Carnegie Hall

(New York, NY, April 4, 2023)—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 2023—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 sixth year. The musicians who make up the 2023 ensemble will have the opportunity to play alongside talented peers, learn from world-class jazz masters, and perform on the stages of some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and music festivals. 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 2023.

The musicians of NYO Jazz will travel to New York in early July where they will spend the first week of their training residency on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York, followed by their second week of training in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. Led by artistic director Sean Jones, NYO Jazz players 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 Tuesday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m., led by bandleader/trumpeter Sean Jones and featuring Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater as special guest.

Following their New York appearance, NYO Jazz—joined by Dee Dee Bridgewater—will embark on a European tour from July 26 to August 10, with debut performances in St. Moritz, Wiesbaden, and Lucerne as well as return visits to Amsterdam, Berlin, and more. The complete tour schedule will be announced later this spring.

NYO Jazz’s diverse repertoire showcases big band jazz as a limitless art form, one that bridges genres, generations, and borders. For NYO Jazz’s 2023 concerts, Carnegie Hall has commissioned trumpeter/composer and NYO Jazz artistic director Sean Jones to write a new work for the ensemble. The program will also include big band gems by Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Roy Hargrove; and contemporary pieces that explore jazz’s influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop.

 

"We are very excited to welcome this extraordinary group of teen musicians to NYO Jazz’s 2023 roster,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. “These brilliant young players will have a truly memorable summer of musical and cultural discovery as they train, perform, and tour alongside celebrated jazz artists. The group’s European tour this summer will showcase the incredible depth of talent and high level of musicianship found across the nation as the musicians of NYO Jazz share this uniquely American music with audiences worldwide."

Tickets for NYO Jazz’s concert at Carnegie Hall will go on sale for the general public on Monday, April 24. 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.
 

NYO JAZZ
2023 Roster

+ Prior NYO Jazz member


California
Cosmo Lieberman, Alto Saxophone (Hermosa Beach)
Evan Dexter, Trombone (Los Angeles)
William Schwartzman, Piano (Santa Monica)
Kazeem T. Elebute, Trombone (Oakland)
Vincent Maclauchlan, Guitar (Oakland)
Skylar Tang, Trumpet (Foster City) +

District of Columbia
José André Montano, Piano (Washington)

Florida
Beckett Miles, Drums (Jacksonville)
Isaiah Bravo, Drums (Kissimmee)
Nathaniel Williford, Trumpet (Kissimmee) +
Preston Rupert, Trumpet (Orlando)

Georgia
Cameron Suber, Tenor Saxophone (Atlanta)

Massachusetts
Emma Lacy, Alto Saxophone (Foxborough)
Noah Allen, Trumpet (Uxbridge)

North Carolina
Zeb Jewell-Alibhai, Tenor Saxophone (Durham)

Nebraska
Grace Rock, Trombone (Omaha)

New Jersey
Alvaro Caravaca, Trumpet (Budd Lake)
Laura-Simone Martin, Bass (Lawrenceville) +

New York
Ruby Farmer, Bass (Brooklyn)

Oklahoma
Tansy Brooks, Baritone Saxophone (Shawnee)

Texas
Leo Sandoval, Guitar (Houston)

Virginia
Henry Price, Bass Trombone (Arlington) +
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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.

Since its debut in 2018, NYO Jazz has performed at Carnegie Hall and embarked on acclaimed tours across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Guest artists in past seasons have included vocalists Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, and Jazzmeia Horn. In summer 2023, Dee Dee Bridgewater joins the band as special guest at Carnegie Hall and on tour to some of Europe’s prestigious concert halls and leading festivals. 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 annual training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York, the band recorded its first full length studio album under the direction of artistic director and bandleader Sean Jones and featuring special guest saxophonist Melissa Aldana. 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, entitled We’re Still Here, was released on June 24, 2022.

NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), celebrating its tenth anniversary this summer, and its sister ensemble for younger musicians NYO2—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 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. Over the last decade, well over a thousand young musicians have performed in the Hall’s three national youth ensembles, creating a unique musical community, spotlighting musical excellence found across the United States, and transforming countless lives.

To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz.

 

 

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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, and Beatrice Santo Domingo.

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 Ronald E. Blaylock and Petra Pope, Clive and Anya Gillinson, Melanie and Jean E. Salata, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon, and Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc.

Additional support has been provided by the Alphadyne Foundation, Sarah Arison, Stella and Robert Jones, Martha and Robert Lipp, Beth and Joshua Nash, and David S. Winter.
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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

“The group, which recently wrapped up touring with a concert at the Kennedy Center, performs at a level of musicianship far beyond their years.”— Washington Informer
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To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz
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