Carnegie Hall

The United States’ first-ever national youth orchestra has its roots in Carnegie Hall’s leaders past and present. Reflecting on his experience playing in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, asked himself why the US shouldn’t follow suit. It was a fitting question. Isaac Stern, when he saved the Hall from demolition in 1960, had imagined the Hall’s potential as a national center for music education, perhaps even as a home for an orchestra made up of the finest young players from across the country. Under the direction of Gillinson and his team, that vision came to fruition in 2013 with the inaugural orchestra; 10 years on, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) provides a place for talented teenage instrumentalists to hone their skills, broaden their perspectives, make new friends, and above all, play great music. Since NYO-USA’s debut, two more ensembles have been created—NYO2 for young musicians and NYO Jazz—with more than 1,200 young musicians from all 50 US states performing in the three ensembles over the last decade.

Chances are an orchestra you know and love is home to an NYO-USA alum. More than 90 alums have accepted positions at some of the finest orchestras around North America and beyond, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé, Houston Symphony, The Met Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Toronto and Vancouver symphonies, and many others. The roster of alums includes many principal players and festival regulars, as well as several Avery Fisher Career Grant winners.

NYO-USA’s tours have taken it to 16 countries—Germany, China, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, to name a few—where the musicians have not only received invitations to perform at some of the most celebrated venues and festivals, but have also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in new cultures, connecting with young people from different backgrounds. NYO-USA is a strong proponent of music as a tool for cultural diplomacy and the power of the arts to foster relationships and understanding, especially through peer-to-peer exchange with fellow young musicians and other students.

From the beginning, NYO-USA has drawn the best of classical music to its podium and programs. The orchestra has shined under the batons of Marin Alsop, David Robertson, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Antonio Pappano, and Michael Tilson Thomas, alongside superstar soloists such as Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Joyce DiDonato, and many others. NYO-USA also has a history of commissioning new works from great contemporary composers, including Tan Dun, Gabriela Lena Frank, Sean Shepherd, and Ted Hearne—a valuable resource for the young musicians who join the ensemble as apprentice composers and, over the course of the program, rehearse and premiere a work they’ve written.

Since its inception, NYO-USA has been completely free, ensuring that everyone who is accepted to the orchestra can participate. Open to players ages 16–19, all applicants audition via video. Everyone who applies receives feedback from the professional musicians on the jury regardless of admission, enabling them to continue to build on their musicianship. Each summer, the orchestra then comes together for an intensive training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York, coached by principal players from top orchestras across the US, before embarking on a tour to great music capitals around the world. In addition to its exceptional music-making, NYO-USA is also known for its distinctive concert attire including the musicians’ signature red pants, black jacket, tie, and converse sneakers.

Even if you can’t travel to Seoul or Berlin to hear NYO-USA on tour, you can still attend a concert. NYO-USA meticulously records and documents each summer’s concerts and activities, cultivating a rich library of digital experiences, from livestreams to full concert videos to travelogs. The musicians have even put together a few orchestral music videos. The orchestra has also been featured on dozens of national radio and TV broadcasts, including in New York, Germany, China, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Select concerts are streamed online each summer, but if you miss one, there’s even more to discover on NYO-USA’s YouTube channel.

Photography: Dun and NYO-USA 2015 by Jennifer Taylor, all other photography by Chris Lee