Vienna Teen Musician Touring With National Youth Orchestra

VIENNA, VA — A Vienna teen will be part of a residency and tour with the 2023 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

Joshua Thrush, 16, is a double bassist who was chosen for the National Youth Orchestra, a prestigious free summer program for the nation's promising young musicians. Each year, over 100 musicians between ages 16 and 19 are chosen to be part of the orchestra.

As part of the orchestra, Thrush and other musicians will complete a two-week training residency at Purchase College in New York with top professional orchestra musicians. The orchestra will then go on an eight-concert tour from Montreal to San Diego, including a performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall.

The National Youth Orchestra is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023. The tour will include conductor Sir Andrew Davis and guest violinists Gil Shaham and Hilary Hahn.

Thrush started taking lessons six years ago with Ira Gold of the National Symphony and is now a Now a third-year Youth Fellow with the National Symphony. He is also principal bass of the American Youth Philharmonic, the James Madison Chamber Orchestra and All-Virginia Orchestra.

His awards have included the 2023 YoungArts Merit, 2023 American Youth Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the 2022 LSU Bass Fest 15-18 Solo Competition, the 2022 National Federation of Music Club’s Joyce Walsh Junior Disability Award, and the 2021 International Society of Bassists 14 and under Solo Competition. Thrush also spent eight weeks at Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts and was part of the Birch Creek Symphony and Bass Works Maryland.

Along with warning accolades, Thrush teaches double bass to younger students through an outreach program at James Madison High School. He plans to pursue a career in double bass performance.

Thrush will appear Monday, March 27 on NPR’s "From the Top" show, which features stories of the nation's top classically-trained musicians. He participated in the show's Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, a four-week online curriculum with other musicians about community engagement, audio production and career opportunities. The program gave Thrush a chance to record his music at a professional recording studio. The NPR show has also featured Joshua in their Daily Joy series, which highlights young people inspiring joy through music.