“ ‘Short Ride in a Fast Machine’ is an early John Adams work chock-full of his trademark propulsive rhythms,” writes Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim in Sunday’s (7/16) New York Times. “That title could also describe the experience of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, whose participation in an accelerated training program with first-rate conductors and soloists leads to often thrillingly vivacious performances in famous halls. On Friday, July 21, the ensemble performs the piece at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Marin Alsop in a program that includes a new tone poem for orchestra named ‘Apu’ by Gabriela Lena Frank and Mahler’s cosmological Symphony No. 1. In an act of friendly international competition, the performance is followed the next night by one from the National Youth Orchestra of China, conducted by the charismatic Ludovic Morlot, in which Zhou Long’s tone poem ‘The Rhyme of Taigu’ shares the stage with Dvorák’s ever-popular Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’ and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with the incandescently virtuosic Yuja Wang as soloist.” On July 20 at Carnegie Hall, NYO2—an NYO-USA ensemble for younger teens from underserved communities—makes its Carnegie Hall debut, led by conductor Giancarlo Guerrero in a side-by-side concert with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Posted July 19, 2017
Pictured: Musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of the USA and the National Youth Orchestra of China in a group photo taken the week both ensembles are performing at Carnegie Hall. Photo by Chris Lee
