Youth Orchestras Wish for a More Equitable World: Carnegie Hall’s World Orchestra Week & Youth Cultural Exchange Workshops

Africa United Youth Orchestra playing at Carnegie Hall on August 3, 2024

August 1-7, 2024 marks the inaugural gathering of World Orchestra Week (WOW) hosted by Carnegie Hall and their world renowned youth orchestras from around the globe. The sacred Carnegie Hall stage was graced by NYO2, National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela, Africa United Youth Orchestra, Beijing Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of The United States of America, European Union Youth Orchestra and the Afghan Youth Orchestra. The theme of the week was “A Wish for Our World” and musicians were encouraged to identify a wish they have for the betterment of, as many Beijing youth mentioned, our “global village.” The wishes tied in to another part of the WOW week experience, which included cultural exchange workshops hosted at the NYU Paulson Center. The key visionaries of the workshops include: Dr. Heddy Lahmann, Clinical Assistant Professor and Deputy Program Director of NYU Steinhardt’s International Education Program, Sarah Johnson, Director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, Sam Livingston, Director of operations at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, and Doug Beck, Director of Artists Training Programs, James Ross, Orchestra Director, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Ensembles, and Yazmany Arboleda, New York based artist, activist, and educator. I had the immense opportunity to be a facilitator during the workshops, for two groups of youth and guided the musicians through a series of wish writing, sharing, weaving, and tableau’s that got us into our bodies with laughter and joy! 

Afghan Youth Orchestra playing at Carnegie Hall, August 7, 2024

Workshops took place on August 2 and 3 with NYOUSA, NYO2, Beijing Youth Orchestra, Africa United Youth Orchestra, and Afghan Youth Orchestra in attendance. We began the workshops breaking down cultural barriers with a chant created by James Ross. Brilliantly written to represent the diverse sounds and music being played by the youth orchestras throughout the week, the chants were conducted by Ross and Tamara Dworetz, Associate Conductor, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Ensembles, which got us “bup-bup bup ba-dabup” buping and enlivened with energy! Music transcends the logic of language and brings people together through sound and body connection. The chants symbolized how humming and moving together don’t require us to know each other by name, but rather let us embrace the exuberant smile, bright eye contact, and joyful expression we can give one another through our presence.

Tamara Dworetz conducting the WOW Chant at NYU Paulson Center, August 3, 2024.

Moving into the remainder of the workshop, we split into 5 groups of about 30 randomly selected, facilitator led, breakout sessions. We started the sessions with ice breakers to get comfortable with each other. My favorite ice breaker was titled “The Rhythm Machine,” in which we went around the circle adding different beats with body percussion to create our own rhythm. Rhythm brings so much life to a space and it got us into a playful, lighthearted spirit before we moved into the wish writing. Artist, Yazmany Arboleda, envisioned an art installation as a part of the workshop and WOW week to bring the wishes to life. Colored ribbons and fabric made of recycled materials were sewn together to create strands to write the wishes on, and sliced pieces on the ends to tie together. Smaller breakout groups were gathered to write wishes and share together in a conversational style. The youth were open and willing to share their wishes for the world, along with tangible action steps to make their wishes come true. The wishes ranged from less violence and war, tolerance, connection through music, rights for women to go to school in Afghanistan, and equal access for all to basic amenities. We got microlevel with action steps towards a more peaceful world and how being a kinder human in small day to day interactions sparks big change! Overall, there was a genuine curiosity about each other's perspectives and the conversation ranged from relating about music, instruments, school, the excitement of being in NYC for the first time, and staple NYC foods they want to try like pizza and bagels. 

Beijing Youth Orchestra members writing their wishes on recycled fabric for the art installation.

We then invited in somatic tableaus that connected our bodies to our wishes. Participants were asked to embody their wish with a body symbol and then connect it with the wish of another. By the end, all participants stood together with fused shapes to represent their wish for the world. We then gathered into the full group of 30 once again to connect all of our body wishes in a giant circle and tied together the ends of the wishes to be added with the other breakout sessions.

The final culmination of the wishes were witnessed through the unified strands from both workshops linked together and displayed at the Javits Center where all 700 musicians from all orchestras played together on Monday, August 5, for a room filled with vibrant symphony music. The wishes were also projected on the walls of Carnegie Hall during each orchestral performance night to highlight the ultimate intention of World Orchestra and using cultural collaboration through music to contribute to a more just and equitable society for our global village. 

Top video: The final presentation of the wishes tied together at the Javits Center on August 5, 2024.

Below photos: Wishes written by the youth orchestras and displayed at Carnegie Hall on August 7, 2024.

Cultivating intentional spaces for cultural exchange are crucial for nurturing human connection with those different from us. One of the beautiful dimensions of the workshops was seeing the different energies that each respective culture brought to the table. They were all needed to form a holistic atmosphere. The Africans brought a lively rhythm based excitement, Afghans gentle and kind, Beijing grounded and intellectual. Instead of hegemonizing these cultures, working with the different strengths each has to offer is an opportunity to to build new spaces where all skills are represented and utilized. We all have differences, that's a fact, but our differences don’t have to be resisted or molded to be the same. Our differences can be appreciated and used to solve different problems based on strengths and weaknesses. Cultural exchange workshops, especially incorporating music and the arts, are a solid place to explore how different cultural energies can be used together and enjoy the creativity of diverse cultures. 

Other Notable WOW Event Articles/ Resources:

Carnegie Hall WOW Event Information 

Grella, George. (3, August 2024). Dudamel, Venezuelan youth orchestra tear the roof off at Carnegie Hall. New York Classical Review. https://newyorkclassicalreview.com/2024/08/dudamel-venezuelan-youth-orchestra-tear-the-roof-off-at-carnegie-hall/

Hernández, Javier C. (9, August 2024). Facing Turmoil at Home, Young Artists Find a Musical Haven in New York. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/09/arts/music/world-orchestra-week-youth-orchestras-carnegie-hall.html

Levere, Jane. (30, July 2024.) Teen Musicians To Gather At Carnegie Hall For World Orchestra Week. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janelevere/2024/07/30/teen-musicians-to-gather-at-carnegie-hall-for-world-orchestra-week/

Lunden, Jeff. (7, August 2024). Moving and beautiful and hopeful’: 700 international youth musicians gather in New York City for World Orchestra Week. The World From PRX. https://theworld.org/stories/2024/08/07/moving-and-beautiful-and-hopeful-700-international-youth-musicians-gather-in-new-york-city-for-world-orchestra-week