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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 for career-minded instrumentalists aged 16-25 and/or in full-time education. 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 programmes 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 gaining further experience with orchestral and operatic repertoire.

Central to the programming of the Opera North Youth Orchestra is creating opportunities 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. Repertoire for this season will include:

  • César Franck – Symphony in D Minor
  • Margaret Bonds – The Montgomery Variations
  • Engelbert Humperdinck – Extracts from Hänsel und Gretel

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 period twice per academic year.

The orchestra welcomes applications from students who play the following instruments:

  • Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp
  • Woodwind: Flute (including Piccolo), Oboe, Clarinet (including Bass Clarinet), Bassoon
  • Brass: French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone (including Bass Trombone)
  • Percussion

Please note that vacancies for the next Season will be confirmed in early April. Please fill in the application form if you would like to register your interest for any future opportunity to audition.

Price

£270.00 for the October – April season
(£131.25 to participate in the Summer project*)

 

Venue
  • Howard Opera Centre

Eligibility
Open to musicians aged 16-25 (and/or still in full-time education) a studying Grade 8+ on their instrument. Please refer to the FAQs section for more information.

Application deadline
Monday 31 March at 6pm  

Audition date
Sunday 27 April, from 10.30am, Howard Opera Centre
(Percussion auditions will be held on a later date, to be confirmed) 

How to apply
Complete the 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.

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.

This season, there is an additional summer project which players can choose to be involved in (instrument-dependent).

Summer Project: The Secret of the Black Spider (Additional Project for Reduced Orchestration) – Cost of £131.25 to participate

Rehearsal and Performance Schedule (subject to change):
Sunday 15 June
Sunday 21 June
Sunday 14 September
Saturday 20 September
Sunday 21 September
Friday 26 September – Daytime rehearsals & evening performance – Leeds Grand Theatre
Saturday 27 September – Matinee performance – Leeds Grand Theatre

Autumn Term
Sunday 12 October 2025
Sunday 26 October
Sunday 9 November
Sunday 23 November
Sunday 7 December
Sunday 14 December – Concert: 3.30pm – St Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield

Spring Term
Sunday 25 January 2026
Sunday 8 February
Sunday 22 February
Sunday 1 March
Sunday 15 March
Sunday 29 March – Concert: 3.30pm – Dewsbury Town Hall

Summer term
Sunday 19 April 2026 – Side-By-Side preparation rehearsal
Sunday 26 April 2026 – Side-By-Side rehearsal with the Orchestra of Opera North

Frequently asked questions

Musicians aged 16-25 (and/or in full-time education) 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 2025/26 season:

  • Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp
  • Woodwind: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon
  • Brass: French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone
  • 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 Tuba. 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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