Las Vegas Academy student to play Carnegie Hall with youth orchestra

A Las Vegas teenager is among 109 musicians who will perform this summer with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

Cassandra Valenti, 18, is a senior at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, a performing arts magnet school in the Clark County School District, where she plays bassoon.

Valenti heard about the national youth orchestra from her bassoon teacher, Jordan Farber, who was part of the ensemble when he was in high school.

“I wanted to follow in his footsteps, especially because you can travel,” Valenti said.

Carnegie Hall announced the roster of musicians — which also includes Reno viola player Audrey Lim — last month. The 16- to 19-year-olds were selected after a rigorous audition process.

In early July, Valenti and her peers will participate in a two-week residency at Purchase College, State University of New York.

The ensemble will perform a concert on July 14 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It will also embark on a North American tour with stops in Groton, Massachusetts; Joliette, Quebec, Canada; Dallas; Jackson, Wyoming; Stanford, California and San Diego.

There’s no cost for participants who are invited to be part of the youth orchestra.

“This summer promises to be unforgettable, as these superb young musicians come together to train with some of the best professional musicians in the country and explore a fantastic range of repertoire,” Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s executive and artistic director, said in a news release.

‘Completely ecstatic’

Last summer, Valenti was a member of Carnegie Hall’s NYO2, a youth orchestra for students ages 14 to 17.

After performing with the junior national ensemble, “I was hoping that I was going to make it to the USA group this year,” she said. “I really wanted to be part of the program again.”

Valenti has been playing bassoon for about six years. Her childhood piano teacher got her interested in the instrument, and she started taking lessons shortly before middle school.

At Las Vegas Academy, Valenti is a member of the wind ensemble, president of band council and secretary of the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she’s a member of the Young Artists Orchestra of Las Vegas.

Valenti spent about six months practicing after the orchestra sent audition excerpts. She also prepared a solo piece and sent in video recordings before the application deadline in December.

In early February, she heard that she was selected.

“I was completely ecstatic,” she said.

After performing with the national youth orchestra this summer, Valenti will attend Vanderbilt University — a private university in Nashville, Tennessee, — to study bassoon performance.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.