It’s a hot summer afternoon and the recital hall at Purchase College is abuzz with excitement and nervous energy. One hundred and twenty teenagers, from 42 states, are about to embark on an extraordinary musical and personal journey.
Clive Gillinson, executive director of Carnegie Hall, steps up to the podium to greet them. “Welcome to all of you,” he says. “It’s wonderful to welcome you here to the first-ever National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America!”
There are youth orchestras and summer music camps all over the U.S., but Carnegie Hall may have created the best music camp ever. For the past two weeks, some of the best teenage musicians in the country have gathered on the Purchase campus to create an ensemble that is a first in the States. Gillinson, who became executive director of Carnegie Hall in 2005, says playing cello in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain was a highlight of his life.
“When I arrived, I could not believe there was not a U.S. National Youth Orchestra,” he says. “I think every country needs one, in terms of inspiring — you know, the best students inspiring each other.”
So Gillinson and Carnegie’s staff set out to find the finest musicians in the country, from ages 16 to 19, and began raising millions of dollars to bring the project to fruition.
“There were a number of things that we felt were important,” Gillinson says. “One of them was that it should be free to all the students participating. We thought it should be something where anybody can take part, not that if you don’t have enough money, you can’t. So, obviously, that makes it more expensive.”
Carnegie is doing everything in a first-class way. The instrumental coaches are principal players from major symphony orchestras around the country; the tour will play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in Moscow, St. Petersburg and London. And it didn’t take much arm twisting to get violinist Joshua Bell to sign on as soloist.
For more go to NPR
Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/07/13/201545414/From-Carnegie-Hall-A-Youth-Orchestra-Thats-A-National-First
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