Students from all over China audition to participate in a two-week training residency before performing alongside a renowned soloist and conductor in premier venues throughout the world.

The inaugural NYO-China, comprising 105 students, gathered in early July on East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania to begin their two-week residency under resident conductor Jindong Cai, professor of conducting at Stanford University, and a suite of bilingual teaching artists recruited from leading orchestras worldwide; concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Frank Huang served as the teaching artist for the orchestra's violin section.

[9] Besides full orchestral and sectional rehearsals, students also attended seminars and workshops on Alexander Technique with Lori Schiff and improvisation with Eugene Friesen, as well as chamber music activities coordinated by the residency's staff.

Following a residency at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with musicians Qing Li, Yong Ma, and Guang Chen, students performed alongside faculty at multiple venues throughout mainland China; these included: the Yale Center Beijing, the Central Conservatory of Music Opera & Concert Hall, New York University Shanghai, the Chuansha Piano Festival, and the Qingdao Eurochestries Festival.

[16] On August 1, the orchestra premiered at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center with pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the first and only American to win the International Chopin Piano Competition.

[19] Encores for this season included “Dance of the Drayman” from Shostakovich's The Bolt and an orchestral arrangement of the popular Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”.

NYO-China's 2017 debut at Carnegie Hall conducted by Ludovic Morlot and featuring pianist Yuja Wang received pronounced critical acclaim from various American music columns and publications.

Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic for The New York Times, remarked that “if [the performance at Carnegie Hall] was a test run for this new venture, these Chinese musicians scored big”; he furthermore commended Morlot for his “vibrant account of Dvořák's New World Symphony from the well-prepared players, with full-bodied string tone, folkloric charm and lots of brio.”[12] The orchestra's subsequent performances in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou with Olga Kern on piano were also applauded by numerous Chinese critics, including from China Daily, People's Daily, and the Xinhua News Agency.

The orchestra's performance in Berlin, Germany with pianist Garrick Ohlsson was especially praised, with Der Tagesspiegel celebrating the ensemble's power and artistic prowess.

[4] Composer Ye Xiaogang acts as the ceremonial Tuanzhang of the National Youth Orchestra of China, while Chinese philanthropist He Mei serves as the founding benefactor of the project.

[20] Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall Sir Clive Gillinson and the staff of the Weill Music Institute were instrumental in assisting NYO-China during the first year of its organization.