Meet Carnegie Hall’s new US youth orchestra
OrchestrasThese are the 109 teenaged musicians selected for a US tour with Sir Andrew Davis:
Alabama
Diana Nazarenko, Viola (Birmingham)
Arkansas
John David Sharp II, Viola (Lowell)+
California
Sarah Son, Violin (Davis)
Kyle Yang, Violin (Diamond Bar)+
Nathan Puopolo, Bass (Fresno)+
Minjae Jaden Kim, Violin (Irvine)+
Rubi Lee, Violin (Irvine)
Jiin Yun, Cello (Irvine)
Daniel De La Cruz, Viola (Laguna Niguel)
Spencer Quarles, Viola (Los Angeles)+
Yuli Choi, Violin (Palo Alto)+
Jenna Seohyeong Kang, Violin (Palo Alto)*
Michelle Koo, Viola (Palo Alto)+
Honor Frisco, Violin (Palos Verdes Estates)+
Huisun Hong, Cello (Pleasanton)
Nolan Smith, Bassoon (Pleasanton)
Eunseo Oh, Violin (San Jose)
Daniel Yim, Cello (San Jose)+
Kerrie Zhu, Violin (San Mateo)
Shannon Ma, Violin (Saratoga)*
Tejas Tirthapura, Viola (Saratoga)
Connecticut
Emily DeNucci, Flute (West Hartford)
Florida
Leonardo Rincon, Violin (Boynton Beach)+
Corinne Turgeon, Cello (Boynton Beach)
Sarah Biesack, Violin (Melbourne)+
Robert Aguila, Violin (Miami)+
Ian Barnett, Violin (Pinecrest)
Jeremiah La Fayette, Viola (Tampa)
Georgia
Tendekai Mawokomatanda, Bass (Atlanta)+
Bria Rives, Bass (Fayetteville)*
Anh Ho, Timpani and Percussion (Lawrenceville)
Ashley Na, Oboe (Suwanee)
Hawaii
Celina Lim, Cello (Honolulu)+
Illinois
Hope Hyink, Viola (Carbondale)
Ophir Dahari, Violin (Chicago)
Kevin Reyes, Timpani and Percussion (Chicago)+
Lisa Kazami, Violin (Hoffman Estates)+
Iowa
Adam Zeithamel, Cello (Iowa City)
Kentucky
Christian Jeon, Tuba (Louisville)
Adam Kolers, Oboe (Louisville)*
Louisiana
Daniel Lee, Violin (Kenner)*
Massachusetts
Eric Zhu, Viola (Boston)
Kaitlyn Kaminuma, Violin (Chelmsford)+
Joylyn Kim, Violin (Lexington)
Maryland
Eleanor Ohm, Bass (Bethesda)+
Yunah Kwon, Apprentice Orchestra Librarian (Ellicott City)
Jackson Bernal, Bassoon (Potomac)+
Lucy Chen, Apprentice Composer (Potomac)
Tehya Shapiro, Trumpet (Towson)
Michigan
Benjamin Graham, Viola (Grosse Pointe Woods)
Minnesota
Timothy Pinkerton, Violin (Bemidji)
Andrei Bancos, Clarinet/Piano (Rochester)
Missouri
Abigail Konopik, Horn (St. Louis)
New Jersey
Michelle Kwon, Cello (Closter)
Lili Masoudi-Namazi, Apprentice Composer (Cranford)
Nicholas Chung, Cello (Fort Lee)
Olivia Oh, Violin (Fort Lee)
Juhee Kim, Viola (Palisades Park)
Nicholas Yoo, Violin (Ramsey)+
New York
Louis Roy, Horn (Buffalo)
Daniel Choi, Oboe (Pleasantville)+*
Aurora Miller, Violin (New York)
Diogo Muggiati-Feldman, Trumpet (New York)+
Sadie Goodman, Flute (South Salem)+
Yuri Lee, Violin (Tuckahoe)*
Nevada
Cassandra Valenti, Bassoon (Las Vegas)+
Audrey Lim, Viola (Reno)+
North Carolina
Sean Darney, Bass (Cary)
John-Paul Hernandez, Violin (Farmville)
Ohio
Moshi Tang, Violin (Lyndhurst)*
Kwabena Owusu, Cello (Solon)
Oklahoma
Sophie Deng, Cello (Stillwater)+
Oregon
Katelyn Nguyen, Bassoon (Portland)
Diego Fernandez, Flute (Salem)
Pennsylvania
Izaiah Cheeran, Oboe (Philadelphia)+*
Julin Cheung, Flute (Philadelphia)+
Maya Lindsey, Harp (Philadelphia)
Miro Raj, Violin (Philadelphia)
Puerto Rico
Antonio Avilés Figueroa, Violin (Toa Baja)+
South Carolina
Devin O’Brien, Bass (Mount Pleasant)
Tennessee
Orlandis Maise, Trombone (Antioch)+*
Derek Miles Woods, Horn (Nashville)
Texas
Z Campbell, Viola (Austin)
Topher Meeks, Trumpet (Austin)
Vera Romero, Horn (Austin)
Samuel Wood, Horn (Colleyville)
Noah Urquidi, Bass Trombone (Corpus Christi)
Christopher Dechant, Clarinet (Dallas)
Oliver Lampson, Trumpet (Houston)
Joseph Escobar, Cello (Katy)*
Diego Solis, Horn (Laredo)*
Dylan Khangsar, Timpani and Percussion (Lewisville)
Devin Drinan, Trombone (McKinney)*
Charles “C.J.” Butera, Timpani and Percussion (Missouri City)+
Ian Chen, Viola (Plano, TX)+
Chancellor Joseph, Tuba (Richmond)
Samantha Washecka, Violin (Round Rock)
Vincent Garcia-Hettinger, Cello (San Antonio)
Brandon X Garza, Violin (San Antonio)+
Ayi Ekhaese, Violin (Sugar Land)+
Virginia
Kyle Ryu, Cello (Burke)
Sam Woolsey, Timpani and Percussion (Blacksburg)+
Joshua Thrush, Bass (Vienna)
Vermont
Marisa Kono, Apprentice Orchestra Manager (Shelburne)
Washington
Minoo Jang, Oboe (Bellevue)
Annie Song, Violin (Bellevue)
Veronica Pavlovic, Clarinet (Seattle)
Ava Yeh, Harp (Seattle)
Wisconsin
Jasper Chambreau, Bass (Madison)
Norman, that is sooo you! You’re so concerned about where people come from, that you’ve even listed the states and cities these kids live. That said, I’m pleased to see my home area provided a number of string players (but no winds or percussion!)
Glory be — the fount of artistic talent that is California contributes just one more player than the benighted cultural desert of Texas …
Let’s be fair. California has over 9 million more people than Texas, so one player more is not a great achievement.
Agreed about the benighted state of Texas (having spent many formative years there), but historically it has always had good public school music programs, so not not surprising the number of participants.
Precisely my point.
Texas – at least until more recent times, at least – has very good music programs in their schools. As a Californian, in now way do I care if Texas has more less than we do. All I care is that kids everywhere have a chance to take music in their schooling.
The successful passage of Prop. 13 back in the 1970s was a harbinger of the attack on public schools and indirectly, an attack on public school music programs. Subsequently, boards of education nationwide (in the US) jumped on the bandwagon (yes!) to appear to be ‘prudent’ with public taxes by cutting monies budgeted for the arts in the schools. Of course, we’re only now truly paying the price for that short-sightedness.
Yes, and only one of the 19 from California who isn’t a string player. Texas will contribute 11 wind and percussion young musicians from the great band programs, along with 7 string players.
What’s always a bit sad about opportunities like this is that when these kids come back and want to tell their school friends about this orchestra and its tour, most of their peers will have no idea what they are talking about or what a big deal it was. But at least they’ll know.
I don’t think these kids think about self-promotion among their peers. It is a great personal achievement that they will carry with them the rest of their lives.
Bravo to all!
So very true! Says a lot about US.
Bravo to them all! I hope the experience is fulfilling to each of them, beyond their expectations.
What do the * and + refer to?
IAMPuzzled, I looked at Carnegie Hall’s website and the following is their explanation: * = Prior NYO-USA member; + = Prior NYO2 member. So that indicates that some of the players are veterans of prior year’s orchestras and are mixed in with newbies. I’ve heard them in Carnegie Hall and I can honestly state they rate as well as, and in some instances better than, professional orchestras. I wish them a very successful and enjoyable trip…..despite their very questionable choice of couture.
The most important part is that these students gain immeasurable experience. When I was in high school, in Los Angeles, I played percussion in the Peter Marenbloom Jr. Orch. That experience allowed me to be able to play in professional orchestras during and after high school.