Orchestra Membership and Activities National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America

1 orchestra membership , activities

1.1 eligibility
1.2 applications , auditions
1.3 residency , tour
1.4 2013
1.5 2014
1.6 2015

orchestra membership , activities

the nyo-usa full symphony orchestra consisting of around 120 young musicians. depending on repertoire season may or may not include harpists , orchestral keyboardists.

membership orchestra changes each year annual application , audition process.

eligibility

to apply join nyo-usa, applicants must between ages of 16 , 19 years old during summer of participation (e.g. 2014 season, applicants’ birthdays must fall between july 1, 1994, , june 30, 1998). additionally, applicants must united states citizens or permanent residents not enrolled full-time in college-level conservatory or music department on instrumental performance major.

applications , auditions

applications join nyo-usa made online between august , november preceding summer of participation, , include brief biographical essay, 2 recommendations , audition video including piece of choice , several excerpts. audition video must include spoken (biographical, motivational) sequences.

applicants may apply more once in 1 year submitting applications more 1 instrument (excluding instrument sub-family combinations such piccolo , flute), respective full applications have made.

former members of nyo-usa may apply rejoin long eligibility criteria, above, met.

residency , tour
2013

the musicians of inaugural nyo-usa came on campus of purchase college intensive week of rehearsals prepare tour program. instrumental faculty joined young players side-by-side rehearsal in week, orchestra director james ross filled self-described role of “surrogate father” orchestra, working build strong sense of ensemble , equip players flexibility respond valery gergiev’s direction in 10 days’ time. outside of full orchestra , sectional rehearsals devoted tour program (sean shepherd’s new work nyo-usa, magiya; tchaikovsky’s violin concerto; , shostakovich’s symphony no. 10), residency offered range of workshops , seminars. topics included introduction feldenkrais method, composing, conducting, musical improvisation, engaging audiences, yoga musicians, , cultural history of moscow , st. petersburg. extraordinary instrumental faculty assembled nyo-usa offered master class members of respective sections , participated in evening of chamber music reading , coaching.

july 4 highlighted cookout orchestra , staff, , few days later, nyo-usa enjoyed day of sightseeing , music in new york city. groups of musicians toured metropolitan museum of art, national september 11 memorial, central park, , times square before gathering @ avery fisher hall new york philharmonic performance , post-concert panel discussion members of orchestra touring , life professional musician. hudson river boat cruise , impromptu on-deck dance party capped memorable day off nyo-usa.

the second week of nyo-usa saw arrival of maestro valery gergiev , soloist joshua bell first rehearsals orchestra, leading nyo-usa’s debut concert @ purchase college’s performing arts center. 2 nights later, orchestra’s tour began sold-out performance @ john f. kennedy center performing arts in washington, dc. musicians embarked on international journey took them russia concerts @ historic great hall of moscow conservatory , newly opened mariinsky ii in st. petersburg, culminating in performance @ royal albert hall in london part of bbc proms.

2014

the second summer of national youth orchestra of united states of america opportunity introduce orchestra home audience in coast-to-coast tour featuring 2 of america’s leading musicians, conductor david robertson , violinist gil shaham. saw debut of nyo-usa in home venue @ carnegie hall, in front of full house , part of wqxr / america public media’s carnegie hall live radio broadcast series. 2014 program featured not 2 spectacular showpieces orchestra (bernstein’s symphonic dances west side story , mussorgsky’s pictures @ exhibition) moving violin concerto of benjamin britten , new work written nyo-usa—radial play young american composer samuel adams.

orchestra director james ross returned prepare orchestra during residency @ purchase college, suny, , group of new , returning faculty members top orchestras again on hand provide expert coaching nyo-usa’s 120 players, 24 of whom veterans of inaugural year. highlight of residency live taping of npr’s hit radio show tops, hosted christopher o’riley , featuring full orchestra , several of members in performances , interviews. each instrument section introduced world video devised , featuring members, while entire orchestra recorded 3 web-exclusive performance videos distinctly american flavor. nyo-usa’s tour took tanglewood in massachusetts’s berkshires walt disney concert hall in downtown los angeles, stops in boone, north carolina; chicago, illinois; jackson hole, wyoming; , sonoma, california. (please see below full concert details.) along way, players had chance visit north carolina blueberry festival, embark on architectural river cruise of chicago, hike in grand teton national park, , see sights of san francisco. each concert featured 2 different members of nyo-usa helping introduce program personal remarks stage—a new element received orchestra’s audiences.

another special focus nyo-usa in 2014 community , young-musician engagement. after preparation during training residency, players participated in 3 events involved interactive performances, side-by-side music making, , mini-workshops groups of young people in new york city, san francisco, , los angeles. partnering new york city’s department of homeless services, nyo-usa , weill music institute’s community programs team invited children shelter system carnegie hall meet , hear nyo-usa on stage of stern auditorium / perelman stage. nyo-usa musicians later collaborated players 4 el sistema–inspired programs in bay area in seminario @ palace of fine arts theatre in san francisco included pop-up concert in iconic rotunda. on final day of tour, nyo-usa visited hollywood bowl , worked side-by-side young musicians los angeles, including members of el sistema–inspired yola (youth orchestra la).

2015

the members of nyo-usa spend first 2 weeks of each season on campus of purchase college, suny. located in westchester county north of new york city, purchase college has outstanding rehearsal, performance, , residential facilities, including highly regarded performing arts center center of musical activities during residency. residency includes sectional , full orchestral rehearsals, workshops on musical , non-musical topics designed complement focus on tour repertoire, , social/recreational activities, capped performance in concert hall.

the tour preceded orchestra s carnegie hall performance, heard music lovers worldwide via carnegie hall live broadcast , digital series, created in partnership wqxr , wfmt radio network. nyo-usa embark on seven-city concert tour of china, visiting important music centers 1 of newly designated cultural pillars of us-china consultation on people-to-people exchange (cpe).