After playing the violin for most of his life, Suhaas Patil ‘23 auditioned and qualified for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). The NYO-USA features high school musicians from across the country, and is a program that allows the qualifiers to tour the music capitals of the world. NYO-USA will be touring cities in Europe in the summer of 2022.

“[Making] NYO-USA was a goal that I held for myself from the beginning of high school,” Patil said. “Having an opportunity to tour Europe, free of cost, with the top orchestral musicians in the nation was an experience I could not let pass.”

Since participation in the orchestra is free of cost and accessible to any high schooler wanting to audition, the selection process had many steps to narrow down the applicant pool. The admission committee required several orchestral excerpts to be recorded and sent in with a solo piece of the applicant’s choice. Additionally, applicants were asked to write two essays, one in written form and one spoken. They also had to provide three recommendation letters from teachers.

“Since this opportunity meant a lot to me, I spent quite a bit of time getting my recordings and essays to a level that I was satisfied with, which was a struggle to do on top of school work,” Patil said.

Patil will participate in a multi-week training residency in Purchase, New York and perform at a concert in Carnegie Hall before touring Europe. In Europe, he will be traveling to Amsterdam, Berlin, the Amalfi Coast, and Lucerne with the orchestra, and hosting concerts in each city.

“In the end, I am so grateful I was selected. I hope this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to fly out to New York in July to start the tour,” Patil said.