UNCSA High School Music student selected for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra
A High School student in the School of Music at UNCSA has been selected to participate in Carnegie Hall’s prestigious National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) this summer. Double bassist Noah Dietz, a high school freshman from Chapel Hill, has been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest young players in the country following a comprehensive and highly selective audition process.
Noah Dietz / Photo: UNCSA
Dietz, who studies with Paul Sharpe at UNCSA, is among the 97 outstanding young musicians selected from across the country to participate in the orchestra, free of charge. With Dietz’s selection, the UNCSA double bass studio has had at least one student selected for NYO-USA in 10 of the last 11 years.
This year, members of the NYO will travel to New York in late July for an intensive two-week training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), during which they will work with a faculty made up of principal players from renowned professional orchestras. Following their residency, the orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall on July 31, conducted for the first time by Karina Canellakis, before embarking on a European tour, where students will perform with world-class conductors and soloists while representing the USA.
“The National Youth Orchestra program at Carnegie Hall remains one of the most sought-after opportunities for young orchestral musicians in the country, and Noah’s selection is a reflection of the hard work and commitment he has shown,” said Sharpe. “It is especially meaningful to see him have the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall, tour Europe, and learn from some of the finest double bassists in the country. It is a privilege to teach students like Noah, and I’m incredibly proud of what he has accomplished.”
Noah Dietz in masterclass with Kristen Bruya during UNCSA’s Bass Day, Oct. 2025 / Photo: UNCSA
About Noah Dietz
Dietz is a high school sophomore double bassist in his first year at UNCSA and a member of the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra who has wanted to attend the school since he was 12. Since arriving at UNCSA, Dietz has welcomed the opportunity to focus on his instrument while continuing to grow as a bassist in a community of dedicated young musicians. Before enrolling, he studied privately for two years with Zach Hobin, whose mentorship helped foster his passion for the bass and for music. Although he has played the instrument for only three years, Dietz has already attended the Luzern and Interlochen summer music festivals. At Interlochen, he studied with Kurt Muroki and was the youngest member of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, the festival’s top ensemble. Dietz is also a composer and has studied composition independently with UNCSA faculty member Jared Miller. Inspired by his brother and by musicians and artists including Christian McBride, Joe Conyers, Zoltán Kodály, Mikyung Sung and Thundercat, Dietz has developed a passion for music and performance at a young age. Outside of music, he enjoys drawing, and his go-to karaoke song is “The Girl From Ipanema.”
About Paul Sharpe
Paul Sharpe, professor of double bass at UNCSA since 2007, is a recipient of a 2024 University of North Carolina Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award. He is active internationally both as an orchestral and chamber musician and as a soloist. He has performed and taught throughout the world: in Germany at Villa Musica and the International Chamber Music Academy of Southern Germany; the International Double Bass Encounter in Brazil; the Paris Conservatory; Poland’s World Bass Festival; and in Italy at the Orfeo Music Festival. In the United States, he has given master classes and performed recitals at many conservatories and universities, including the Cleveland Institute, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, University of North Texas, University of Denver and Shenandoah Conservatory. As soloist, he has performed with the UNCSA Wind Ensemble, Winston-Salem Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, Orquestra de Camara Theatro Sao Pedro (Porto Alegre, Brazil), Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Orchestra and Aspen Young Artists Orchestra. He greatly enjoys performing with the eclectic bass quartet Bad Boys of Double Bass, and his work as a member of the unique cello-bass duo Low and Lower has pushed him from the traditional role of a classical double bassist into singing, acting, composing, arranging and more. Alumni from his UNCSA double bass studio have recently won positions in the Philadelphia Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and El Paso Symphony. Prior to joining the faculty at UNCSA, he was a tenured professor at Texas Tech University; adjunct faculty at University of North Texas; and an instructor at Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois) and the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City. His principal teachers are Jeff Bradetich and Diana Gannett.
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March 23, 2026