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July 18, 2014. This summer, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), featuring 120 outstanding young musicians from across the country, will come together for a second annual year of extraordinary music-making and will include Boone as one of their stops on their eight city tour.
The members of the 2014 orchestra—all ages 16-19, hailing from 35 U.S. states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country, following a comprehensive audition process. This summer’s NYO-USA will feature Boone native, 18 year-old Willa Finck, who is a member of the High Country’s beloved Celtic music trio, The Forget-Me- Nots. See Willa’s bio page on the Carnegie Hall NYO-USA website here.
The orchestra is led by dynamic American conductor David Robertson and joined by virtuoso violinist Gil Shaham as soloist for this year’s tour. The musicians traveled to New York in early July to begin an intensive two-week training residency on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York, working with principal players from some of the country’s best professional orchestras.
“After the incredible launch of this program last summer, we’re excited to take this exceptional group of young musicians from coast to coast, inviting audiences across America to have the opportunity to get acquainted with their own National Youth Orchestra,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “We continue to be impressed by the depth of world class talent found across the U.S., and the members who make up NYO-USA’s 2014 roster are amongst the very best players today. We’re certain that their spirit, dedication to coming together as an orchestra, and high level of music-making will be an inspiration to music lovers everywhere.”
The orchestra’s 2014 concert program will include the premiere of Radial Play from American composer Samuel Adams, commissioned by Carnegie Hall especially for NYO-USA; Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto with Mr. Shaham; and Ravel’s arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
To view a trailer for the NYO-USA, click here.
Tickets:
Tickets to this event are $28 for adults and $26 for students and children. All Appalachian Summer Festival event tickets can be purchased by calling or visiting the Schaefer Center box office at 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046. Tickets can also be purchased online at appsummer.org. The very popular “Pick 5” ticket discount offers a break on the price for various festival events when the tickets are purchased in multiples of five.
For videos, images and detailed information about each performance, visit appsummer.org.
About An Appalachian Summer Festival
The university’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs present an Appalachian Summer Festival annually in July. Beginning as a small chamber music series founded by festival patrons Arnold and Muriel Rosen, the festival is now one of the nation’s most highly regarded, multi-disciplinary art festivals. The festival has been named on of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. True to a university-based arts festival, educational opportunities, including lectures and chances to meet artists, artistic directors, competition jurors and other experts, have always been an important component of festival programming.
Festival Corporate Sponsors:
Westglow Resort and Spa, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Northern Trust, McDonald’s of Boone, Mast General Store, Storie Street Grille, Goodnight Brothers, Boone Area Visitor’s Bureau, Sky Best Communications, Scholars Bookshop at the University Bookstore, Hotel Equities, Holiday Inn Express-Boone, Nationwide—Charles Eyler Agency, Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants, Chetola Resort, Creekside Electronics, Boone Ford-Lincoln and Casa Rustica.
Festival media sponsors include:
WBTV, WCYB, Charter Media, Our State Magazine, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News & Record, PBS Charlotte, WNC magazine, High Country Radio, WHKY AM 1290, Mountain Television Network, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WETS 89.5FM, WASU 90.5FM and High Country 365.