Carnegie Hall

(June 26, 2025; NEW YORK, NY)—This July, Carnegie Hall’s critically-acclaimed national youth jazz orchestra—NYO Jazz, led by artistic director/trumpeter Sean Jones—returns for its eighth season of extraordinary music-making, culminating in an exciting concert at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, July 26 followed by the band’s first-ever Latin American tour from July 27–August 8.

This remarkable ensemble, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) in 2018, annually brings together 22 of the most outstanding teen jazz musicians from across the United States to train, perform, and tour with some of the world’s greatest artists while also serving as music ambassadors, sharing America’s greatest artform with audiences around the globe. This year, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Luciana Souza joins NYO Jazz for their annual Carnegie Hall concert and on tour.

NYO Jazz’s historic visit to Latin America includes debut performances in Brazil in São Paulo (Cultura Artística on July 29 at 7:00 p.m.); Rio de Janeiro (Theatro Municipal on July 31 at 7:00 p.m.); and Manaus as part of the Amazonas Green Jazz Festival (Teatro Amazonas on August 2 at 8:00 p.m.). The tour closes with two performances in the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo (Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito on August 5 at 8:30 p.m.) and Santiago (Centro León on August 6 at 8:00 p.m.). This summer’s slate of musical performances follows successful national and international tours by NYO Jazz to some of the most prestigious concert halls and music festivals across Europe, Asia, the United States, and South Africa.

For NYO Jazz’s summer 2025 concerts, Carnegie Hall has commissioned a new work, titled "Hopes and Wishes," by Cuban American drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto. NYO Jazz’s stylistic range will be further highlighted in pieces by John Clayton, Christian McBride, Vince Mendoza, Thad Jones, and Christine Jensen as well as Brazilian composers including Antônio Carlos Jobim and Ivan Lins and new arrangements written specifically for the ensemble. The exciting program also features the band’s first-ever arrangement commissioned by an alum, trumpeter Janelle Finton, through an NYO Jazz commissioning project highlighting new arrangements of compositions from Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers.

NYO Jazz’s 2025 tour offers America’s finest young musicians the opportunity to experience the richness of Latin American culture and history while sharing their remarkable artistry with audiences throughout the country. Complementing their performances, the players’ schedule will also include exciting opportunities for cultural exchange and peer-to-peer activities with local young people, an element that has become a hallmark of international tours by all three of Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles. Click here to watch a video on the impact of cultural exchange within Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles.

“We are thrilled for NYO Jazz to embark on its debut tour of Latin America this July with exciting performances in Brazil and the Dominican Republic,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. “Latin America’s rich musical heritage, especially its deep-rooted jazz and Afro-Caribbean traditions, offers an extraordinary opportunity for cross-cultural exchange. We know this tour with be a transformative experience for these young players as they collaborate with local artists and connect with audiences through the universal language of music. We look forward to sharing the remarkable talent of NYO Jazz as we celebrate the powerful role that young people can play as they inspire music lovers of all ages.”

The members of the 2025 NYO Jazz ensemble—ages 16–19, hailing from multiple regions of the United States—have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country, following a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process. Click here for the complete roster of musicians, including the names, instruments, and hometowns of the 2025 ensemble members. NYO Jazz is offered free of charge to all participants, ensuring that all invited musicians have the opportunity to take part.

In preparation for their performances and historic tour, the musicians will arrive in New York to begin an intensive two-week training residency (July 12–25). They will work with world-class jazz masters on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York, located just north of New York City. Click here to see a full list of this year’s faculty, as well as biographies for Sean Jones and Luciana Souza.
 

About NYO Jazz
Each July, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute brings together the finest young players from across the United States (ages 16–19) to form NYO Jazz. Led by artistic director Sean Jones, NYO Jazz shines a spotlight on the depth of talent found among teen jazz players across the United States. The program offers talented young musicians the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors for their country, sharing a uniquely American musical genre with people around the world. The members of NYO Jazz have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as among the finest jazz musicians in the country following a rigorous and highly competitive audition process.

Since its debut in 2018, NYO Jazz has performed at Carnegie Hall and embarked on acclaimed tours across Europe, Asia, the United States, and South Africa. The ensemble has been invited to perform at prestigious concert halls and music festivals, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Konzerthaus in Berlin; National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC; The Market Theatre in Johannesburg; Artscape in Cape Town; BBC Proms in London; Festival da Jazz in St. Moritz; Edinburgh International Festival and the Lucerne Festival, among many others. Guest artists in past seasons have included vocalists Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Alicia Olatuja. As part of their travel schedule, NYO Jazz musicians have opportunities to meet and collaborate with young local musicians and experience the richness of different cultures and music.

On June 20, 2025, NYO Jazz released its second album, Live in Johannesburg, which stands as a testament to jazz’s ability to bridge cultures, inspire audiences, and shape the future. In 2022, the band released its first full-length studio album, “We’re Still Here,” under Mr. Jones’s direction with special guest saxophonist Melissa Aldana. It includes Carnegie Hall–commissioned works for the ensemble from each year of the program, exploring themes that include social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy.

NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and its sister ensemble for younger musicians, NYO2—programs created by Carnegie Hall in 2013 and 2016, respectively—to bring together the finest young classical musicians from across the country each year for training, performances, and international touring. Each of these prestigious national programs—free to all participants—is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when given the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with audiences around the globe.

To learn more please visit: carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz.

For high-resolution photos of NYO Jazz, Sean Jones, and Luciana Souza for editorial use only, click here. (photo credit required)
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NYO JAZZ – Summer 2025 Latin American Tour

NYO JAZZ
Sean Jones, Artistic Director and Bandleader/Trumpet

 

with Special Guest:
Luciana Souza, Vocals

Program to include a new Carnegie Hall-commissioned work by Cuban American drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto. NYO Jazz’s stylistic range will be further highlighted in pieces by John Clayton, Christian McBride, Vince Mendoza, Thad Jones, and Christine Jensen as well as Brazilian composers including Antônio Carlos Jobim and Ivan Lins and new arrangements, showcasing jazz as a living and limitless art form. The exciting program also features the band’s first-ever arrangement commissioned by an alum, trumpeter Janelle Finton, through an NYO Jazz commissioning project highlighting compositions from Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers.

The tour schedule is as follows:
(All concerts taking place at listed local times)

Tuesday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Cultura Artística (São Paulo, Brazil)
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Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
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Saturday, August 2 at 8:00 p.m.
Teatro Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil)
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Tuesday, August 5 at 8:30 p.m.
Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
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Wednesday, August 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Centro León (Santiago, Dominican Republic)
 

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What the Press Have Said About NYO Jazz

“The NYO Jazz ensemble, stocked with ambitious young players under the leadership of the trumpeter Sean Jones, tackles an intriguing program.” —The New Yorker

“…the ensemble sound was crisp, the rhythm section supple and swinging. As eloquent solos unfurled, you could be pretty confident you were hearing some stars of tomorrow.” —The Times (London) (Four-star review)

“You stepped out onto the wet streets after the concert and wanted to dance through the puddles – that's the effect of this electrifying evening. The virtuosity and energy of the 23 musicians is astonishing.” —Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin)

“This young players’ tour, which they executed with such brilliance and heart-warming generosity, has come not a moment too soon.” —The Telegraph (Five-star review) “Young jazz musicians from the US wow audiences across the country.” —China Daily

“The group, which recently wrapped up touring with a concert at the Kennedy Center, performs at a level of musicianship far beyond their years.”—Washington Informer
 

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To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz
Like NYO Jazz on Facebook
Follow NYO Jazz on Instagram
See more on YouTube

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Lead Donors: Hope and Robert F. Smith, The Kovner Foundation, and Beatrice Santo Domingo.

Global Ambassadors: Michael ByungJu Kim and Kyung Ah Park, Hope and Robert F. Smith, and Maggie and Richard Tsai.

Major support has been provided by Veronica Atkins, Ronald E. Blaylock and Petra Pope, the Mark and Anla Cheng Kingdon Foundation, Clive and Anya Gillinson, Pershing Square Philanthropies, Melanie and Jean E. Salata, and the Victor and William Fung Foundation.

United Airlines®, Airline Partner to the National Youth Ensembles.

Additional support has been provided by Sarah Arison, Ernst & Young LLP, Mary I. and John E. Hull, and The Laufey Foundation.

NYO Jazz is made possible, in part, by an endowment grant from the Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Foundation.

 

Photo credits: Sean Jones by Todd Rosenberg, Luciana Souza by Kim Fox