Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together the finest young musicians from across the country (ages 16–19) to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). Following a comprehensive audition process and a training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), with faculty made up of principal players from top professional US orchestras, these remarkable teenagers perform at Carnegie Hall and embark on a tour to some of the great music capitals of the world, serving as America’s music ambassadors.  As part of their travel schedule, NYO-USA musicians meet and collaborate with local musicians and experience the richness of other cultures.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary season this summer, NYO-USA has been praised for “exuding vitality and confidence” (The New York Times) in its performances. Following annual concerts at Carnegie Hall, NYO-USA has toured Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Since 2013, the orchestra has been invited to perform at leading international festivals and on landmark stages around the world, including the BBC Proms in London, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Lotte Hall in Seoul, Lucerne Festival, and Sucre National Theater in Quito, among many others. In the ten years since the ensemble’s creation, NYO-USA has worked with extraordinary conductors and guest artists, including Marin Alsop, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Joyce DiDonato, Sir Antonio Pappano, Carlos Miguel Prieto, David Robertson, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Alisa Weilerstein.