Carnegie Hall

(December 8, 2017; NEW YORK, NY)—Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) proudly announces the stellar faculty and European tour highlights for the inaugural year of NYO Jazz, a four-week intensive summer program designed to nurture and showcase the talents of exceptional young American jazz instrumentalists (ages 16-19), beginning in summer 2018. The NYO Jazz faculty is comprised of some of the finest jazz artists on the scene today, including drummer Obed Calvaire, trumpeter Etienne Charles, pianist Gerald Clayton, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, saxophonist Erica von Kleist, bassist Mimi Jones, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and ensemble coach Reggie Thomas, who will lead in-depth training workshops and master classes during the summer residency.

In its inaugural year, trumpet player Sean Jones—one of the field’s outstanding performer-composer-educators—will serve as NYO Jazz’s artistic advisor, leading the faculty as well as directing the orchestra’s debut performance at Carnegie Hall in July 2018, followed by its first international tour. This summer, NYO Jazz will travel to Europe’s great music capitals and prestigious festivals—including stops in The Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain—to inspire audiences with America’s beloved musical genre. Additional tour dates and venues, as well as special guest artists will be announced in early 2018.

NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and NYO2, programs created by Carnegie Hall’s WMI in 2013 and 2016, respectively, which bring together the finest young classical musicians from across the country each summer. NYO Jazz aims to be one of the nation’s most distinctive summer jazz programs for student musicians, combining training, performance, and international touring. The program gives young musicians the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors on an international stage and share a uniquely American musical genre with cultures around the world through an international tour each summer. All three national youth ensemble programs are offered free-of-charge to all participants.

As with NYO-USA and NYO2, NYO Jazz musicians take part in a rigorous two-week training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York, located in Westchester County, just north of New York City, where they will participate in their initial training and rehearsals. In addition to coaching and mentoring by top jazz artists, there will also be side-by-side music-making and artistic collaboration among the ensembles. All rehearsals and training will be centered at the College’s highly-regarded Performing Arts Center and in the rehearsal studios of its School for the Arts Conservatory of Music.

Applications for NYO Jazz are being accepted now. To audition for a position in the ensemble students should complete the online form and submit all required supporting materials, including audition videos by February 1, 2018. For more information on NYO Jazz, including details on the application process, please visit www.carnegiehall.org/nyojazz.

The NYO Jazz program is free for all participants, including room and board, and all rehearsal, teaching, performance, and touring activities.

Students who are US citizens or permanent residents, ages 16-19 during the period of the 2018 summer program (participants’ birthdates between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 2002), are invited to apply to Carnegie Hall’s new NYO Jazz program. Approximately 20-25 musicians will be accepted. Students who are enrolled full-time in a college-level conservatory or university music department with jazz performance as a major will not be eligible. Musicians may apply on the following instruments: flute, clarinet, saxophone (alto, tenor, and baritone), trumpet, trombone (tenor and bass), piano/keyboard, bass, guitar, and drums/percussion. 

About Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall’s commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall’s mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world’s greatest artists, WMI’s programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall’s concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. More than half a million people each year engage in WMI’s programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org/education.

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Lead Donors: Hope and Robert F. Smith; Beatrice Santo Domingo. 

Header image by Fadi Kheir. Top photo by Dave Rugh, bottom right photo by Chris Lee, bottom left photo courtesy of St. Louis County Library.