Wiley Zamora, an 11th-grader at Westview High School in the Beaverton School District, performed a trombone solo at Carnegie Hall on July 30 as one of only two trombonists selected for the National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2).
Carnegie Hall's elite summer program brought together 89 young musicians ages 14–16 from 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to a Carnegie Hall announcement.
Zamora earned his spot through a competitive process that required submitting recordings and an essay, The Nexus reported.
"It's very hard to get in, so I was reluctant to apply because of the national competition … When I got the acceptance email, I remember feeling so surprised and excited," Zamora told The Nexus.
The program is free. Created by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute in 2016, NYO2 trains outstanding instrumentalists through intensive rehearsals and performances.
Zamora trained for two weeks at Purchase College, State University of New York, logging about five hours of rehearsals a day.
The schedule included full orchestra sessions, sectionals and private lessons with professional faculty.
At Carnegie Hall, Zamora played the sole trombone part in Michael Torke's "Sky," a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist that blends bluegrass and Irish fiddle traditions with classical music.
He was the only low brass player on the piece because of its small instrumentation.
He also played first trombone in Respighi's "Pines of Rome."
After the New York concert, the 89-member orchestra flew to the Dominican Republic for a five-day residency presented by Fundación Sinfonía.
The tour included pop-up performances and two concerts in Santiago and Santo Domingo.
Zamora's final performance came Aug. 3 at the Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito Concert Hall in Santo Domingo.
He closed his eyes during the third movement of "Pines of Rome," a moment he said made him realize music is what he wants to pursue for the rest of his life.
The orchestra was led by Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen, music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta.
Chen has Oregon roots: she served as music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic from 2002 to 2007, according to her official biography. She was named Director of Orchestral Activities at Manhattan School of Music in April.
Zamora started playing trombone in fifth grade and piano at age five. He said the NYO2 experience gave him the motivation to reach for the next level, including his goal of becoming a professional trombonist.
He plans to audition for NYO USA, Carnegie Hall's ensemble for musicians ages 16–19, next year. Thirty-three former NYO2 musicians were accepted to the 2026 NYO-USA roster, according to Carnegie Hall.
