National Youth Orchestra of China

National Youth Orchestra of China
Orchestra
Founded	2016
Website	www.nyochina.org

The National Youth Orchestra of China (NYO-China) is a full symphony youth orchestra composed of approximately 100 Chinese musicians aged 14 to 21 years old. Students from all over China gather for two to three weeks in the United States to partake in a training residency before premiering at Carnegie Hall and participating in a concert tour abroad.^[1]

The entire program is provided at no cost to students; all expenses, including tuition, travel, housing, and meals, are covered by the organization’s financial supporters.^[2]

NYO-China was established in 2016 with its first residency and concert tour (conducted by Ludovic Morlot and featuring Yuja Wang and Olga Kern) taking place in July 2017.^[3] It is expected to continue with new students and featured artists every other year.

Eligibility and Auditions

To be eligible to join NYO-China, applicants must be between 14 and 21 years old when the residency and concert tour takes place. All applicants must also be citizens of the People’s Republic of China, although they are permitted to be students and/or permanent residents in other countries.

Auditions are conducted online in the winter and spring preceding each residency. Requirements include a short biographical essay, a letter of recommendation from a music teacher, and videos of various selected excerpts and a piece of the applicant's choice.

In its first year, NYO-China received slightly over 1,000 applicants, of whom 110 were accepted and 105 matriculated.^[4]

Residency and Concert Tour

The National Youth Orchestra of China (in red) rehearsing alongside the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (in blue) at Purchase College on July 16, 2017.

2017 Season

The inaugural NYO-China comprised 105 Chinese musicians residing in over twenty provinces or administrative divisions of China, as well as Singapore, Germany, and the United States. The average age of the ensemble was 18 years, with 53 students enrolled in secondary school and 52 enrolled in postsecondary school. Postsecondary institutions represented in this orchestra included the Central Conservatory of Music, the China Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Peking University, the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music, among over a dozen others.^[5]

Students gathered in early July on East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania to begin their two-week residency under artistic director Jindong Cai, professor of conducting at Stanford University, and a suite of bilingual teaching artists recruited from leading orchestras worldwide; concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Frank Huang served as the teaching artist for the orchestra’s violin section.^[6] Besides full orchestral and sectional rehearsals, students also attended seminars and workshops on Alexander Technique with Lori Schiff and improvisation with Eugene Friesen, as well as chamber music activities coordinated by the residency’s staff.^[7] Students also recorded with WQXR-FM and From the Top on NPR, participated in excursions to Yale University and New York City, and rehearsed with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) at their residency at Purchase College in New York.^[8]

The National Youth Orchestra of China performing with Yuja Wang and Ludovic Morlot (hidden) at Carnegie Hall on July 22, 2017.

Music Director of the Seattle Symphony Ludovic Morlot joined the orchestra to lead rehearsals during the latter half of the residency. On July 22, the orchestra premiered at Carnegie Hall’s 2804-seat Main Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage) with Morlot conducting and Yuja Wang performing on piano in a sold-out concert simultaneously streamed to audiences worldwide via Medici.tv.^[9] In attendance was the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, which itself had performed one day prior on the same stage.^[10] The orchestra then embarked on a concert tour of China, performing at the Beijing Concert Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre. Winner of the 11^th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Olga Kern joined the orchestra for its performances in China.^[11] As part of their official performance uniform, students adorned specially commissioned vests designed by Chinese couture designer Guo Pei.

The orchestra’s concert program included “The Rhyme of Taigu” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long; Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; and Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World” (popularly known as the New World Symphony) by Antonín Leopold Dvořák.^[12] “Thunder in the Drought”, a Chinese folk song arranged for orchestra by Ye Xiaogang, served as the ensemble's encore piece.

NYO-China’s 2017 residency and concert tour is the subject of an upcoming documentary by Academy Award-nominated director Christine Choy.

Critical Reception

NYO-China’s 2017 debut at Carnegie Hall conducted by Ludovic Morlot and featuring pianist Yuja Wang received pronounced critical acclaim from various American music columns and publications. Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic for The New York Times, remarked that “if [the performance at Carnegie Hall] was a test run for this new venture, these Chinese musicians scored big”; he furthermore commended Morlot for his “vibrant account of Dvořák’s New World Symphony from the well-prepared players, with full-bodied string tone, folkloric charm and lots of brio.”^[13] The orchestra’s subsequent performances in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou with Olga Kern on piano were also applauded by numerous Chinese critics, including those belonging to China Daily, People’s Daily, and the Xinhua News Agency.

Management and Funding

Composer Ye Xiaogang acts as the ceremonial Tuan Zhang (or “Head”) of the National Youth Orchestra of China, while Chinese businesswoman and education philanthropist Mei He serves as the founder of the project. Vincent Accettola and Owen Nicholas Brown – former roommates and seniors at Yale University at the time of the project’s conception – are NYO-China’s founding management team, serving as the program’s Managing Director and Director of Project Development, respectively.^[14] Social entrepreneur Sabrina Xu also serves as the program’s Project Director. American classical pianist and Dean of the Yale School of Music Robert Blocker assists the team as a senior advisor.

Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall Sir Clive Gillinson and the staff of the Weill Music Institute were instrumental in assisting NYO-China during the first year of its organization. The motivating insight to create a national youth orchestra for China was provided by Gillinson during NYO-USA’s 2015 China tour given the especially warm reception the orchestra received from young Chinese audiences.^[15] Other corporations, organizations, and state institutions that were helpful in the development of NYO-China include Steinway & Sons, the Yale School of Music, the Chinese Musicians Association, the China Institute, the Committee of 100, and the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York.

The US-China Youth Education Solutions Foundation served as the Presenting Foundation for NYO-China. Their initial contribution ensured that the program was completely free for all students during its inaugural season in 2017.

See also

• National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
• National Youth Orchestra (disambiguation)

References

External links

• NYO-China Official Website.