National Youth Orchestra of China’s ESU Recording of From The Top with Host Christopher O’Riley Set to Air

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on November 10, 2017, No Comments

Ludovic Morlot and the National Youth Orchestra of China will appear on an upcoming broadcast of NPR’s From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley, the preeminent showcase for young musicians, heard weekly on WRTI and WWFM. The episode was recorded for a live audience at the Smith-McFarland Theater at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania on Friday, July 21, 2017. This special episode of From the Top can be heard by podcast and on stations nationwide during the week of November 13. From the Top airs Saturdays at noon on WWFM and Sundays at 3 p.m. on WRTI. Check listings, stream the episode, and download the podcast at fromthetop.org.

The program features the National Youth Orchestra of China (NYO-China) with conductor Ludovic Morlot performing the third movement of Dvorak’s Symphony No.9, Op.95 “From the New World”, Rhyme of Taigu by contemporary composer Zhou Long and the Finale from “Going to Watch Yangge Dance” by Yuankai Bao. The broadcast also includes an entertaining mix of interviews with host Christopher O’Riley and chamber music performances of Poulenc, Brahms, and Bozza showcasing the inspiring members of the 2017 orchestra in its international debut.

Featured performers include Jieming Tang, 20, violinist from Anhui who attends The Juilliard School; Ning Zhang, 20, clarinetist, from Shandong who attends The Juilliard School;

Yajie Wang, 18, flutist from Xinjiang who attends the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts; Jiadi Pei, 19, oboist from Guangdong who attends the Mannes School of Music at The New School; Huibin Zou, 19 clarinetist from Shandong who attends the Cleveland Institute of Music; Yuanying Zhang, 19, bassoonist from Gansu who attends the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School; and Lei Jin, 18, horn player from Beijing who attends the Beijing Yuren Secondary Vocational School.

The inaugural NYO-China brings together one hundred high school-aged musicians who hail from China and live and study all over the world. The orchestra gathered at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania for two weeks in July, to participate in an intensive two-week training program under the direction of artistic director Jindong Cai, a group of world-class teaching artists, and renowned conductor Ludovic Morlot. Following the From the Top recording, the orchestra performed its debut at Carnegie Hall in New York with a concert featuring Yuja Wang and then embarked on a three-city concert tour of China featuring pianist Olga Kern.

Listen at: https://www.fromthetop.org/show/nprs-top-host-christopher-oriley-east-stroudsburg-pennsylvania-344/.

About From the Top

From the Top is America’s largest national platform celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians. Through live events, NPR and YouTube broadcasts, scholarships, and leadership programs, From the Top empowers these extraordinary young people to engage and inspire music lovers of all ages.

Support for From the Top’s radio program is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and institutions as well as public radio stations. From the Top’s founding partners are New England Conservatory and WGBH.

From the Top is an independent non-profit organization proudly based in Boston’s vibrant cultural district. Learn more at www.fromthetop.org.

From the Top program contact:

Erin MacCurtain, 617-437-0707 x103 or emaccurtain@fromthetop.org

About NYO-China

Inspired by Carnegie Hall’s own National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), NYO-China provides Chinese musicians access to the same exceptional education and performance model developed by its American counterpart. Members train under some of the world’s finest classical musicians before showcasing their honed talents as an orchestra at premier venues within China and abroad. Students apply through a competitive and egalitarian online audition process. Each audition is initially reviewed by professional musicians currently working among top American orchestras and ultimately evaluated by NYO-China’s teaching artists and artistic director. To ensure that no excellent musician is ever turned away for lack of funds, the entire program – including housing, tuition, and travel – is free of charge.

About East Stroudsburg University

East Stroudsburg University, one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, opened in 1893 as East Stroudsburg Normal School. Today, ESU is a comprehensive university in northeastern Pennsylvania offering 55 undergraduate programs, 22 master’s programs and one doctoral program. More than 6,800 students are enrolled for the high quality, affordable, and accessible education ESU provides. Nearly 30,000 ESU alumni live in Pennsylvania.