Carnegie Hall

(NEW YORK, NY; April 5, 2022)—Carnegie Hall today announced the names of 22 extraordinary young musicians chosen from across the country for NYO Jazz, an intensive summer program that nurtures and showcases the talents of exceptional young American jazz instrumentalists (ages 16-19). The members of NYO Jazz 2022—hailing from multiple regions of the country—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the US following a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process. This summer’s ensemble will feature four musicians who are returning to NYO Jazz, now in its fifth year. The musicians who make up the 2022 ensemble will have the opportunity to play alongside talented peers, learn from world-class jazz masters, and perform in concerts in US cities. NYO Jazz is offered free of charge to all participants, ensuring that all invited musicians have the opportunity to take part.

See below or click here for the complete roster, including the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of NYO Jazz 2022. 

“We are excited to bring together some of the most amazing young jazz players from across the country to train, perform, and tour alongside celebrated jazz artists as part of NYO Jazz,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. “This summer marks the first time the ensemble will be able to perform at Carnegie Hall and tour since 2019 and we look forward to what promises to be a truly memorable summer of life-changing experiences, through unparalleled training and music-making opportunities. We are thrilled to have NYO Jazz make its first US tour this summer, showcasing the incredible depth of talent and high level of musicianship found across the nation as we connect the members of NYO Jazz with music lovers across the country.”

The musicians of NYO Jazz will travel to New York in mid-July 2022 to begin their two-week training residency on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York. Led by Artistic Director Sean Jones, NYO Jazz players will have the opportunity to train with some of America’s most celebrated jazz artists who will lead in-depth training workshops and masterclasses. A highlight of the residency will be NYO Jazz’s Carnegie Hall performance on Thursday, July 28 at 8:00 p.m., led by bandleader/trumpeter Sean Jones and featuring vocalist Jazzmeia Horn as special guest.

Following their New York appearance, NYO Jazz—joined by Jazzmeia Horn—will embark on its first-ever US tour. The complete tour schedule will be announced later this spring. This summer marks the first time NYO Jazz will be able to perform at Carnegie Hall and tour since 2019.

NYO Jazz’s diverse repertoire ranges from big band standards to Carnegie Hall–commissioned works for the ensemble, as well as other contemporary pieces exploring jazz’s influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. For NYO Jazz’s 2022 concerts, Carnegie Hall has commissioned Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based composer and Secret Society bandleader Darcy James Argue, who has been hailed as one of the most prolific and innovative jazz big band composers today. The program will also include several songs from Jazzmeia Horn’s new Grammy Award-nominated album Dear Love, a new arrangement by celebrated bassist/composer John Clayton, and big band classics by Bob Brookmeyer, Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus.

Tickets for the Carnegie Hall concert will go on sale for the general public on Tuesday, April 12. Tickets can be purchased at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or at carnegiehall.org. Discounted student tickets will be available online for verified Student Insiders only – all other youth tickets must be purchased at the box office or over the phone.

About NYO Jazz
Each summer, NYO Jazz, led by artistic director Sean Jones, shines a spotlight on the depth of talent found among teen jazz players across the United States. The program offers talented young musicians, ages 16-19, the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors for their country, sharing a uniquely American musical genre with people around the world through an international tour. The members of NYO Jazz have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest jazz musicians in the country, following a rigorous and highly competitive audition process. After its Carnegie Hall debut in 2018, the ensemble embarked on its first-ever international tour for performances with vocalist Dianne Reeves at prestigious concert halls and music festivals in London, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Kassel, and Berlin. In summer 2019, NYO Jazz made its debut tour to Asia, joined by vocalist Kurt Elling, including performances in Taichung, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhuhai, and Hong Kong. As part of their travel schedule, NYO Jazz musicians also have opportunities to meet and collaborate with young local musicians and experience the richness of different cultures and music.

In 2021, during NYO Jazz’s residency at Purchase College, SUNY, the band recorded its first full length studio album under the direction of artistic director and bandleader Sean Jones. It includes Carnegie Hall-commissioned works for the ensemble from each year of the program exploring themes including social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy. The album will be released later this spring.

NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and its sister ensemble for younger musicians NYO2—programs created by Carnegie Hall in 2013 and 2016, respectively—to bring together the finest young classical musicians from across the country each summer for training, performances and international touring. Each of these prestigious national programs—free to all participants—is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when they have the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with audiences around the globe. Since 2013, Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles have performed in 15 countries on four continents, including tours to China, South Korea, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Russia, and across Europe.

NYO Jazz
2022 Roster by State

+ Prior NYO Jazz member
  

 

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Lead Donors: Hope and Robert F. Smith, Marina Kellen French and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Beatrice Santo Domingo, and Nicola and Beatrice Bulgari.

Global Ambassadors: Michael ByungJu Kim and Kyung Ah Park, Hope and Robert F. Smith, and Maggie and Richard Tsai.

Major support has been provided by the Mercedes T. Bass Charitable Corporation, Ronald E. Blaylock and Petra Pope, Estate of Joan Eliasoph, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony B. Evnin and the A.E. Charitable Foundation, Clive and Anya Gillinson, Marc Haas Foundation, Melanie and Jean E. Salata, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon, and Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc.

Additional support has been provided by Alphadyne Foundation, Sarah Arison, Stella and Robert Jones, Martha and Robert Lipp, Lauren and Ezra Merkin, Beth and Joshua Nash, Linda Wachner, David S. Winter, and Judy Francis Zankel.

 

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What the Press Have Said About NYO Jazz
“The NYO Jazz ensemble, stocked with ambitious young players under the leadership of the trumpeter Sean Jones, tackles an intriguing program.” —The New Yorker

“This young players’ tour, which they executed with such brilliance and heart-warming generosity, has come not a moment too soon.” —The Telegraph (Five-star review)

“Jazz may not be the lingua franca of Generation Z, but this performance was resounding proof that the music still bridges the chasm.” —The Times (London) (Four-star review)

“This teenage big band … was more than capable of responding with real bravura to the uncompromising improvisational challenges of seasoned players.” — The Scotsman

“Young jazz musicians from the US wow audiences across the country.” — China Daily

 

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To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz
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Image at top of release by Todd Rosenberg