OKC violinist Jaylin Vinson chosen for Carnegie Hall program

NEW YORK - Carnegie Hall has chosen Jaylin Vinson, a violinist from Oklahoma City, to join 79 other talented young musicians from around the country in NYO2, an intensive summer program for American instrumentalists ages 14 to 17.

The members of NYO2 2019, which hail from 30 U.S., states plus Puerto Rico—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as exceptionally talented musicians who not only embody a high level of artistry, but who also come from a wide range of backgrounds, representing a future for American orchestral music that includes communities that have often been underserved by and underrepresented in the field. According to a news release, 20 musicians are returning to NYO2 from previous seasons. 

In addition, 22 musicians who previously took part in NYO2 have been accepted to the 2019 edition of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America this summer. As previously reported, violinist Sylvan Zhang, 16, of Stillwater, will represent Oklahoma on the National Youth Orchestra. 

For the second consecutive year, the musicians of NYO2 will travel to Miami Beach for a weeklong residency, made possible through a continued partnership with the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy. As part of their training, NYO2 players have the opportunity to work with New World Symphony Fellows leading up to a performance at the New World Center on Saturday, July 27 led by conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto. The program will include Igor Stravinsky’s "Pétrouchka," selections from Manuel de Falla’s "The Three-Cornered Hat," and Gabriela Montero’s "Piano Concerto No. 1," the "Latin Concerto," featuring the composer as soloist.

The New World Center concert will be made available to the community for free via WALLCAST, with the full performance viewable outdoors in SoundScape Park on the 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the building. During their time in Miami, the NYO2 members will also have opportunities to interact with local young musicians in the South Florida area through NWS community partner organizations, playing and learning side-by-side with one another.

Following their Miami residency, NYO2 returns to New York for a culminating performance at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, July 30. Tickets for the Carnegie Hall concert, priced at $25 for adults and $10 for students, are on sale now at carnegiehall.org. 

“We are thrilled to partner again with the New World Symphony to bring some of the most exceptional young musicians in the country to both New York City and Miami” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, in a statement. “The opportunity to work with NWS Fellows and to learn from conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and pianist Gabriela Montero will be life-changing for the NYO2 musicians. We hope they will return home to their communities inspired to further develop their skills and use music to connect with audiences and people everywhere.”

The NYO2 program begins with an intensive training residency at State University of New York at Purchase in mid-July. The young musicians work with New World Symphony Fellows as well as other professional players from top orchestras, and also have opportunities to make music side-by-side with members of NYO-USA and NYO Jazz. Joseph Young, Artistic Director of Ensembles at the Peabody Institute, returns as NYO2’s resident conductor, and the students also have the opportunity to work with James Ross, music director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. The faculty leads private lessons, master classes, chamber music readings, and other seminars on essential music skills in preparation for the culminating concerts in Miami Beach and New York. 

-BAM