African classical music hits world stage as the Africa United Youth Orchestra plays Carnegie Hall

The Africa United Youth Orchestra’s debut in Pretoria last month. It will be one of seven ensembles performing at the Carnegie. Photograph: Lauge Sorenson

A pioneering pan-African youth orchestra will perform in public for only the second time this weekend – at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO), the first of its kind to bring together musicians from across the continent, is due to play a “once-in-a-lifetime” concert at the legendary venue on 3 August. It will be one of seven international youth ensembles performing during the Carnegie Hall’s world orchestra week.

“I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to play at Carnegie ever again,” says Olawale Olayinka, a Nigerian vioinist and violist. “So this is very, very important for me.”