The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO) is considered one of the most prestigious youth groups to play in, as hundreds to even a thousand of musicians across the entire nation audition for it every year. Only around 100 of the best musicians are selected to be part of NYO, getting the privilege to fly out to New York followed by an international tour over the summer. Alan Zhang, a senior tuba player, spent months preparing for his audition if it meant he would have the chance to play in NYO. He was the only tuba out of the entire nation to get accepted.
The big day that Zhang leaves for NYO is only a few months away, leaving room for both excitement and nerves to rile up. The orchestra will be playing Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Overture to The School for Scandal and Gershwin Piano Concerto, an advanced repertoire.
“A bunch of musicians from across the U.S. practice over a two-week period at SUNY College. After the two weeks, we will go on tour across Europe and play in multiple different venues in Tibau, Berlin, Edinburgh, and also in England and London,” Zhang said. “Being surrounded by a bunch of exceptional musicians who have possibly done this for way longer and have more experience will be a little bit nerve-wracking to be around.”
NYO requires a great deal of material in order to be considered in the first place, consisting of a personal essay, recommendations, various orchestra excerpts and a solo. Students who are auditioning are advised to diligently practice over the summer in order to have the best chance at being selected.
“I tried to do most of my practicing over the summer. Once school started, I didn’t have as much time to practice but I still tried to touch up on the music everyday,” Zhang said. “Also, I had a lot of help from my teachers with preparing the music and deciding which solo to play.”
Because of the large quantity of students who apply for NYO, the most efficient way of picking out the best musicians is through a video audition. While still anxiety-inducing, auditioning through recording takes away immense pressure and helps the auditionee perform with more ease.
“It’s a lot less pressure because it’s a virtual audition, but it did take some time getting the mic set up and positioned where my sound and the video quality looked good,” Zhang said. “I tried to do about two or three takes every day the week before the deadline, and then afterwards, I would pick the best take and then submit that one.”
While the process may sound like an easy win for Zhang, he actually applied for NYO twice and was not accepted. This is only natural though due to how selective the program is when choosing members, so the fact that he even made it once is an exceptional accomplishment.
“It was definitely a big goal of mine because I’ve always wanted to tour internationally and I think it’s a great opportunity, especially for high school musicians,” Zhang said. “It’s really rare to have a chance to be able to perform on an international stage, so I guess this has been my ultimate senior goal.”
In the end, Zhang’s hard work paid off big time. When young musicians learn about NYO, they are often intimidated by its competitive nature and do not even bother trying out even if it is something that sparks an interest. It can be easy for musicians to feel insecure about their skill level, but the truth is, even people who are as good as Zhang, a two time All-Stater who performs in the Houston Youth Symphony, can be denied a spot. But despite these prior rejections, Zhang’s drive is what earned him his deserving spot in NYO.
“Always keep trying. Even if you get defeated year after year, one day it will work out,” Zhang said. “Auditions aren’t everything. So even if you aren’t accepted, don’t take one result and let that define you.”
