"It's a hot summer afternoon and the recital hall at Purchase College is abuzz with excitement and nervous energy. One hundred and twenty teenagers, from 42 states, are about to embark on an extraordinary musical and personal journey."

"Clive Gillinson, executive director of Carnegie Hall, steps up to the podium to greet them: 'Welcome to all of you. It's wonderful to welcome you here to the first ever National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America!'"

"There are youth orchestras and summer music camps all over the U.S., but Carnegie Hall may have created the best music camp ever. For the past two weeks, some of the best teenage musicians in the country have gathered on the Purchase campus to create an ensemble that is a first in the States. Gillinson, who became executive director of Carnegie Hall in 2005, says playing cello in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain was a highlight of his life."