Celebrating Collaboration with EIF and NYO-USA
This summer, EYO was proud to be part of a collaboration involving Edinburgh International Festival, Carnegie Hall and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA).
As part of NYO-USA’s 2026 European tour and their Edinburgh International Festival programme, EYO musicians performed two new works by NYO-USA Apprentice Composers:
Oriri for Wind Sextet by Ethan Hsu
Acid for String Quartet by Henry Golden
A particularly special part of the experience was the opportunity for our musicians to rehearse the works with the composers themselves - giving them a unique insight into the creative process and the chance to bring the composers’ ideas directly into their performances.
A huge thank you to Andrew Drummond Huggan and Jamie Louise White for working with our musicians and the composers throughout this process.
The performances took place ahead of NYO-USA’s concert at Usher Hall, giving EYO musicians the opportunity to share these new works within one of the world’s leading international arts festivals.
It was also wonderful to welcome Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director of Edinburgh International Festival, to speak with our young musicians about the theme of EIF 2026, All Rise.
Nicky has her own EYO connection, having toured with the orchestra early in her career, so it was particularly special to welcome her back to share her experience and insights with the next generation of young musicians.
The collaboration also created opportunities for young musicians from Scotland and the USA to meet and exchange experiences, including through NYO-USA musicians connecting with members of the EIF Youth Collective.
A huge thank you to the teams from Edinburgh International Festival, Carnegie Hall and NYO-USA for this meaningful collaboration and for enabling us to build connections between young musicians and composers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Partnership is an important part of how we create opportunity and how we build the future of music together.