National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Britain's top Youth Orchestra, one of the world's best

The National Youth Orchestra was formed in 1947 by Ruth Railton (later Dame Ruth King). It is intended as a pathway into the world of concert performance, and is renowned for its high standards. The orchesra regularly performs at UK concert halls and makes an annual appearance at the BBC Promenade concerts in London.

The Orchestra performs three sets of concerts a year, each of which is preceded by a residential course - usually at a UK boarding school - where the children intensively prepare concert programmes for performance under the guidance of professional musicians.

In order to join, prospective members of the orchestra must be under 18 years of age on the 1st of September of the year of the audition. A returning member must be under the age of 20 at the end of the Summer Course. The average age of performers is 16, and children as young as 12 can take part. The NYO has 160 members a year, and also has an outreach program to benefit a wide cross-section of the community.

Auditions are performed with a professional accompanist, and there are no audition fees. In order to audition, children must be at the level to pass Grade 8 with distinction, but need not have taken any exams.

Students accepted into the orchestra are required to take all three courses over the course of a year, and are expected to spend up to six hours a day playing their instrument. The NYO also runs a course for composers, who attend the residential course at the same time as the orchestra members. Fees are significant for both courses, but there are tuition assistance programs available to assist in this.

The National Youth Orchestra achieves consistant critical acclaim because of the standard of preparation and the committment and enthusiasm of the young musicians who perform in it. It has been known for critics to complain when the orchestra has performed which they feel 'beneath' they orchestra's ability! The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is considered one of the finest youth orchestras in the world.

Of the NYOs many annual concerts, a number of school and community performances are included. The orchestra commissions new works by leading composers, and has several corporate sponsors who help defray the annual cost of running the orchestra.

A large proportion of professional orchestral musicians in the UK originally began their careers by studying in the National Youth Orchestra.