Ryan High Student Selected to National Youth Orchestra

Ryan High School’s Osiel Cardenas earned one of the most prestigious honors in the country when he was selected to the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of the United States of America earlier this summer.

Osiel was chosen through a comprehensive video audition process, and he was one of only 12 students from Texas selected. As a junior in 2023-2024, Osiel was also selected to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) all-state symphony orchestra on viola.

Following his audition and selection to the NYO, Osiel completed a training residency at State University of New York at Purchase, with faculty made up of principal players from top professional orchestras. From there, he began touring with the orchestra, performing at Carnegie Hall and in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

“It is an incredible honor for Osiel to have been selected as a member of the National Youth Orchestra, and it was a wonderful experience for him to perform in Carnegie Hall and at amazing venues in South America with this summer’s tour,” said Eddy Russell, Director of Fine Arts. “We are extremely proud of Osiel’s accomplishments and for him representing Ryan High and Denton ISD exceptionally well on the international stage.”

As part of their travel schedule, NYO musicians met and collaborated with local musicians to experience the richness of other cultures. Led by Marin Alsop, repertoire for the NYO’s concert at Carnegie Hall and on tour included Barber’s Symphony No. 1, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring guest soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

After performing at Carnegie Hall, the NYO made stops in Montevideo’s Auditorio Nacional del Sodre, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, Brazil’s Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and the Sala São Paulo. While on tour in South America, the NYO musicians had the chance to take part in peer-to-peer exchange with young musicians in São Paulo and tour the cities they performed in.