CARNEGIE HALL ANNOUNCES TEEN MUSICIANS SELECTED FOR THE
2019 NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

Created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, Prestigious National Program Recognizes
Finest Young Musicians from Across the Country, Ages 16–19

Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano Leads Performances at Tanglewood and Carnegie Hall
Featuring Mezzo-Soprano Isabel Leonard

Mezzo-Soprano Dame Sarah Connolly Performs with Maestro Pappano and NYO-USA in Berlin

Mezzo-Soprano Joyce DiDonato Joins the Orchestra for Remainder of
European Tour with Concerts in Great Britain, Amsterdam, and Germany

NYO-USA 2019 Program Includes Works by Strauss, Prokofiev, and Berlioz, as
Talented Teens Travel the World as Musical Ambassadors 

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of the 119 outstanding young musicians selected from across the country for the seventh annual National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). The members of the 2019 orchestra—ages 16–19, hailing from 33 US states—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country following a comprehensive and highly selective audition process. This summer’s orchestra features 32 musicians who previously played with NYO-USA, as well as 22 musicians who gained experience through NYO2, a program for younger players ages 14–17. NYO-USA and NYO2 are offered free of charge, ensuring that all invited musicians have the opportunity to take part.

See below or click here for the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of the 2019 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

Following an intensive three-week training residency at Purchase College, SUNY, world-renowned conductor Sir Antonio Pappano leads NYO-USA at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 1 at 8:00 p.m., followed by the orchestra’s annual Carnegie Hall concert on Saturday, August 3 at 8:00 p.m., to be heard by music lovers worldwide via the Carnegie Hall Live broadcast and digital series, created in partnership with WQXR. The program includes Strauss’ Eine Alpensinfonie, and Berlioz’s Les nuits d'été featuring renowned mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. Tickets, priced at $25 for adults and $10 for youth and students, will go on sale Wednesday, March 20.

The orchestra then departs to Europe for a tour of some of the continent’s music capitals, beginning with a performance in Berlin featuring mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, and continuing with concerts in Great Britain, Amsterdam, and Germany featuring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. Select concerts feature Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in place of Strauss’s Eine Alpensinfonie, giving the young musicians the rare opportunity to perform two ambitious symphonies. Two apprentice composers will also compose new works for the orchestra, to be premiered during the tour.

“The musicians who make up NYO-USA’s 2019 roster are among the very best players in the nation,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “This promises to be an unforgettable summer of new discoveries for them. These superb young players will have the opportunity to serve as musical ambassadors for their country, connecting with audiences around the world as they present extraordinary performances under the baton of conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, collaborating with three wonderful soloists.”

NYO-USA musicians arrive in New York in mid-July for an intensive three-week training residency on the campus of Purchase College, SUNY, working with principal players from some of the finest professional orchestras. James Ross, music director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, returns to lead the NYO-USA faculty for a seventh year. Joseph Young, Artistic Director of Ensembles at the Peabody Institute, will serve as resident conductor. The faculty will oversee rehearsals during the orchestra’s residency in Purchase and will also lead master classes, chamber music readings, and other seminars on essential music skills, all leading up to the launch of NYO-USA’s annual tour.