Violinists Roen Jones, left, and Joseas Sosa backstage at David Geffen Hall as part of a New York Philharmonic youth ensemble led by Gustavo Dudamel. Photo by James Estrin/The New York Times.
In Monday’s (4/29) New York Times, writer Javier C. Hernández and photographer James Estrin report, “The student musicians, dressed in jeans, T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts, were rehearsing an excerpt from ‘West Side Story’ in a high school auditorium one recent afternoon…. Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic’s next music director, paused for a moment, telling the students they needed a more precise rhythm and sound…. The students, part of a 95-member youth ensemble nominated by schools and arts programs and assembled by the New York Philharmonic, were at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art in Manhattan for six days last week. They were preparing for a concert on Friday with Dudamel, who has vowed to expand the Philharmonic’s presence in schools and in the community when he takes over in 2026…. While their friends were on spring break, the young musicians endured long days of rehearsal at LaGuardia, working with the conductor Dietrich Paredes and a team of 16 professional musicians…. The student orchestra, which began rehearsing in February [and later disbanded, as planned] … was part of the Philharmonic’s weeklong celebration of the centennial of Young People’s Concerts, which have helped introduce new generations to classical music.”
