Carnegie Hall Announces 2025 NYO-USA Participants

The acclaimed summer orchestra program has selected 96 musicians aged 16 to 19 from across 29 U.S. states

 

Founded in 2013 by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) is a free program for exceptional 16- to 19-year-old musicians from around the U.S. following a selective audition process. 

The program’s 2025 edition has now selected 96 members — among them include 23 musicians who previously played with NYO-USA and 29 who gained experience through the NYO2 program for younger players aged 14 to 17. 

This summer will see NYO-USA join conductor Gianandrea Noseda at Carnegie Hall and on a six-city tour of Asia. 

Following its annual Carnegie Hall concert on July 20, the orchestra will make its debut in Tokyo and Osaka before returning to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul, where they will be joined by violinists and VC Artists Ray Chen and Clara-Jumi Kang. 

Among the works on the concert programs include Carlos Simon’s Festive Fanfare and Overture (co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall), Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.

In preparation, the young musicians will embark on an intensive two-week training residency in early July at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), where they will be mentored by principal players from numerous professional orchestras. 

Longtime NYO-USA collaborator James Ross will return as orchestra director to prepare the group ahead of rehearsals with Noseda. Two apprentice composers will also write new works with the mentorship of American composer Sean Shepherd. 

“We’re proud to announce the remarkable young musicians who will join the National Youth Orchestra of the USA for this upcoming summer,” said Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, Clive Gillinson. 

“The members of NYO-USA are among the finest young players in the country,” he added. “As they come together, they will have the opportunity to learn from leading orchestral musicians, inspire one another in a way that raises everyone's standards as they collaborate with world-renowned artists, and perform on some of the finest stages across Asia. Throughout their two-week tour, the members of NYO-USA will represent the best of America as both musical performers and cultural ambassadors.”

For more on each 2025 NYO-USA participant, click here. The full roster is listed below. 

 

NYO-USA 2025 Orchestra Roster:

* Prior NYO-USA member

+ Prior NYO2 member

 

Arizona

Elenor Rushall, Violin (Flagstaff)

Jacqueline Rodenbeck, Violin (Tucson)

 

Arkansas

Macy Brummal, Viola (Rogers)+

 

British Columbia

Justin Ha, Violin (Vancouver)

 

California

Lydia Kang, Clarinet (Corona)

Sophia Zhou, Flute (Diamond Bar)

Benjamin Jiang, Cello (Elk Grove)+*

Kenny Song, Clarinet (Fullerton)

Rubi Lee, Violin (Irvine)

Ninah Chan, Cello (Loma Linda)

Aaron Ma, Violin (Palo Alto)

Haben Naizghi, Apprentice Orchestra Manager (Pleasanton)

Gabriel Irazabal, Cello (San Jose)+

Kayla Lee, Violin (San Jose)+*

Ian Kim, Bass (Saratoga)+

Hannah Cho, Oboe (Tustin)+

Josephine Velez, Cello (Yorba Linda)+*

 

Colorado

Jane Hanselman, Viola (Littleton)

 

Connecticut

Grace Yoon, Bassoon (Wallingford)+

Mindy Zhao, Violin (West Hartford)

 

Costa Rica

Julian Jimenez-Pardo, Timpani/Percussion (San José)*

 

District of Columbia

Ricardo M. Cruz, Timpani/Percussion (Washington)*

 

Florida

Madelyn Urbine, Horn (Gainesville)

Aidan Davis, Violin (Orlando)+

Omari Gregory, Viola (Orlando)

Leila Warren, Violin (Ponte Vedra Beach)+

Mathew Harper, Trumpet (West Palm Beach)

 

Georgia

Stephanie Kim, Flute (Johns Creek)*

Jocelyne Andronache-Opris, Violin (Suwannee)

 

Idaho

Matias Vidal-Russell, Trombone (Boise)*

 

Illinois

Elyse Margaret Schlesinger, Horn (Hoffman Estates)

Paloma Furst Chavira, Violin (Park Forest)

 

Indiana

Eishin Richard Hiraishi, Viola (Muncie)

Braden Riley, Violin (Evansville)+

 

Maryland

Luke Zegowitz, Oboe (Crofton)+

Kyle Cho, Oboe (Potomac)*

Katie Hwang, Viola (Rockville)*

Mason Lee, Bass (Rockville)

 

Massachusetts

Yuxuan (Daniel) Ma, Horn (Wellesley)

 

Michigan

Minji Kim, Violin (Ann Arbor)*

Alec Jachalke, Bassoon (Dansville)

 

Minnesota

Sophia Alexander, Cello (Minneapolis)+

Christian Garner, Trumpet (Minnetonka)+

Lorelei Schoenhard, Violin (St. Cloud)

Luke Soneral, Apprentice Composer (Waconia)

 

Missouri

Anya Akhmadullina, Violin (Columbia)*

Katherine Nguyen, Viola (St. Louis)

 

Montana

Tarquin Bennion, Violin (Sidney)

 

Nevada

Sachi Blevins, Flute (Las Vegas)

 

New Jersey

Ananth Raman, Trumpet (Bridgewater)+

Dana Chung, Viola (Englewood Cliffs)+

Trinity Williamson, Violin (Montclair)

Edward Lee, Viola (Teaneck)

 

New York

Shaw Edwards, Cello (Brooklyn)*

Austin Vitello, Bassoon (Clarence Center)+

Eileen Li, Timpani/Percussion (New York)+

Hazel Peebles, Viola (New York)+

Liana D. Logan, Bass (Queens)+

Benjamin Posner, Tuba (Red Hook)

Lukas Witek, Violin (Tappan)

Mason Jay Lee, Viola (Tarrytown)

 

North Carolina

Levi Wexler, Violin (Raleigh)

Alex Palmer, Bass (Statesville)

 

Ohio

Louis X. Wang, Cello (Solon)

 

Oklahoma

Stephan Zhang, Violin (Stillwater)+*

 

Oregon

Leo Trajano, Violin (Hillsboro)+

Katie Liu, Violin (Portland)*

Naomi Margolis, Apprentice Orchestra Librarian (Portland)

 

Pennsylvania

Audrey Kim, Violin (Philadelphia)

Miro Raj, Violin (Philadelphia)*

Cyrano Jett Rosentrater, Apprentice Composer (Philadelphia)

CJ Inkenhaus, Bass (Pittsburgh)

 

Tennessee

Oscar Edgardo Ruiz, Cello (Bartlett)+*

Myles Martin, Viola (Germantown)

Luke Davis, Timpani/Percussion (Memphis)+

 

Texas

Dorian Herri, Bass (Austin)

Lerchen Zhong, Violin (Austin)

David Suarez, Clarinet (Bedford)+

Tae Han, Bass (Dallas)

Levi Robertson, Horn (Dallas)+

Osiel Cárdenas, Viola (Denton)*

Rebekah Koh, Violin (Harker Heights)+

Marco Longoria, Bass (Heath)+

Devin Spaulding, Bass Trombone (Houston)

Leah Wu, Bassoon (Katy)+*

Michael Treadway, Trombone (Keller)

Julia Sung-Ah Mukaida, Harp (McKinney)

Daniel Tauhert, Clarinet (Plano)*

Jackson Ingram, Horn (Richmond)*

Oliver Lampson, Trumpet (Seabrook)*

 

Virginia

Emma-Grace Kim, Violin (Herndon)

Jaemin Lee, Violin (McLean)

Jayden Hunter Lee, Flute (McLean)*

 

Washington

Juliana Zheng, Oboe (Bellevue)

 

Wisconsin

Collin Runnoe, Cello (Milwaukee)*

Lucy Wu, Cello (Whitefish Bay)