Eric Zhu, Class II, Accepted into National Youth Orchestra

After a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process, Eric Zhu (II) was invited by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to join the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). As a member of NYO-USA, Eric will have the honor to play with some of the most talented young musicians from around the country; learn from top-notch orchestra professionals and guest artists; and serve as a cultural ambassador while traveling and performing nationally and internationally. Each year, NYO-USA receives applications from many exceptional musicians but ultimately offers about 100 instrumentalist spots. Eric is one of 14 violists chosen for the orchestra.

In its tenth anniversary season, the 2023 NYO-USA program will span the month of July and kicks off with a two-week residency at Purchase College in New York. Following the residency, NYO-USA will embark on a North American tour—its first since 2014—under the direction of Sir Andrew Davis, with Gil Shaham as the guest soloist for most of the concerts. After an opening performance at Carnegie Hall, the orchestra will travel coast to coast, starting at the newly opened Groton Hill Music Center in Massachusetts and ending at the spectacular Rady Shell in San Diego. The tour will also have an international stop at one of Canada’s leading festivals outside Montreal. 

In addition to being accepted into the NYO-USA, Eric will join the Massachusetts All-State Orchestra to perform at Symphony Hall in March. Having started his musical journey at a young age, Eric has been a member of Boston University Tanglewood Institute, NEC Prep Chamber Music Intensive Performance Seminar (CHIPS), Greenwood Music Camp, and Rivers Honor ChamberMusicLab, and is currently part of the Honors Chamber Music at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and a principal violist for the Boston Youth Symphony.