Congratulations to William Pu Music Academy cellist Ethan Goh, a student of Martin Gueorguiev, who performed this summer with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) — one of just 10 cellists chosen nationwide to represent the United States at Carnegie Hall and on tour across Europe. Back home in Atlanta, Ethan begins the 2026–27 season as Principal Cellist of both the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Each year, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute assembles NYO-USA from the country’s top musicians ages 16–19 through a rigorous national audition; the 2026 orchestra numbered 97 players from 32 states and Washington, D.C. The summer opened with a two-week training residency at Purchase College, SUNY, where Ethan’s section was coached by Brinton Averil Smith — Principal Cellist of the Houston Symphony and professor of cello at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music — before conductor Karina Canellakis and pianist Kirill Gerstein arrived to complete the program.
On July 31, the orchestra performed in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, then crossed the Atlantic for four concerts in thirteen days: the Konzerthaus Berlin, as part of the Young Euro Classic festival; the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Suffolk, England; and Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. Under Canellakis, the program paired Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F — with Gerstein as soloist — with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
This fall Ethan takes the first chair of two of Atlanta’s top youth orchestras, leading the cello sections of the ASYO and the EYSO through their 2026–27 seasons.
About the NYO-USA
Created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in 2013, NYO-USA brings together the finest teen musicians in the country each summer for an intensive training residency, a performance at Carnegie Hall, and an international tour. Admission is by audition and is free to all selected musicians.
About William Pu Music Academy
The William Pu Music Academy is a private, award-winning, conservatory-style music academy in Atlanta. WPMA offers music education programming taught by the finest musicians and pedagogues in all of Georgia. In addition to taking 1-on-1 instrument lessons with highly-trained faculty, students at WPMA study music theory & sight-reading, participate in monthly recitals, studio classes, masterclasses with guest artists, and perform in chamber and orchestra ensembles. Academy students receive a rich and comprehensive music education, supported by a dedicated faculty. In this environment distinguished by its community and learning opportunities, WPMA students frequently compete and succeed in state and nation-wide auditions. Learn more about WPMA and previous student achievements at wpmusicacademy.com.
