Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together the finest young musicians from across the country (ages 16–19) to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). Following a comprehensive audition process and a training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), with faculty made up of principal players from top professional US orchestras, these remarkable teenagers perform at Carnegie Hall and embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world, serving as America’s music ambassadors. As part of their travel schedule, NYO-USA musicians meet and collaborate with local musicians and experience the richness of other cultures.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary season this summer, NYO-USA has been praised for “exuding vitality and confidence” (The New York Times) in its performances. Following annual concerts at Carnegie Hall, NYO-USA has toured Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Since 2013, the orchestra has been invited to perform at leading international festivals and on landmark stages around the world, including the BBC Proms in London, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Lotte Hall in Seoul, Lucerne Festival, and Sucre National Theater in Quito, among many others. In the ten years since the ensemble’s creation, NYO-USA has worked with extraordinary conductors and guest artists, including Marin Alsop, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Joyce DiDonato, Sir Antonio Pappano, Carlos Miguel Prieto, David Robertson, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Alisa Weilerstein.
Violins
Robert Aguila+
Miami, Florida
Antonio Avilés Figueroa+
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
Ian Barnett
Pinecrest, Florida
Sarah Biesack+
Melbourne, Florida
Yuli Choi+
Palo Alto, California
Ophir Dahari
Chicago, Illinois
Ayi Ekhaese+
Sugar Land, Texas
Honor Frisco+
Palos Verdes Estates, California
Brandon X Garza+
San Antonio, Texas
John-Paul Hernandez
Farmville, North Carolina
Kaitlyn Kaminuma+
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Jenna Seohyeong Kang*
Palo Alto, California
Lisa Kazami+
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Minjae Jaden Kim+
Irvine, California
Joylyn Kim
Lexington, Massachusetts
Rubi Lee
Irvine, California
Daniel Lee*
Kenner, Louisiana
Yuri Lee*
Tuckahoe, New York
Shannon Ma*
Saratoga, California
Aurora Miller
New York, New York
Eunseo Oh
San Jose, California
Olivia Oh
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Timothy Pinkerton
Bemidji, Minnesota
Miro Raj
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Leonardo Rincon+
Boynton Beach, Florida
Sarah Son
Davis, California
Annie Song
Bellevue, Washington
Moshi Tang*
Lyndhurst, Ohio
Samantha Washecka
Round Rock, Texas
Kyle Yang+
Diamond Bar, California
Nicholas Yoo+
Ramsey, New Jersey
Kerrie Zhu
San Mateo, California
Violas
Z Campbell
Austin, Texas
Ian Chen+
Plano, Texas
Daniel De La Cruz
Laguna Niguel, California
Benjamin Graham
Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
Hope Hyink
Carbondale, Illinois
Juhee Kim
Palisades Park, New Jersey
Michelle Koo+
Palo Alto, California
Jeremiah La Fayette
Tampa, Florida
Audrey Lim
Reno, Nevada
Diana Nazarenko
Birmingham, Alabama
Spencer Quarles+
Los Angeles, California
John David Sharp II+
Lowell, Arkansas
Tejas Tirthapura
Saratoga, California
Eric Zhu
Boston, Massachusetts
Cellos
Nicholas Chung
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Sophie Deng+
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Vincent Garcia-Hettinger
San Antonio, Texas
Huisun Hong
Pleasanton, California
Michelle Kwon
Closter, New Jersey
Celina Lim+
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kwabena Owusu
Solon, Ohio
Kyle Ryu
Burke, Virginia
Corinne Turgeon
Boynton Beach, Florida
Daniel Yim+
San Jose, California
Jiin Yun
Irvine, California
Adam Zeithamel
Iowa City, Iowa
Basses
Jasper Chambreau
Madison, Wisconsin
Sean Darney
Cary, North Carolina
Tendekai Mawokomatanda+
Atlanta, Georgia
Devin O’Brien
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Eleanor Ohm+
Bethesda, Maryland
Nathan Puopolo+
Fresno, California
Bria Rives*
Fayetteville, Georgia
Joshua Thrush
Vienna, Virginia
Flutes
Julin Cheung+
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Emily DeNucci
West Hartford, Connecticut
Diego Fernandez
Salem, Oregon
Sadie Goodman+
South Salem, New York
Oboes
Izaiah Cheeran+*
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Daniel Choi+*
Pleasantville, New York
Minoo Jang
Bellevue, Washington
Ashley Na
Suwanee, Georgia
Clarinets
Christopher Dechant
Dallas, Texas
Adam Kolers*
Louisville, Kentucky
Veronica Pavlovic
Seattle, Washington
Andrei Bancos
Rochester, Minnesota
Bassoons
Jackson Bernal+
Potomac, Maryland
Katelyn Nguyen
Portland, Oregon
Nolan Smith
Pleasanton, California
Cassandra Valenti+
Las Vegas, Nevada
Horns
Abigail Konopik
St. Louis, Missouri
Vera Romero
Austin, Texas
Louis Roy
Buffalo, New York
Diego Solis*
Laredo, Texas
Samuel Wood
Colleyville, Texas
Derek Miles Woods
Nashville, Tennessee
Trumpets
Diogo Muggiati-Feldman+
New York, New York
Oliver Lampson
Houston, Texas
Topher Meeks
Austin, Texas
Tehya Shapiro
Towson, Maryland
Trombones
Devin Drinan*
McKinney, Texas
Orlandis Maise+*
Antioch, Tennessee
Bass Trombone
Noah Urquidi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Tubas
Christian Jeon
Louisville, Kentucky
Chancellor Joseph
Richmond, Texas
Harps
Maya Lindsey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ava Yeh
Seattle, Washington
Timpani and Percussion
Charles “CJ” Butera+
Missouri City, Texas
Anh Ho
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Dylan Khangsar
Lewisville, Texas
Kevin Reyes+
Chicago, Illinois
Sam Woolsey+
Blacksburg, Virginia
Piano
Andrei Bancos
Rochester, Minnesota
Apprentice Orchestra Librarian
Yunah Kwon
Ellicott City, Maryland
Apprentice Orchestra Manager
Marisa Kono
Shelburne, Vermont
Apprentice Composers
Lucy Chen
Potomac, Maryland
Lili Masoudi-Namazi
Cranford, New Jersey
Orchestra Staff
Fabrice Curtis
Orchestra Librarian
Timothy Tsukamoto
Orchestra Manager
Tengku Irfan
Assistant Conductor
Raychel Taylor
Percussion Manager
Chris Lee
Photographer
Resident Assistants
Andrés Ayola
Phoebe Colby
Imani Edwards
Antonio Jarvey
Victor Martinez
Liora Schlesinger
Justin Zeitlinger
Carnegie Hall / NYO-USA Staff
Clive Gillinson
Executive and Artistic Director
Sarah Johnson
Chief Education Officer and Director, Weill Music Institute
Douglas Beck
Director, Artist Training Programs
Kari Fitterer
Assistant Director, Artist Training Programs
Meg Boyle
Manager, Public Relations
Anna Holt
Assistant Director, Education Production
Lara Atry
Associate, Education Production
*Prior NYO-USA member
+Prior NYO2 member
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