Carnegie Hall

In addition to a busy schedule of rehearsals, sectionals, chamber music practice, and private lessons, the members of NYO2 had access to individual instruction and workshops designed to enable them to serve their communities through music. Joseph Conyers, founder of Project 440 and assistant principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, talked to the group about arts leadership, challenging the musicians to come up with a social entrepreneurship project to work on in groups throughout the residency.

During the second week, NYO2 musicians were joined by the members of NYO-USA for several side-by-side rehearsals and other joint activities. The orchestra also took a break from playing to hear one of the New York Philharmonic’s annual Concerts in the Parks and meet Music Director Alan Gilbert, principal clarinetist Anthony McGill, and other members of the orchestra at Van Cortlandt Park. A second trip to New York City included a tour of Carnegie Hall with Gino Francesconi—the longtime director of Carnegie Hall’s Archives and Rose Museum—as well as opportunities to take photos onstage and go sightseeing around the city.

The finale of the NYO2 musicians’ 2016 season was an action-packed Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia, highlighted by a free concert at Verizon Hall. Giancarlo Guerrero led the orchestra in Respighi’s Pini di Roma in a side-by-side performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra; Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, performed by NYO2; and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Following a standing ovation, NYO2 performed selections from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess as an encore, now an NYO ensemble tradition.

During their visit to Philadelphia, NYO2 musicians also had the opportunity to mentor younger students from the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) at the Curtis Institute of Music, visit the National Constitution Center and Franklin Institute, and participate in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual Neighborhood Concert at Penn’s Landing. The weekend concluded with an epic side-by-side performance at the 23rd Street Armory that featured NYO2, NYO-USA, and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra—as well as local instrumentalists from Philadelphia-area youth orchestras—totaling nearly 350 musicians and making a fitting conclusion to a successful and meaningful inaugural season.

Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor

The Philadelphia Orchestra

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

Additional Faculty

Amadi Azikiwe, Viola, Harlem Chamber Players
Jonathan Colbert, Bass, Royal Danish Orchestra
Elizabeth Mann, Principal Flute, Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Julietta Curenton, Flute, American Symphony Orchestra
Hassan Anderson, Oboe, SHUFFLE Concert Ensemble, The Juilliard School
Garrett McQueen, Bassoon, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
Javier Gándara, French Horn, The MET Orchestra
Weston Sprott, Trombone, The MET Orchestra
Rob Knopper, Percussion, The MET Orchestra
Nancy Allen, Principal Harp, New York Philharmonic

RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances
TCHAIKOVSKY Capriccio Italien
RESPIGHI Pini di Roma
BIZET “Farandole” from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio Espagnol
TCHAIKOVSKY Finale from Symphony No. 4

July 2: Side-by-Side Concert, Verizon Hall (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
NYO2 and The Philadelphia Orchestra

July 3: Side-by-Side Concert, 23rd Street Armory (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
NYO2, NYO-USA, members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and local youth orchestra musicians