2021 Applications Now Available for Carnegie Hall’s Three Acclaimed National Youth Ensembles

2021 applications are now available for NYO-USA, NYO2, and NYO Jazz, each ensemble designed to nurture and showcase the talents of exceptional young American instrumentalists.

Classical and jazz musicians (ages 14-19) are invited to apply for the summer 2021 programs, which include an intensive two-week training residency led by a stellar faculty comprised of leading players from America’s top professional orchestras and esteemed jazz players as well as performance opportunities with world-class guest artists. The programs are free of charge for all participants.

In Summer 2021, NYO-USA (for ages 16-19) will be led by conductor, Sir Andrew Davis, who has served as music director and principal conductor of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2000. Over his 40-year career, he has conducted at the world’s finest symphonic and opera institutions. Conductor Mei-Ann Chen will join this summer as guest conductor for NYO2, a sister ensemble for younger teens (for ages 14-17) which has a particular focus on attracting talented students from groups underserved by and underrepresented in the classical orchestral field. Mei-Ann Chen has led more than 110 of the world’s finest orchestras, including the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta which she has led as Music Director since 2011.

Artistic director and bandleader Sean Jones returns for the fourth year to lead NYO Jazz (for ages 16-19). Sean Jones has played as lead trumpeter of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis and is prominently featured in many recordings from leading jazz artists such as Illinois Jacquet, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Marcus Miller. He is an internationally recognized educator and is the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

Additional details regarding NYO tours, guest artists, and performance opportunities will be announced later in the 2020-21 season.