Carnegie Hall

(New York, NY, March 25, 2025)—Carnegie Hall today 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 14–17. The members of the 2025 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 32 states plus Guam.

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. Twenty-nine musicians who took part in the ensemble in previous summers have been accepted to the 2025 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.

See below or click here for the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of NYO2 2025.

This summer, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, music director of the San Diego Symphony, leads NYO2 in the ensemble’s annual concert at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. NYO2’s program includes Jimmy López’s Perú Negro, Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein as guest soloist, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

Following their New York performance, NYO2 will embark on its first-ever European tour as it makes its debut in Usher Hall (August 3) as a resident orchestra of the Edinburgh International Festival. During NYO2’s residency in Scotland, they’ll also participate in peer-exchange activities with local musicians and offer a family concert (August 4).

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 start 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 2025 program and coaching them in master classes and sectionals. The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s José-Luis Novo joins as 2025 resident conductor, preparing the ensemble ahead of the arrival of its guest conductor. 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.
 

“Very many congratulations to the excellent young musicians who have been selected to take part in this summer’s NYO2,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “These wonderful young players will have the opportunity to learn from an incredible guest faculty, perform at Carnegie Hall, and then join the Edinburgh International Festival as one of its resident orchestras, marking the first time NYO2 has performed in Europe. It is a huge achievement to be selected for this ensemble, and we are excited to witness their remarkable artistry as they share it with audiences abroad as America’s finest possible cultural ambassadors.”

NYO2 2025 Orchestra Roster
+ Prior NYO2 member

Alabama
Lundyn McEntyre, Viola (Birmingham)

Alaska
Andy Zhang, Violin (Anchorage)

Arizona
Joshua Lee, Violin (Phoenix) +

Arkansas
Nam Le, Flute (Benton)

California
Henry Stroud, Violin (Berkeley) +
Lela Buck, Oboe (Clovis)
Cade Peckham, Bass (Clovis) +
Jenna Son, Violin (Davis)
Derick Shu, Percussion (Fremont)
Asher Cupp, Violin (Fresno)
Lena Kim, Violin (Los Angeles)
Rouyan Lechner, Bass (Moraga)
Camille Chu, Harp (Palo Alto)
Jun Kim, Clarinet (San Diego)
Yoyo Wu, Percussion (San Diego)
Bryan Im, Viola (San Jose)
Lumi Kim, Violin (San Jose)
Hannah Lee, Violin (San Jose)

Colorado
Zoë Hawthorne, Cello (Boulder)

Connecticut
SofiaLee Lugo, Cello (Wilton)

Delaware
Marcos Salvador Riera, Viola (Wilmington)

Florida
Erik Links, Trumpet (Jacksonville)
Jocelyn Chalick, Horn (Naples)
Omar Khan, Percussion (Orlando) +
Ava Howell, Violin (Viera)
Bethmarie Solís Cuevas, Violin (Winter Park)

Georgia
Arsheya Singh, Viola (Alpharetta)
B. Andrew Lee, Violin (Johns Creek)
James Leffew, Trombone (Johns Creek)
Obinna Uchime, Viola (Marietta)

Guam
Jamie Xu, Violin (Barrigada Heights)

Hawaii
Kieran Alston, Orchestral Keyboard (Makawao)
Sevastyan Swan, Violin (Mililani) +

Idaho
Aaron Klein, Horn (Rexburg)

Illinois
David Vasquez, Clarinet (Aurora)
Christopher Mertz, Bass (Lincolnshire)

Indiana
Cory Sedwick, Percussion (Floyds Knobs) +

Kansas
Ryan Byun, Violin (Andover)

Maryland
Lilia Li, Violin (Baltimore)
Lawrence Du, Violin (Ellicott City)
Jonathan Henderson, Viola (North Potomac) +
Issac Won, Trumpet (Potomac) +
Chloe Robertson, Bassoon (Rockville)

Massachusetts
Eric Myung, Oboe (Andover)
Hannah Oh, Cello (Boxborough)
Leila Novak Mostaghimi, Clarinet (Newton)
Maereg Million, Bass (Wayland)

Minnesota
Emily Alexander, Cello (Minneapolis)
Ramón Campos, Violin (Rochester)
Solanite Ketema, Trumpet (Rosemount)

Missouri
Kimmi Lin, Percussion (St. Louis)

New Jersey
Odie Femi-oke, Bass (Bayville)
Semin Chun, Violin (Cresskill)
Lucas Kim, Viola (Fort Lee)
Natalie Oh, Violin (Oradell) +
Evelyn Ha, Bassoon (Saddle River)
Elizabeth Ha, Oboe (Saddle River)
Raphael Zhu, Tuba (Princeton)

New Mexico
Alicia Peng, Violin (Albuquerque)

New York
Khalid Abdallah, Trumpet (Flushing)
John Teruel, Bass Trombone (Freeport)
Logan Lee, Bass (Great Neck)
Jia Choi, Viola (Jericho)
Richard Celiceo, Violin (New York)
Juliet Diaz Onderwyzer, Cello (West Nyack)

Ohio
Angela Tang, Violin (Mason)

Oklahoma
Reece Mirkes, Trombone (Bixby)
Dylan Antonio Perez, Cello (Broken Arrow) +
Ely Gonzalez, Cello (Norman)

Oregon
Sabine Voelker, Viola (Eugene) +
Kaylee Nah, Violin (Portland)

Pennsylvania
Brady Conley, Viola (Pittsburgh)
Raymond Wu, Violin (Wayne)

Rhode Island
Alejandro Quintero Cashore, Cello (East Greenwich)

South Carolina
Xavion Boyd-Gray, Bass (Columbia)

South Dakota
Eva Gray Hernandez, Violin (Brandon)
Angelica Jones, Viola (North Sioux City)

Tennessee
Ella Liu, Flute (Collierville)
Jack Feng, Violin (Memphis) +

Texas
Elena Elorreaga, Horn (Austin) +
Christian Eduardo Betancurt, Bassoon (Brownsville)
Alex Duran, Clarinet (Dickinson)
Isabella Craig, Horn (Henderson)
Alina Zhou, Flute (Laredo)
Isaac Sprouls, Horn (Paris)
Eric Z. Wang, Viola (Plano)
Benjamin Zhou, Violin (The Woodlands)

Virginia
Noah Crumbly, Cello (Chesapeake) +
Samantha Flottman, Violin (Mechanicsville)
 

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About NYO2
Created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in summer 2016, NYO2 (National Youth Orchestra 2) brings together outstanding young American instrumentalists ages 14–17 for a summer orchestral training program that includes a residency and an exciting concert at Carnegie Hall. Running in conjunction with the summer residency of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) at Purchase College, State University of New York, NYO2 offers an opportunity for younger participants to play alongside exceptionally talented peers and learn from a world-class faculty. With a focus on actively recruiting talented young players from across the country, the program aims to expand the pool of young musicians equipped with the tools to succeed at the highest level, particularly those who come from communities in which fewer opportunities for high level musical training are available.

Since its inaugural season, NYO2 has captivated audiences around the world through annual performances at Carnegie Hall and residencies and performances in Miami Beach in partnership with the New World Symphony; The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Kimmel Center; the Dominican Republic, presented by Fundación Sinfonía; and Dallas, Texas in partnership with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Over the past nine years, NYO2 has worked with renowned faculty, guest artists, and conductors that include Teddy Abrams, Mei-Ann Chen, Giancarlo Guerrero, Jennifer Koh, Anthony McGill, Gabriela Montero, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gil Shaham, Esperanza Spalding, Joseph Young, and others. Described as “… not only a laudable educational project, but highly enjoyable and a lot of fun ... these teenagers had the technical mastery, musicianship, and panache to rival anyone” (New York Classical Review), NYO2 has performed at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, New World Center in Miami, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito in Santo Domingo, Gran Teatro del Cibao in Santiago, and Carnegie Hall.

NYO2 is one of Carnegie Hall’s three acclaimed national youth ensembles, which also include NYO-USA for outstanding classical musicians ages 16–19 and NYO Jazz for the nation’s finest jazz instrumentalists ages 16–19. Each of these prestigious national programs—free to all participants—is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when given the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with audiences around the globe.

To learn more about NYO2, visit carnegiehall.org/NYO2.
 

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Lead Donors: Hope and Robert F. Smith, The Kovner Foundation, and Beatrice Santo Domingo.

Public support for NYO2 is provided by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand through the U.S. Department of Education.

Global Ambassadors: Michael ByungJu Kim and Kyung Ah Park, Hope and Robert F. Smith, and Maggie and Richard Tsai.

Leadership support for NYO2 is provided by the Estate of Joan Eliasoph.

Major support for NYO2 is provided by Veronica Atkins, Mercedes T. Bass, Ronald E. Blaylock and Petra Pope, the Mark and Anla Cheng Kingdon Foundation, Clive and Anya Gillinson, Beth and Joshua Nash, Pershing Square Philanthropies, Melanie and Jean E. Salata, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon, and the Victor and William Fung Foundation.

United Airlines®, Airline Partner to the National Youth Ensembles.

Founder Patron: Beatrice Santo Domingo.

With additional funding provided by Alphadyne Foundation, Sarah Arison, Ernst & Young LLP, Mary I. and John E. Hull, Stella and Robert Jones, Martha and Robert Lipp, the Morton H. Meyerson Family Foundation, and David S. Winter.

 

Photo: Fadi Kheir