in New York City schools and community settings, and through national and international partnerships. For more information, visit: carnegiehall.org/education/

About The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike since his inaugural season in 2012. The Orchestra is transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging—and exceeding—that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world. The Philadelphia Orchestra has a decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages across the Delaware Valley. Current initiatives that take musicians off the traditional concert stage and into the community include the highly-successful PopUP Concerts and PlayINs, SingINs, and ConductINs. For more information, visit philorch.org.

* * * * *

Leadership support for NYO2 is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Founder Patron: Beatrice Santo Domingo.

Founder Patrons for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America: Blavatnik Family Foundation; Nicola and Beatrice Bulgari; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Marina Kellen French and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation; The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation; Ronald O. Perelman; Robertson Foundation; Beatrice Santo Domingo; Robert F. Smith; Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon; and Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation.

Additional funding has been provided by the Jack Benny Family Foundation for Music Education; Andrew and Margaret Paul; and Jolyon Stern and Nelle Nugent.

 

Image at the top of release courtesy of Carnegie Hall