NYO-USA 2013
The musicians of the inaugural NYO-USA came together on the campus of Purchase College for an intensive week of rehearsals to prepare the tour program. Instrumental faculty joined the young players for a side-by-side rehearsal early in the week, as Orchestra Director James Ross filled the self-described role of “surrogate father” to the orchestra, working to build a strong sense of ensemble and equip the players with the flexibility to respond to Valery Gergiev’s direction in just 10 days’ time.
NYO-USA Past Seasons
Residency at Purchase College
Outside of full orchestra and sectional rehearsals devoted to the tour program (Sean Shepherd’s new work for NYO-USA, Magiya; Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto; and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10), the residency offered a range of workshops and seminars. Topics included an introduction to the Feldenkrais Method, composing, conducting, musical improvisation, engaging audiences, yoga for musicians, and the cultural history of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The extraordinary instrumental faculty assembled for NYO-USA also offered a master class to the members of their respective sections and participated in an evening of chamber music reading and coaching.
July 4 was highlighted by a cookout for the orchestra and staff, and a few days later, NYO-USA enjoyed a day of sightseeing and music in New York City. Groups of musicians toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National September 11 Memorial, Central Park, and Times Square before gathering at Avery Fisher Hall for a New York Philharmonic performance and a post-concert panel discussion with members of the orchestra about touring and life as a professional musician. A Hudson River boat cruise and impromptu on-deck dance party capped a memorable day off for NYO-USA.
The second week of NYO-USA saw the arrival of maestro Valery Gergiev and soloist Joshua Bell for their first rehearsals with the orchestra, leading up to NYO-USA’s debut concert at Purchase College’s Performing Arts Center. Two nights later, the orchestra’s tour began with a sold-out performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The musicians then embarked on an international journey that took them to Russia for concerts at the historic Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the newly opened Mariinsky II in St. Petersburg, culminating in a performance at Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Proms.
Meet the Orchestra
Strings
Violin
Zeynep Alpan, Bethesda, Maryland
Eric Bowser, Center Point, Texas
Andrew Burgan, Aurora, Colorado
Enchi Chang, Belmont, Massachusetts
Jessie Chen, Palos Verdes Estates, California
Andrew Cheshire, Merritt Island, Florida
Annabel Chyung, Miami, Florida
Alexandria Conrad, Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Guillermo del Prado, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Akshay Dinakar, Prairie Village, Kansas
Demi Fang, Dayton, Ohio
Jason Herrmann, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Beatrice Hsieh, North Wales, Pennsylvania
Russell Iceberg, New Market, Maryland
Annika Jenkins, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Ha Kyung Jung, Irvine, California
Jennifer Kim, Rochester, Minnesota
Julia Kirk, Jackson, Mississippi
Giancarlo Latta, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Kevin Li, Bettendorf, Iowa
Joseph Lorang, Seattle, Washington
Marianne Martinoli, Monroe, Washington
Brendon Mezzetti, Eagle River, Alaska
Joseph Morag, New York, New York
Nina Morales, Spring Hill, Florida
Tabitha Oh, Chicago, Illinois
Soyeong Park, Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Benjamin Parton, Sevierville, Tennessee
Julia Popham, Golden, Colorado
Marius Sander, Wyoming, Delaware
Amy Semes, Broomall, Pennsylvania
Mariko Shimasaki, Springfield, Ohio
Terrence Smith, Jr., Miami, Florida
Sophia Stoyanovich, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Stephen Tang, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Ray Anthony Trujillo, Elk Grove, California
Lily Tsai, Palo Alto, California
Rosalyn Weiss, Billings, Montana
Stephen Xi, Plano, Texas
Kevin Yu, Albertson, New York
Viola
Jehong Ahn, Omaha, Nebraska
Sean Byrne, Chesterfield, Missouri
Jacob Davis, St. George, Utah
Robert Donowick, West Seneca, New York
Arjun Ganguly, St. Cloud, Minnesota
Camille Glazer, Orlando, Florida
Erika Gray, Wilmette, Illinois
Mya Greene, Los Angeles, California
Stephen Hart, Coto de Caza, California
Margaret Klucznik, Glastonbury, Connecticut
Samuel Matzner, Arlington, Virginia
Martine Thomas, Rochester, New York
Jackson Whang, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
Nathan Wong, San Gabriel, California
Thomas Wong, Plano, Texas
Katja Yeager, Vienna, Virginia
Cello
Clara Abel, Indianapolis, Indiana
Emily Camras, Batavia, Illinois
Audrey Chen, Redmond, Washington
Garrett Chou, Northbrook, Illinois
Nora Doyle, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jacob Efthimiou, Delhi, New York
Albert Feng, Raleigh, North Carolina
Angela Holmes, Lee's Summit, Missouri
Kayla Mathes, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Angelique Montes, New Orleans, Louisiana
Jared Murray, Lanesville, Indiana
Benjamin Nead, Tucson, Arizona
Cullen O'Neil, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kartik Papatla, Mequon, Wisconsin
Bass
Ahmer'e Blackman, Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
Matthew Burg, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Andrew Downs, Irondale, Alabama
Jackie Johnson, Plano, Texas
Colton Kelley, Cheyenne, Wyoming
William Langlie-Miletich, Seattle, Washington
Santiago Olaguibel, Miami, Florida
Andrew Sommer, Marietta, Georgia
Jacob Warren, South Lyon, Michigan
Sebastian Zinca, Miami, Florida
Woodwinds
Flute
Jennifer Chiang, Tempe, Arizona
Kristen Fang, Walnut Creek, California
Alexander Ishov, Gainesville, Florida
Elizabeth Sperry, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Annie Wu, Pleasanton, California
Oboe
Mark Debski, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Russell Hoffman, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
Mitchell Kuhn, Jacksonville, Florida
Ryan Roberts, Santa Monica, California
Gabriel Young, Ashland, Oregon
Clarinet
Madison Freed, Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts
Tom Jeon, Lexington, Massachusetts
Franklin Jia, Plano, Texas
Samuel Sparrow, Durham, North Carolina
Christopher Zhou, Prospect, Kentucky
Bassoon
Jordan Brokken, Houston, Texas
Jarrett Grempel, Wantagh, New York
Nathan Kirchhoff, San Gabriel, California
Isaac Schultz, Exeter, New Hampshire
Blair Shepperd, Portland, Oregon
Brass
Horn
Michelle Hembree, Boise, Idaho
Nikolette LaBonte, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Weston McCall, San Antonio, Texas
Leah Meyer, Belmont, Massachusetts
Markus Osterlund, Honolulu, Hawaii
Caelan Stewart, Clarkston, Michigan
Trumpet
Elias Brown, Santa Monica, California
Matthew Gajda, Mahwah, New Jersey
Lincoln Valdez, Austin, Texas
Henry Whitaker, Millersville, Maryland
Trombone
Skye Dearborn, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Jacob Mezera, Tinley Park, Illinois
Brian Wendel, Conway, Massachusetts
Bass Trombone
Tanner Jackson, Tinley Park, Illinois
Tuba
John Paul Powers, Clinton, Tennessee
Percussion
Timpani and Percussion
Micheal Barnes, Lawton, Oklahoma
Jonathan Collazo, Kissimmee, Florida
Eric Goldberg, Chicago, Illinois
Karl Ronneburg, Sammamish, Washington
David Yoon, Irvine, California
Guest Artists
Valery Gergiev, Conductor
Joshua Bell, Soloist
Faculty
James Ross, Orchestra Director
Robert Chen, Concertmaster, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Alison Harney, Principal Second Violin, St. Louis Symphony
Carrie Dennis, Principal Viola, Los Angeles Philharmonic
John Sharp, Principal Cello, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Jeffrey Turner, Principal Bass, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Jeffrey Khaner, Principal Flute, The Philadelphia Orchestra
Elaine Douvas, Principal Oboe, The MET Orchestra
Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinet, The Philadelphia Orchestra
William Short, Principal Bassoon, The MET Orchestra
William VerMeulen, Principal Horn, Houston Symphony
David Krauss, Principal Trumpet, The MET Orchestra
R. Douglas Wright, Principal Trombone, Minnesota Orchestra
Alan Baer, Principal Tuba, New York Philharmonic
Cynthia Yeh, Principal Percussion, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Jauvon Gilliam, Principal Timpanist, National Symphony Orchestra
Tour
July 11: Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, SUNY (Purchase, NY)
July 13: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D. C.)
July 16: Great Hall, Moscow Conservatory (Moscow)
July 18: Mariinsky II (St. Petersburg)
July 21: Royal Albert Hall (London)