And so it goes for 200 teenagers from across the United States - talented musicians make up a pair of national youth orchestras. They rehearsed inside two theatres at SUNY Purchase ahead of Carnegie Hall's 'World Orchestra Week' - a festival of music that kicks off on Thursday.
Summer Su is a 17-year-old rising senior from Michigan.
"I'm still kind of in disbelief. Yeah, it's a very sought after venue for classical musicians and any musician," said Su.
'World Orchestra Week' makes its debut this year. A panel of judges selected each musician after evaluating digital auditions submitted by hundreds of teenagers.
"We a lot of time do it and go through several rounds. We want to kind of imagine any of these young people succeeding within the orchestra," said Doug Beck, the Director of Artist Training Programs at Carnegie Hall.
A pair of internationally renowned conductors - Marin Alsop and Teddy Abrams will lead the two orchestras, which face the daunting challenge of mastering two musical classics - George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' and Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story.'
"It's also incredibly great music. So it's basically something you'll be playing for the rest of your lives," said Abrams.
After one day of rehearsals, Jonathan Henderson, 14, told Eyewitness News he has already gained some valuable wisdom.
"One thing I've learned is really listening, not just to yourself, but listening to the people around you because that can help you more than practicing on your own," Henderson said.
Concert tickets to see the teens perform are on sale now and they start at just $25.
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