Young people invited to audition for Wales’ national youth ensembles

Nation.Cymru Staff

Young musicians and singers from across Wales are being invited to audition for the country’s national youth orchestra, choir and brass band ahead of their 2027 concert seasons.

National Youth Arts Wales (NYAW) has opened auditions for its three flagship music ensembles, who regularly perform at venues across the country:

• The National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW)
• The National Youth Choir of Wales (NYCW)
• The National Youth Brass Band of Wales (NYBBW)

Applications are open to young people who will be aged between 16 and 22 on 31 August 2027 and who were born in Wales, live in Wales or are studying full-time in Wales.

Instrumentalists are normally expected to be around Grade 8 standard, although applicants do not need to have passed the exam.

Successful applicants will spend the summer rehearsing and performing with leading conductors before taking part in concert tours across Wales.

Orchestra members will be working towards a major symphony under an internationally renowned conductor, maestro Carlo Rizzi, whose career has taken him to La Scala in Italy and The Met in New York.

Carlo has a long-standing relationship with NYOW and Senior Producer, Matthew Jones, shared that the symphony “will be an experience not to miss!”

NYOW musicians will be coached by a team of first-class tutors, starting with pre-residency rehearsals on 20 and 21 March 2027.

The summer residency runs from 20 July to 1 August, ending with a four-night tour: Prichard Jones Hall in Bangor on 29 July, UWTSD in Lampeter on 30 July, St Davids Cathedral on 31 July, and Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on 1 August.

Singers joining NYCW will become part of a choir known for performing a wide range of music, including classical repertoire, brand-new commissions, musical theatre, and arrangements of pop songs.

The Choir will once again be led by choral conductor and vocal specialist Tim Rhys-Evans, who has conducted NYCW since 2018 and is himself a former member.

Choir members will meet for pre-residency rehearsals on 24 and 25 March 2027, before a summer residency at Bangor University from 17 to 27 August.

The residency ends with a three-night concert tour: St Asaph Cathedral in Denbighshire on 25 August, St Davids Cathedral in West Wales on 26 August, and Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on 27 August.

Brass musicians will be led by Margaret Antrobus for the first time, a conductor, teacher and baritone player who conducted the European Youth Brass Band in 2025 and has judged major competitions including the 2026 European Championships.

The band can expect a mix of brass band standards, demanding test pieces and concert favourites, with repertoire to be announced soon.

NYBBW members will meet for pre-residency rehearsals on 23 and 24 March 2027, before a summer residency from 14 to 22 August.

The residency ends with a three-night concert tour: Great Hall, Swansea, on 20 August, Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 21 August, and Prichard Jones Hall, Bangor, on 22 August.

Auditions  

Auditions are run as supportive workshops with those auditioning given time in a warm-up room before meeting a panel of two or three people.

They will then perform pieces of their choice and scales, as well as short prepared extracts in most cases, with instrument-specific guidance available in audition packs on the ensemble audition pages.

Auditions take place across Wales from 18 November to 6 December, with orchestra and brass band applicants also able to submit a video audition by 22 November before results are announced during the week of 14 December.

Visit the National Youth Orchestra Wales site here to apply before 11 October 2026. The audition fee is £30, but free auditions are available by ticking the fee waiver box on the application form.

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