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Opera North Youth Orchestra

Sundays 10.30am - 4pm

Apply to audition

The Opera North Youth Orchestra (ONYO) is a pre-professional ensemble in the North of England for career-minded instrumentalists in sixth form and university. It serves to help dedicated young musicians transition from further or higher education into the professional world of music.

Drawing inspiration from the orchestral and opera work of Opera North, the Youth Orchestra will prepare and perform two programs of challenging repertoire each academic year. Rehearsing in the Orchestra of Opera North rehearsal studios, the Youth Orchestra will provide opportunities to learn the musical and non-musical intricacies of working within a high-level orchestra whilst further experience with orchestral and operatic repertoire.

Central to the programming of the Opera North Youth Orchestra is creating opportunity for the ensemble to work together and perform with soloists, conductors and ensembles from Opera North’s performing company. The Orchestra is led by conductor Oliver Rundell, and sections are coached by members of the orchestra of Opera North. In the 22/23 season the ONYO gave a performance of Eugene Onegin together with the Opera North Youth Company and the Chorus of Opera North. Repertoire for the 23/24 Season includes Arutunian, Brahms and Grace Williams.

Members will benefit from mentorship from the musicians and artistic team of Opera North, in addition to connecting with a variety of professional orchestral and opera conductors. The Opera North Youth Orchestra is designed to complement participants’ existing study schedule, rehearsing on selected weekends over a two month programme period twice per academic year.

The orchestra welcomes applications from students from across the North of England who play the following instruments:

  • Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
  • Woodwind: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon
  • Brass: French Horn
  • Percussion

Please note there are no current vacancies for clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba or harp. If you’d like to register your interest for any future opportunity to audition, please contact us on onyo@operanorth.co.uk.

Price
£250 per year*
Venue
  • Howard Opera Centre

Eligibility
Open to 6th Form and University (Undergraduate) aged musicians studying Grade 8+ on their instrument. Please refer to the FAQs section for more information.

Application deadline
Apply by 22 September 2023.

Audition date
Monday 2 October 2023.

How to apply
Complete application form at the top of this page, making sure you’ve noted the audition date and requirements. 
If you have any questions please get in with touch with Youth Orchestra team via onyo@operanorth.co.uk.

*Bursaries and payment plans available. Find full details in FAQs below.

Application & audition

Membership to the Opera North Youth Orchestra is by audition each year. Applicants should be comfortable with the repertoire and technical work at grade 8 standard or higher.

For the audition you will be asked to prepare the excerpts listed below as well as an unaccompanied piece of your choice (no more than 2 minutes long). We will confirm your allocated audition time once applications have closed.

Your Audition Piece

The solo piece is of your choosing, and should be a piece you enjoy playing, lasting no more than 2 minutes. It can be a movement or excerpt from a concerto, a sonata or a solo piece. Your piece could be an accompanied or unaccompanied work, but the audition itself will be unaccompanied. Where possible, it should be a piece originally written for the instrument.

Please see the individual audition excerpts below:
Woodwind Audition Excerpts
Brass Audition excerpts
Percussion Audition excerpts
Strings Audition Excerpts
Harp Audition excerpts

These excerpts form an important part of the audition and applicants should ensure that they are well known and prepared. We would encourage you to listen to recordings as you learn them.

Your audition panel will be made up of players from the Orchestra of Opera North – they’re a friendly bunch! We believe everyone should have the chance to develop their practice and performance skills, and have a positive audition experience, whatever the outcome.

All applicants will receive verbal feedback during the audition. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

Rehearsal dates

The Opera North Youth Orchestra Season will be split into two programmes. A short series of rehearsals will be held on Sundays from 10.30am – 4.00pm at the Howard Opera Centre in Leeds in the lead up to each performance. Please note that Saturday rehearsals may sometimes be added if the concert repertoire requires it. Opera North Youth Orchestra members will be expected to attend all rehearsals unless in the event of illness.

Autumn Term

  • Sunday 15 October
  • Sunday 22 October
  • Sunday 5 November
  • Sunday 19 November
  • Sunday 3 December
  • Sunday 10 December – Concert – Dewsbury Town Hall

Spring Term

  • Sunday 14 January
  • Sunday 21 January
  • Sunday 4 February
  • Sunday 11 February
  • Sunday 18 February -1pm arrival, 2-5pm dress rehearsal
  • Monday 19 February -1pm arrival, 2-5pm rehearsal, 7pm performance (Leeds)

Side-By-Side with the Orchestra of Opera North
Sunday 21 April

Frequently asked questions

6th form and university (Undergraduate) aged young musicians from the north of England who play an orchestral instrument at grade 8 level or higher.

We are seeking applications for the following instruments to join the orchestra in the 2023/24 season:

  • Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
  • Woodwind: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon
  • Brass: French Horn
  • Percussion

We encourage applications from those who simply love playing their instrument to a high standard, as well as those who want to build ensemble skills for a professional life as a musician.

Please note there are no current vacancies for clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba or harp. If you’d like to register your interest for any future opportunity to audition, please contact us on onyo@operanorth.co.uk.

Auditions can be nerve-wracking, so we aim to make ours fun and informal, helping you to perform at your best and get the most out of the audition experience.

We are not as worried about playing perfection as we are keen to see your musical ability. Your audition panel will be made up of two players from the Orchestra of Opera North – they’re a friendly bunch!

We believe everyone should have the chance to develop their practice and performance skills, and have a positive audition experience, whatever the outcome.

We want to ensure that costs do not create a barrier to taking part and are able to offer bursary places to successful applicants from families in challenging circumstances. Please indicate on your application form if you would like to be considered for a bursary place.

It is also possible to split the cost into multiple instalments, please get in touch by emailing onyo@operanorth.co.uk.

Membership of the orchestra relies on 100% commitment to the rehearsal schedule. In the case there is a date conflict this should be indicated upon acceptance of place.

Howard Opera Centre
8 Harrison St, Leeds LS1 6PA

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Opera North Youth Orchestra
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