Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 makes its anticipated return to New World Center for an exclusive one-night-only event—the orchestra’s only public performance before its finale at Carnegie Hall on August 1.

Under the baton of conductor Mei-Ann Chen, the ensemble will open its concert with a performance of Jessie Montgomery’s Soul Force. Its title drawn from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the work blends elements of popular African-American musical styles, including big-band jazz, funk, hip-hop and R+B. Jazz pianist Aaron Diehl performs a new edition of George Gershwin’s Concerto in F—a perfect fusion of classical, popular and jazz styles. Shortly after fleeing a war-ravaged Europe for America, Rachmaninoff composed his expansive Symphonic Dances. Sprinkling in influences from his new home, he included a nostalgic solo for saxophone and a lurching waltz before its ominous finale. This tour de force would be Rachmaninoff’s final composition, himself claiming “it must have been my last spark.”

NYO2’s 2018 season and six-day residency in Miami marked the start of a new partnership between New World Symphony and Carnegie Hall, which has current and former NWS Fellows mentoring and performing side-by-side with participating NYO2 students from across the country, including many from South Florida.

Comprising a “remarkable array of talent” (The New York Times), NYO2 is an orchestral training program for talented young players ages 14–17 with a focus on recruiting musicians from communities underrepresented in classical music.