Day 25 + 26: Beautiful Jackson Hole in Wyoming

Jackson Hole is a place for artistic inspiration: the winding mountain roads, gorgeous scenery, and sparkling stars at night were so rejuvenating. Perhaps the beauty and serenity of the nature around us enabled us to give such a great performance tonight!

During the drive to Jackson Hole from the airport in Idaho, Martine (a violist and great friend of mine) and I listened to soundtracks from Miyazaki films such as Spirited Away while enjoying the view of the Snake River, the green mountains, and grassy fields.

The Sixth Stop of the Spirited Away Soundtrack fits perfectly with the view: You can just imagine yourself paddling calmly in a kayak on a beautiful river of a valley.

The town of Jackson Hole is extremely eclectic in its quaint and cozy way. A little art gallery filled with landscape paintings sits across from a crowded Starbucks. Tourists pose under a gate made up of moose antlers. The famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is, as always, crowded with people.

In addition, all 120 of us went on a hike in the morning to a National Park. We walked along several cozy beaches, gaped at roaring waterfalls and rapids, and jogged across rocky terrain while gazing at the great alpines.

Rock Skipping at a Beach

All of us felt so great after the concert today! Though small, the concert hall had great acoustics, and our music filled up the room with a soaring spirit that touched not only the hearts of audience members but also our own.

We will miss Wyoming! But next stop: California!

Day 23 + 24: What To Do in Chicago

In case you plan to vacation sometime in Windy City, here is a general breakdown of what NYO-USA has been doing in Chicago!

We went on a First Lady Architectural Boat Tour along the River and admired many wonderful skyscrapers:

It's always a little tough for the person sitting in the back to really pay full attention to the tour guide.

We had some time for individual exploration:

Overheard from right across our hotel.

We played a Millennium Park Concert:

Millennium Park is so beautiful during the day and night!

And we ate food, food, and more food:

Our meals have included Thai Food, Flat Top Grill, Deep-Dish Pizza, and more

Day 21 + 22: Boone, NC

How does NYO-USA travel? For the past few weeks, we traveled in buses, buses, and more buses. Day 21, however, was our very first airplane flight - from Albany, NY to Boone, NC. Even after we landed in North Carolina, however, we still had to take a 2 hour bus ride to get to Boone.

With a large expanse of free time ahead, we initially thought that there would be nothing to do in such a little town. But we soon found that to be wrong.

First, we went on a hike around the place we were staying at:

There were a lot of nice little trails.

Then we went and shopped at a thrift store for over an hour:

Some of our finds: Soyeong got a red flower dress, Oliver got green lobster shorts, and I got a blue polka-dot dress. Each one was under ten dollars!

The next day, all of us went on the bus again and took a 2 hour drive over to Lansing, NC, for a Blueberry Festival! The pastoral landscapes we passed by were so beautiful and peaceful. When we got to the festival, they had live Appalachian music from Grammy Award winning banjo players, freshly baked pizza, acrylic painting, and fields and fields of ripe delicious blueberries.

Soyeong loves her blueberries - she brought a giant bag back with her!

Overall, the concert went well and the audience seemed to like it! NYO-USA had a great time in Boone.

Day 20: Tanglewood Concert, Ben Zander, and Yo-Yo Ma?!?!?

I was wrong when I thought the hype of our Carnegie concert two days ago would be the greatest. It all happened right when I stepped into the hall for our concert and saw the back wall open up to a green lawn packed with people. I had just began to settle into my seat, warming-up, when my fellow cellists came rushing on stage exclaiming in excited voices: "Yo-Yo Ma is backstage! He's backstage!"

My Reaction

And sure enough, there he was, walking back into the concert hall and settling himself down in a seat. I was so excited and I hoped that he would come back during intermission so I could meet him!

The first half of the concert went well. Bihn Park, a fellow cellist, gave a wonderful speech introducing the Britten Violin Concerto. The acoustics of Ozawa Hall were spectacular, and even though the hall wasn't as resonant with all the people inside (compared to during our dress rehearsal), I could still hear Gil Shaham crystal clear during all movements of the Britten.

During intermission, sure enough, Yo-Yo Ma was there with his smiling face and friendly demeanor. Out of all the excitement, NYO musicians literally mobbed him in the hallways. I was a little late getting off stage, so I could barely see him by the time I got backstage. It was overwhelming, and I didn't want to push through the crowd. Instead, I loitered around on the outskirts of the pack, catching an occasional glimpse of him laughing. Oh how I wished I could be on the inside!

I really wanted to introduce myself.

But then something amazing happened: I met Maestro Benjamin Zander, the current director of BYPO (Boston Youth Philharmonic Orchestra). His openness and friendliness immediately touched me. He knew I was attending the Harvard/NEC joint program next year, and he wanted to let me know about attending BYPO for the next year. Never had I been as excited for college as I was then.

All of a sudden, I heard a call for a cello section picture with Yo-Yo Ma. Now I had an excuse to wheedle through the crowd. But even after Chris Lee took our photo, everyone started speaking at once - until Maestro Zander came along and gave Yo-Yo Ma a giant hug. He explained that Yo-Yo Ma had played a concerto as a freshman at Harvard under his direction. Then the best thing happened: Maestro Zander introduced me personally to Yo-Yo Ma! Even though Yo-Yo Ma had to leave to get back in the audience right away, I got to shake his hand and introduce myself as a to-be Boston dweller!

Whee!

Day 19: Tanglewood and Rain

Today was our travel day to Tanglewood! The original plan was to get to our hotel and then attend a concert at the Tanglewood festival. Everything went relatively smoothly until dinner at a cafe in Tanglewood, when it began to rain. Hard.

There were constant flashes of lightning and roaring claps of thunder, but when we were all sitting together eating our dinners at the tables (where only a roof protected us from the outer forces), it was very funny to watch each other's reactions. In mad rushes for the bathrooms, people took off their shoes and sloshed their way through the pouring rain, dodging puddles, only to return completely soaked head to toe. Some of us went and grabbed unused trash bags, and we punched holes in the plastic for our faces. Since the supply of trash bags was extremely low, we figured we could fit three people to a bag. It didn't work.

It works...in theory.

The thunderstorm continued so long that we couldn't go to the concert in the end, due to safety precautions. The doors to the concert had closed anyway, until intermission. As a result, when the rain died down, the NYO-USA staff led us all back to the buses.

But a lot of us didn't mind that we missed the concert. We had a day full of restful sleeping on the bus, laughter, and heartwarming friendships. It was a good day.

Day 18: Carnegie Debut

What a busy day!

This Carnegie Hall concert may have been the most important concert on our tour! I was particularly involved on a more individual level with this concert – my friend Leah Meyer, a horn player, and I gave concert remarks for the first and second halves of the concert, respectively. We each had prepared speeches on whatever we wanted to share with the audience – Leah’s speech provided a beautiful insight into our lives as teenage musicians seeking to create a special “Somewhere” for us. I spoke about using music and imagination to travel to different places, particularly in Samuel Adam's piece Radial Play.

The nerves were apparent backstage but thankfully not on-stage.

The audience was such a supportive group of people, and they all cheered and clapped for me, even though I had only just introduced my name!

After the concert, a few of us enjoyed a nice little reception, and then we all filed outside to congratulate each other and hug family members. It was such a wonderful day.

The Carnegie Hall concert will most likely have a webcast available online soon! I will let you know more about it later. But in the meantime, The New York Times wrote a review of our concert! It can be found here.

Day 17: Dinner Cruise

I felt that the dinner cruise deserves a different post, just because it was such a contrast from what we were doing earlier in the day (see Day 17: Community Outreach). But this dinner cruise was well-deserved, and all of us were so pumped to enjoy the view of Manhattan, eat good food, and best of all, dance the night away.

We had a dinner cruise last year at NYO-USA as well, but the cruise this year was even more fun. The dancing began almost right away, and the music played was so much better. Dancing with one another is such a great bonding exercise, and I could tell that a lot of people were getting to know each other better just through the hilarious dancing.

Tomorrow is our Carnegie Hall Concert! Tune in to WQXR to hear us live on the radio at 8 pm EST tomorrow! Or listen online on the Carnegie Hall Live Broadcast Website.

Day 17: Community Outreach

All 120 of us NYO members went to Carnegie Hall today to interact with many kids from different homeless shelters and programs in the New York area such as Gloria's House, Help I, and Willow Residence. We performed for them, with several kids sitting directly on stage with us, and then we spent twenty-five minutes interacting with a kid one-on-one, letting them try out our instruments, asking questions, etc.

During our first two pieces, a little boy by the name of Antoine was sitting right between the second violinists and violists. I had introduced myself to him earlier with a handshake, but I noticed that he was, in general, very quiet and looking somewhat disinterested. When I waved to him with a smile, he stared back at me blankly. He was not impressed.

I could see that the musicians around him were having a hard time getting him engaged.

And well, I thought: Challenge Accepted. When it came time for us to find a partner for the twenty-five minute interaction, I went to Antoine and asked him if he wanted to work with me. He didn't say a word. But after a few more questions, he finally started sharing some information. For one, he liked "America the Beautiful" the best out of all the pieces we played, and he was singing along to it "in his head". Finally, he told me "IT'S TOO LOUD!" So we went off the stage and into the audience.

When Antoine plucked the string on my cello, he smiled for the first time. "Now I can hear," he confided. I taught him how to pluck Twinkle Twinkle, and I was surprised at how quick a learner he was. After getting it on the second try, he wanted to play it with the bow. "This is so hard!" he said, as he pulled the bow across the strings with a smile on his face. But he still managed to get most of it out.

I showed him how to make seagull sounds on the cello (sliding down the A string with fake harmonics) and he was thoroughly impressed. By the time twenty-five minutes were up, I was inspired by this young seven year-old boy. I went into this activity thinking that it would be enough for these kids to just pluck a few strings and for me to answer any questions they had, but I came out realizing that these kids have such admirable curiosity and a strong eagerness to learn. There is no obstacle they cannot seek to overcome. That is the power of childhood we should all try to keep within ourselves as we grow.

Antoine went back to his seat in the audience, but I caught him occasionally looking up at me during our final piece. I waved to him. And this time, he waved back.

Day 16: Concert Day

This concert was one of the most emotional and overwhelming concerts I've ever played in! I teared up in the Britten Violin Concerto and the Mussorgsky, and we all saw the tears in Maestro Robertson's eyes during the Great Gates of Kiev. Every piece we played was solid, particularly the Pictures at an Exhibition. It felt amazing when we all stood up to receive the applause from the audience - it was truly a moment of complete happiness and belonging. (Plus Samuel Adams shook my hand after we performed Radial Play, and I was completely beyond myself with joy).

Principal Cellists do not often get their hands shaken during concerts, so this was extra special!!

After the concert we had a fun party at the dining hall for dinner. There was so much carnival food - popcorn shrimp, fried clams, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, cotton candy, sno-cones, and more. The only problem was the carnival music that they blasted throughout the hall - literally the same seven seconds of music were playing over and over again on a loop.

Our NYO-USA concert tour has officially begun! But for tomorrow, our community outreach at Carnegie Hall awaits!

Day 15: Dress Rehearsal, Photo Shoot, and More

I could post about the day's events, such as how all the sections of the orchestra had a mini photo shoot with photographer Chris Lee, or how we had our dress rehearsal in our uncomfortably sweltering concert attire, but what really made this day special was the interactions we had with Maestro Robertson and Gil Shaham.

You know the world is good when you have people like David Robertson and Gil Shaham to look up to. The impact they have on me as a musician and a person is so positive and nourishing. Gil Shaham makes the effort to have eye contact with almost everyone in the orchestra, and his constant smiling at Maestro Robertson and the orchestra is so heartwarming. Not to mention how beautiful his violin playing is!

Maestro Robertson simply inspires all of us to look at music in imaginative and creative ways - the way he describes the music through stories or metaphors are extremely convincing and often emotional.

Just to mention a few:
-The very beginning of Pictures at an Exhibition (The Promenade) is like a choir singing - the phrases we have should imitate that of a choir, complete with necessary breathing.

-The Great Gates of Kiev begins with three chords, and you should feel as if the first two chords bring you progressively closer to the great gates until the third chord brings you right in front of the gigantic doors.

And then your breath is taken away.

Day 14: Gil Shaham + Chamber Music

When Gil Shaham came through the door into the backstage area of the concert hall, many of us had to take a moment to calm down from the excitement and sheer joy at seeing him in person.

Soyeong having a fangirl moment.

Gil Shaham was so personable - his smile practically lit up the whole room. And so did his beautiful violin; The Britten Violin Concerto became complete with his sound. Throughout the piece, I could see him making eye contact with everyone and smiling up at Maestro Robertson. Although the Britten wasn't quite as together as it could have been, the rehearsal was productive and hopefully tomorrow the piece will come together perfectly.

Tonight we also had a casual chamber concert, organized flawlessly by our apprentice orchestra manager Josh. People had been rehearsing chamber pieces for the past two weeks of residency, and although it wasn't quite enough time, all the groups sounded amazing. I had performed in two groups myself - one was a quasi-impromptu string chamber ensemble, performing Mozart's Divertimento, and the other was Brahms' String Sextet. It was overall so much fun to play in small groups.

I was particularly blown away by a beautiful marimba duet performed by percussionists Tyler Cunningham and Aaron Grisez. It seemed as if I was swimming underwater with beautiful fish and lots of bubbles:

Music and imagination combined with one another is so magical.

Next day is our dress rehearsal! Can't believe the concert is on Sunday!

Day 13: This Day Was One of the Best Days Ever

The title of this post says it all. Today we had THE best rehearsals ever, in my opinion. David Robertson has a way of explaining certain passages through metaphors, anecdotes, images, etc. that simply resonate with all of us and produce immediate results.

While we were rehearsing the Great Gates of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition, Maestro Robertson told us a story about his mother that brought tears to my eyes (and to many other people's eyes as well). I was trying so hard to keep my tears unnoticeable only to find out during break that all of us were tearing up since we were so emotionally struck by his story.

Tears often make one very self-conscious.

And wow! Immediately after hearing that story, we played again and the effect was breathtaking. All of us poured our hearts into the music. The last few minutes of the Great Gates of Kiev were so emotional and grand with the majestic ring of the bass chime, the rumble of the timpani, and the full bows from the strings. Soyeong (the concertmistress and my lovely roommate) and I were exchanging looks of complete awe after we finished with that final chord.

Our minds are blown by the sheer quality of the music.

And tomorrow....our minds will be blown again by amazing violinist Gil Shaham!!!!!!

Day 12 + 13: From the Top and more

Wednesday was our live taping on From the Top! It was incredible, working with all the From the Top staff. They undergo such a creative process to put on the show, and overall it was so much fun to be a part of:

It's almost as if From the Top staff have an endless supply of jokes to engage everyone and make them laugh.

The From the Top show was essentially NYO-USA's very first performance, which included the world premiere of Samuel Adams' Radial Play. We got all dressed up in our red pants, white shirts, black ties/kerchiefs, and sneakers. But of course, with every uniform comes a few problems:

Square knots are harder than you may think.

The performance went extremely well. Silvio played a beautiful clarinet solo and three NYO-USA members also performed a riveting Fauré Piano Quartet with From the Top host Chris O'Riley. We played our three orchestral pieces, and after the concert, all of us had a good time at an ice cream social set-up by our awesome NYO staff.

The next day was the second component of our From the Top experience: the Arts Leadership Orientation! Here, we talked about all sorts of issues, such as what it meant to be a 20th Century musician, or how we can engage audiences. It was so amazing seeing everyone speak out and voice their opinions. The whole orientation really went so far to show that all of us can not only play great music, but can also communicate our ideas aloud really well, like so:

As seen at one of the leadership orientation tables

(But of course we talked about many other deeper issues other than candy.)

NYO Section Videos are Now Live!

Check out all the awesome videos from each section in NYO-USA!

Here is the link: NYO-USA Video Projects

Day 11: David Robertson

Today's morning rehearsal was our last rehearsal with Maestro Ross, Maestro Lee Mills (the assistant conductor), and Samuel Adams. They worked so hard to prepare us on this last day by giving us multiple perspectives on the music and making us undergo new ways of playing and listening to one another. At the end of the rehearsal, everyone scrambled to take pictures with them and I was so sad whenever I thought of not having another rehearsal with Maestro Ross.

But today we met Maestro David Robertson for the first time and went through the Bernstein, Samuel Adams, and Porgy and Bess with him! He was such a friendly heartwarming person with so much wisdom to offer to the orchestra. We all immediately liked him, and I noticed that the orchestra underwent a very noticeable change:

Maestro Robertson gave us a lot of his special insight, particularly for the Bernstein. He spoke about how we had a teenage spirit that no other orchestra he had worked with had, and that we could relate to the rebellious nature of the characters in the music a lot better.

He also spoke about how every performance is different -- and that his most favorite thing about orchestra was the spontaneous music-making that was going on. During rehearsals, one person might play one thing differently and affect the entire orchestra, often offering a new and fresh perspective on the music.

While all this amazing information was being shared, we also prepared for our From the Top taping that occurs tomorrow! It was so good seeing all the staff again and I am so excited for our performance!

Day 10: Imagination Abound

Today we went through our first run-through of the program during rehearsal. Sitting in the orchestra and hearing a piece in its entirety lent room for great imagination, and during the end of the Britten Violin Concerto, I felt myself transported into outer space and into a scene very similar to what I had imagined from reading The Little Prince:

The Britten gives a sense that you are one almost meaningless individual in a large and often melancholy universe

The Britten is so mystical and introspective, and I cannot help but believe that this piece was written for the musicians rather than an audience. As musicians, we notice little sections and develop such deep connections with the music. As a result, the entire piece speaks to us musicians in so many wonderful and emotional ways, whereas it's difficult for a typical audience member to become attached to the piece in a single performance.

Today we also attended two fantastic workshops. One was on community involvement, where we discussed ways of reaching out to a different community with our music and engaging audiences. This was a great way for us to spread ideas around, share our thoughts, and learn more about each other as people. The second workshop was on music and movement, and we went through several intriguing exercises that involved eye closing, sculpting, moving around to music, etc.

Tomorrow is our first rehearsal with David Robertson!

Day 8 + 9: The Weekend

The two days of this weekend were such a contrast! The entire Saturday was a busy busy day, filled with rehearsal and then a night of video recording. It was so much fun recording, and all of us dressed up in our blue and white NYO shirts, jeans, and stars and bars sneakers. We finally looked like a unified orchestra! But it was tiring after several takes, and we were all so relieved to go back to Fort Awesome for a few more hours of relaxation:

NYO-USA Massage Train

But Sunday was our day off, and the group split off into three different locations: One group went to watch the comedy duo Igudesman & Joo, another went to the beach, and the third group went hiking. When we all got back from our activities, we had a fun cook-out outside the dining hall, where we enjoyed burgers, pasta, beans, and nice cool watermelon.

Tomorrow: After a series of workshops, it is finally time for a run-through of the program during rehearsal!

Day 7: What NYO Does For Fun

Here's a list of some activities NYO-USA members do for fun during free time:

Water Balloon Throwing Contests (and fights):

Lots of splashes and giggles!

Card Games (Particularly Egyptian Rat Screw):

A possible danger hazard for musicians' fingers...

Frisbee, Soccer, Kickball, etc.:

This is for people who like to run around

Talking and Socializing with Ice Cream from the Campus More Store:

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream from the More Store!

And finally, practicing (of course):

We are all music nerds at heart.

Day 6: Real Pictures

Here are some real photos to commemorate the day!

Our third rehearsal - definitely ran into a few difficulties and struggled a bit, but hopefully the next rehearsal will be much better!

Pre-rehearsal Photo

Last Sectional - It is so sad that Mark Kosower will be leaving soon!

NYO Cello Section with Mark Kosower

Cello Video Shoot - Just a little hint of it, to keep everyone excited about the video that is to come!

Photo Credits to the talented Matthew Chow!

Thanks everyone for reading my blog! Stay tuned...:)

Day 5: Artistic Inspiration

Today was the first time the orchestra read through the new piece commissioned specifically for NYO-USA - Samuel Adam's Radial Play. Our individual parts seemed so eccentric by themselves that it was impossible to know what the entire piece sounded like. But once we began, it was so amazing - it seemed as if colors were blooming from the sky as the harpist played a series of notes and one by one the other instruments joined in with little twirls and sparks. 

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I had synesthesia (when you can see colors from sound)

While it seemed like it couldn't get any better after a successful rehearsal, I was even more inspired during the cello master class with Mark Kosower. I played a bit of the Schumann Cello Concerto first movement for him, and the insight he gave was extremely beneficial (I took so many detailed notes in my journal afterwards so I could remember for the years to come!). Everyone in the audience loved it when Mr. Kosower demonstrated a passage, since his sound was so gorgeous and his phrasing was so well thought-out and beautiful. 

All the other cellists who played today were so talented. Aside from Schumann's cello concerto, we heard a haunting and alluring Britten solo suite, the classic Dvorak Cello Concerto, the sweet and elegant Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, and the worldly Prelude to Bach Suite No. 5. Cheers to a wonderful cello section!

Day 4: The First Sound

Elements of Our First Rehearsal

Helpful Notes to non-musician friends: 
1. The picture of the gnome is inspired by the "Gnomus" movement in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
2. The picture of the chick is from a sketch by Victor Hartmann that inspired the "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" movement in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

Day 3: Bonding Through Auditions and Sectionals

It was beautiful this afternoon, but barely a soul was to be seen walking around the campus of Purchase College. That was because the strings had seating auditions today, and almost everyone was tucked cozily into a practice room, patiently going through excerpts with a keen ear.

It would be incorrect of me to say that there was no feeling of competition among the members of each section. But often with the stressful and nerve-racking audition experience comes a mutual support and cooperation between members. We all share the same clammy hands right before playing, we all share the same difficulties with certain excerpts, and we all give each other encouragement and laugh at our little slips after the audition.

Sectionals also really helped to shape the overall sound. Mark Kosower, Principal Cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra and our cello coach, was absolutely amazing with getting through tough spots in the music and helping the cellists play together musically.

A little hint: the cello section is planning something very special and classy to present to the public in a few weeks! Keep on the lookout for all the incoming social media posts from NYO-USA to stay in the loop!

Day 2: Icebreaker Day

On a day dedicated entirely to ice breaker activities, one might imagine a great deal of shuffling feet, nervous stares, and overenthusiastic resident assistants. But at NYO-USA, everyone seemed so eager to participate and become a part of the family. I initially had some concerns that the returning NYO members would find themselves somewhat distant from the rest of the incoming group, and vice versa, but after today I can safely say that I am so proud to be part of such a friendly and heartwarming orchestra that has some of the best people - both musically and personally.  

The camaraderie is pervasive:

From the early morning jog, with more than ten new and old members running together (and me at my own pace)...

To the cheerful greeting from a fellow musician while walking to breakfast;

From a fun-filled Instagram Scavenger Game...

To the cheers and great applause when all the amazing staff and faculty were introduced onstage during orientation;

From the jokes and laughter at dinner...

To the gigantic group of people mixing and mingling in the front of Fort Awesome before curfew, talking about all sorts of things possible (and playing games).

Imagine what it will be like once the music begins!

Note: Drawing on paint at 1:30 am in the morning seriously decreases the quality of the drawings. It's time to get rested!

Day 1 of NYO-USA

I was the second to arrive, bright and early in the morning at Purchase College. But despite the lack of other students, I immediately felt at home in "Fort Awesome". Once all the staff arrived with the finishing touches, everything seemed so real! NYO-USA Round 2 has officially begun!

Throughout the course of the day, the number of NYO musicians multiplied, from two early comers to eight to over one hundred! What really struck me was the camaraderie that immediately ensued as each person eagerly looked forward to meeting the other members of their section and the orchestra.

All joined together in the name of music!

Today was a relaxing wonderful day, and tomorrow holds even more fun, when the icebreaker activities begin!