Local teens make Long Island proud in prestigious Carnegie Hall

By Aramis Khosronejad

Carnegie Hall is a name recognized throughout the world as one of the most prestigious musical venues. Its tall, gold-gilded and historic walls have witnessed some of the world’s greatest musicians such as Tchaikovsky, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and The Beatles.

Now, three Long Island teenage musicians — Kaitlyn Choi, Joshua Lee and Yuuki Donnelly — join these legends’ esteemed ranks.

The concerts in question are part of the annual World Orchestra Week, known as WOW!, which is organized by the International Federation of Musician. Founded in 1948, the event aims to bring in talented young musicians from around the world to play on the sparkling stage in New York City. WOW! has certainly left quite the dazzling impression on its audience. New York Classical Review declared last Friday, Aug. 2, that “just one day in, and it’s not too soon to say it: WOW! really is a wow.”

Oboist Choi, 18, was a senior at Jericho High School as well as the valedictorian of her class, and will be part of the Harvard freshman Class of 2028. She was part of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America which is considered one of the most competitive and respected youth organizations for music, deemed by The New York Times to have “some of the best young orchestral players in America.” 

NYO-USA consists of musical prodigies from ages 16-19 and was founded by Carnegie Hall’s artistic and executive director, Clive Gillinson. Following her performance at Carnegie Hall, Choi will accompany NYO-US for a tour of South America and continue playing the oboe alongside her orchestra.

The other two teenagers that will represent Long Island on Carnegie’s distinguished stage this week are 15-year-olds, Joshua Lee and Yuuki Donnelly, who will play the double bass and violin, respectively. Joshua is a sophomore attending Locust Valley’s Portledge School, while Yuuki is a junior hailing from Rocky Point High School. They are both part of the National Youth Orchestra 2, which differs from NYO-USA, in its target age of 14-17 and musical repertoire.

Joshua and Yuuki are due to perform on Carnegie’s stage this Thursday night, Aug. 8. Choi played Monday night, Aug. 5.