Mills E. Godwin High School student Benjamin Eubanks played at Carnegie Hall this summer as part of the National Youth Ensemble. (Photo courtesy Carnegie Hall)
Performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall is what many musicians spend their careers aspiring to do. For 16-year-old Benjamin Eubanks, that dream came to fruition last week.
The Mills E. Godwin High School student, who has been playing the clarinet for seven years, joined one of Carnegie Hall’s three national youth ensembles, this one known as NYO2, for three weeks in July. The program culminated in a concert last week showcasing each ensemble, which is streaming on Carnegie Hall’s website, Facebook and YouTube channels.
“I was pleased with it,” Eubanks says of his performance. “I think everyone was kind of hungry for live performances, so I think there's a desire to do well.”
Eubanks was shocked when he received the congratulatory email from a Carnegie Hall representative in his inbox letting him know he had been accepted into the program — “I didn't think I was gonna make it,” he says. Eubanks credits his experience with the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) over the past three years for his acceptance into NYO2.
“Ben has been a reliable figure with RSYO all year long, and his skill level has improved remarkably,” Daniel Myssyk, conductor of RSYO and assistant conductor of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, says, “so much so that I felt compelled to create a new category, that of the most improved player, after listening to a performance he delivered as part of our annual concerto competition."
Benjamin Eubanks (at right) with fellow members of the Carnegie Hall National Youth Ensemble (Photo courtesy Carnegie Hall)
Eubanks was immersed in music while attending the program, an opportunity not available to him since the arrival of the pandemic. All program activities for NYO2 took place in person in the New York City area, abiding by health protocols.
“Just being around other like-minded people who have the same passions, that's just something that's really special,” he says.
Eubanks, who intends on pursuing music at the college level, draws inspiration from several clarinet players, including Anthony McGill, Sang Yoon Kim and his former teacher, VCU’s assistant professor of clarinet, Tiffany Valvo.
“I wouldn't say I have a single favorite clarinet player, because I don't think that inspiration can come from one person,” he says, “but I have a few idols, per se, that I really feel like their artistry is maybe a little more appealing to me.”
He joined more than 200 peer musicians for private lessons, master classes, full rehearsals, workshops on essential music skills and performances. The program was led by players from top American orchestras, jazz artists and guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen, the chief conductor of Grosses Orchester Graz in Austria.
Eubanks is looking forward to beginning his junior year of high school, but he won’t forget the most important lesson he learned at Carnegie Hall.
“If you want to pursue something,” he says, “you just got to go for it.”
