World Orchestra Week at Carnegie Hall

 
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World Orchestra Week at Carnegie Hall

James Ross, Orchestra Director, NYO-USA and NYO2-USA; Music Director, Alexandria Symphony, VA, USA; Director of Orchestral Studies, Curtis Institute of Music

09-04-2024

Afghan Youth Orchestra. Photo: Jennifer Taylor.

Carnegie Hall’s World Orchestra Week festival in August was a week of one “WOW!” after another, as seven youth orchestras from five different continents joined forces in and around Carnegie Hall to play for and with each other, to share singular musical works and ethos from their countries, and to show us all what the next generation’s Wishes for Our World might be.  Included were: Afghan Youth Orchestra, Beijing Youth Orchestra, Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO), National Youth Orchestra USA (NYO-USA), National Youth Orchestra USA 2 (NYO2), European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), and the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela.

Lü Jia conducts the Beijing Youth Orchestra with Wu Man performing the N.Y. premiere of Zhao Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No. 2, part of World Orchestra Week at Carnegie Hall. Photo: Chris Lee.

They had a lot to show us! Here, in no particular order, are some of the many innovative ideas brought to us by this worldwide throng of inspired young people.

We enter through the audience. Each orchestra performed their own version of the WOW entrance: coming down the aisles from the back of the hall. Surging through the audience, sometimes greeting people individually—all this created a vital connection between listeners and performers even before the music began. The Africa United Orchestra grabbed this mantle with particular gusto.

We can play and move. Whereas professional orchestras tend to discourage movement while playing, many of these ensembles moved naturally, like the swaying of tall grass, in a way that was freeing for their sound and rhythm.  

We can speak. It’s exciting to hear young musicians speaking from the stage, even if (maybe especially if) they lack polish—much better than hearing formal speeches from adults.

The National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela. Photo: Fadi Kheir.

We can sing! In the midst of their astonishing instrumental concert, the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela sang two choral pieces by Maestro José Antonio Abreu, El Sistema’s founder. These tenderly sung anthems sounded just as beautiful and communally “voiced” as their other offerings. Why can’t all orchestras sing now and then?

Our repertoire is vast and diverse. A rainbow of less familiar composers from all corners of the globe was the musical heart of the festival. The standard “great composers” were represented, but not prioritized.

We can stray from the printed program.  Encores showed up, as expected, at the end of every program. But there were lots of unprogrammed pieces strewn randomly throughout the proceedings: spirituals played by a wind quartet, choral numbers, a big band Victory Stride. Audiences love unexpected gifts!

We can choose how we look. No one onstage this week wore tails or tuxedos. Every group presented their own loosened vision of how an orchestra is supposed to dress. Some chose an alternative uniform image; others chose a diverse sartorial approach. And the Carnegie Hall ushers were part of the vibe in their WOW T-shirts, projecting the message “Come as you are!”

We are audiences for each other. A vital feature of this festival was that each visiting youth orchestra was in residence for at least five days, meaning that they could all hear and cheer each other’s concerts—which they did each evening from a different vantage point in the hall. 

WOW participants with treble clef made of “wish” ribbons. Photo: Chris Lee.

We can play in one another’s groups. Members of NYO-USA joined with Africa United in their Dvorak 9. Eight members of the Israeli-Palestinian group Polyphony were embedded within NYO-USA; four young Ukrainian musicians played with the EUYO. Some EUYO musicians also played in support of the Afghan Youth Orchestra. Despite the logistical challenges, everyone walked the walk of cultural exchange. 

We can invent musical ways to connect with each other. Language barriers were partially breached in a unique way: all 800 students learned the “WOW chant,” which included major tunes from all seven programs woven together into a Quodlibet. They were literally singing each other’s tunes in counterpoint! 

We can clap (and hoot and dance). So can our audiences! These alternative expressions were not disallowed at WOW, either onstage or from the audience. Why should enthusiastic noisemaking at a concert be restricted to ritualized forms or moments? 

Sometimes, we play for our ideals. The final concert of the Afghan Youth Orchestra was proof of the deep power of playing for a cause—in this case, the fact that their country’s musical life has been forced into exile. As their founder, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, said: “We play on behalf of a silenced nation. We play for those from whom the right to make music has been taken away.” 

We want to share our wishes for the world. All 800 musicians at the WOW were asked to write a few words about their hopes and dreams. Handwritten, often in their native tongues, these messages were displayed on colorful ribbons in the lobby; images of them were projected on Carnegie’s walls. The young artists’ urge to connect, expressed so powerfully in the music they shared, also appeared in proactive words.  

The classical concert performance form is evolving in a multitude of directions. The WOW festival provided a vivid demonstration of the many ways that young musicians across the world are reinventing the form and making it their own.

Afghan Youth Orchestra, Africa United Youth Orchestra, Ahmad Sarmast, Audience Engagement, Beijing Youth Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Cultural Diversity in Music, Cultural Exchange, El Sistema, European Union Youth Orchestra, Future of Classical Music, Global Music Collaboration, Interactive Performances, James Ross, Musical Ideals, Musical Innovation, National Children's Symphony of Venezuela, National Youth Orchestra USA, Orchestral Evolution, Quodlibet, September 2024, Wishes for Our World, World Orchestra Week, WOW Festival Highlights, Young Musicians, Youth Orchestras

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