How to audition
Thank you for your interest in NCO 2026!
Everyone who auditions for NCO prepares a ‘Video Audition’. If you play violin or cello and are applying to take part in residential orchestral weeks, you will also need to prepare and record ‘Orchestral Excerpts’ in a separate video to your pieces.
Many people get nervous about auditions, but there’s no need to worry. All children are in the same boat and everyone is rooting for you. Also, as our auditions are by video, you can send us the very best version!
Preparing for your Video Audition
- Please prepare two pieces of music around 2-3 minutes each.
- Please note that you cannot submit portions of videos recorded for examinations, such as ABRSM Performance Exams. This is in breach of the terms and conditions of examination boards and can disqualify you from the exam the video was originally submitted for and from taking any future exams with that examination board.
- Your pieces should contrast in speed and style e.g. one fast and one slow, to show the range of your ability. It is fine for them to be extracts of longer pieces but they should be no longer than five minutes each. It is not enough to play one longer piece with contrasting sections, please prepare two.
- Before you decide what to play, please read the notes for specific instruments in the ‘Who Can Join section earlier on this page and bear in mind your whole recording (including your brief introduction as described in the Recording your Video section) should not exceed 10 minutes in total.
- When choosing your pieces, please think carefully about what you can play confidently. It’s much better to play something you know really well, than to overstretch yourself with something new that might still need more practise!
- You do not need to be accompanied for your prepared pieces. You may have an accompanist if you choose to but there is no disadvantage to playing unaccompanied, so please think about what will make you feel most comfortable. Recorded accompaniment is not permitted.
Residential Orchestral week applicants on Violin and Cello only – Orchestral excerpts
- If you play violin or cello and are applying for the residential orchestras who meet for Orchestral weeks, you will need to prepare and record 3 or 4 specified short orchestral excerpts in a separate video to your audition pieces. Orchestral excerpts are short passages from regular NCO repertoire designed to test certain qualities of your playing. They will help the audition adjudicators see how different players approach the same repertoire and make our audition process as fair as possible for these instruments where we receive a larger quantity of applications.
- It is important to practice them as much as your pieces as they are equally important.
- There are metronome markings/tempo indications on each excerpt – these are there simply as a guide – please play the excerpts at a speed that is comfortable for you and where you can get the greatest accuracy.
- We have also included a video to support your practise, with top tips from our NCO tutors and links to recordings of these excerpts on YouTube. Please watch and listen to both to help you in your preparation. These videos can be found on a link at the top of each excerpt.
- You can find pdfs including the excerpts for each age group and instrument on this page of our website.
Top tips for your audition:
- We love to see that you’re enjoying yourself and that you like making music! So, choose pieces that you enjoy performing and see how you can tell us a little bit of a story through your playing.
- We love to hear two contrasting pieces so that we can see the different ways that you can play. So please choose one that’s fast and one that’s slow – your teacher should be able to help you choose!
If you’re a percussionist we want to see two different instruments and different styles of playing. - Make sure you choose a piece that you can play really comfortably. For example, we’d rather hear a grade six piece you can play really well, than a grade seven piece that’s still a little bit out of reach.
- Allow yourself to make a few mistakes! We know that when you are recording a video to send to us it’s really hard to be happy sending off a few mistakes. But we ignore three or four mistakes in an audition – it’s life and it happens to us all!
- We really want you to do well so do your very best, have fun preparing your audition and we can’t wait to see you play!
How, where and when?
Don’t worry if you’ve never done a video audition before, we have detailed instructions on how best to set up your video audition. All you need is a smart phone or camera with reasonable sound quality and a place to film your audition. You will need to read through our guidance, record your audition, upload your video to an Unlisted YouTube link and then submit the link to us in your application form.
If you don’t have access to a smart phone or camera to record your audition, please contact us at auditions@nco.org.uk and we will be happy to help.
The date, place and timing for each audition is at the discretion of whoever is making the arrangements – it could be in your own home or where you have your instrumental music lessons for example.
What should my Audition Pieces video include?
At the start of your video, please introduce yourself briefly (around 30 seconds) by telling us:
- Your name, age and the pieces you are going to play and
- Tell us the answer to one of these two questions: What excites you about making music in a group? or What are your top 3 tunes (classical or not!)?
You can then pause the recording before you then record both of your pieces in one take. You may edit together your spoken introduction video and the video of you playing your two audition pieces if you need to take a moment move to your instrument and set yourself up ready to play. However, you should still play your two audition pieces in one take. If you are preparing excerpts for the residential orchestras, they should be recorded and submitted as a separate video on the same form as your video audition. Please don’t add any kind of video or audio editing/effects to your audition recording – it distracts us from hearing your playing.
What should my Orchestral excerpts video include?
You only need to record additional orchestral excerpts if you play violin or cello and are applying for the residential orchestras who meet for Orchestral weeks. These must be recorded and submitted as a separate video to your pieces, again in one take. You can find the full guidance on excerpts on our website.
You’ll find everything you need to know about recording your audition video/s and uploading your video/s to an Unlisted YouTube link, explained in the pdf at the button below.
Have you?
- Have you read thoroughly all the information about what you need to do for your audition, including the instrument specific notes?
- Have you checked which programme/s you are eligible to apply for? And are you ready to say whether you are applying to take part in two residential orchestral weeks in 2026 or in two non-residential orchestral weekends in 2026 or are applying to be considered for either?
- Have you recorded your two contrasting Audition Pieces (one fast and one slow) including your brief introduction?
- If you are applying for the residential orchestras on Violin or Cello, have you recorded your Orchestral excerpts?
- Have you uploaded your recording/s to YouTube (Unlisted not Private) and have you got your link/s ready?
Now that you have read through everything and finalised your child’s recording, you can complete the Audition application form.
The application form is where we will collect all the information we need to process your child’s audition plus the very crucial video audition link/s!
Are you making an audition application for more than one child?
If you are submitting audition applications for more than one child, you need to use a different primary parent/carer contact email address for each child so that their records don’t merge in our system. Each contact email needs to be a parent/carer email address (not a child’s email) and you will need to check it regularly as we will use it for communicating with you about your child’s application.
You can complete the Audition application form via the button below.
Any questions?
We appreciate that there is a lot of information to take on board and we are here to help.
You can read our Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on this page.
If you have any further questions or we can support you with making your application to NCO 2026, please don’t hesitate to contact us at auditions@nco.org.uk
If you have a detailed enquiry and would like to speak to someone on the phone, please send details of your query by email and we will arrange a call back.
If we can support you by providing this information in an alternative format or by giving you additional information relevant to you and your child personally, please let us know by emailing auditions@nco.org.uk
Auditioning FAQs
Yes. This is to make it fair, so everybody has the same chance. Many people get nervous about auditions, but there’s no need to worry. All applicants are in the same boat and everyone is rooting for you. Also, as our auditions are by video, you can send us the very best version!
Make sure you prepare well, including speaking with your teacher who may be able to help you. The adjudicators know what you are going through as they are used to doing auditions themselves, so they will be understanding. Also, as all our auditions are by video this year, you can record your audition from somewhere you feel comfortable like home or school as many times as you like and send us a version you are happy with.
The audition video can be recorded on any device that you have available, as long as it makes a good quality recording. You can use a mobile phone, video camera, or any other video recording device you have to hand.
At the start of your video, please introduce yourself briefly (around 30 seconds) by telling us:
1 Your name, age and the pieces you are going to play and;
2 Tell us the answer to one of these two questions: What music makes you happy? or What are your top 3 tunes (classical or not!)?
You can then pause the recording before you then record both of your pieces in one take.
Don’t worry! Everyone’s video will have a few small mistakes as no one is perfect! Just do the best you can.
You do not need to be accompanied for your prepared pieces. You may have an accompanist if you choose to but there is no disadvantage to playing unaccompanied, so please think about what will make you feel most comfortable. Recorded accompaniment is not permitted.
Yes. The guideline for pieces is around at least 2 minutes long each so that the adjudicators can hear and see enough of your playing. If one piece is a little less than 2 minutes long then that is fine, but try to choose pieces as close to 2 minutes as you can.
You do not need to have taken any grade exams, because offers of membership are based on your performance at audition, but we are looking for children who can play their instrument to a particular standard and so we offer the age band and grade guidance for each activity. If you are not sure of your approximate grade standard, your teacher may be able to help you.
No. We do not require proof of grades taken.
It is free to audition, and all auditions are submitted via a pre-recorded video.
To take part in NCO there are Membership fees as outlined below.
We are pleased to offer financial support to help ensure that any young musician, no matter their background or circumstance, has the opportunity to accept their offer of a place in NCO.
Orchestral Week fees
The membership fee to take part in two orchestral weeks in 2026 is:
Under 12 and Under 13 Orchestras (those aged 11 or 12 as of 31st August 2025) £2100
Under 14 Orchestra (those aged 13 as of 31st August 2025*) £2300
*The fee difference is due to each residential being a day longer for this age group.
Orchestral Weekend fees
The membership fee to take part in two orchestral weekends in 2026 is: £400
The true cost to NCO of providing a place in an NCO orchestra is much higher than these fees but NCO subsidises activities to keep fees as low as possible and works hard each year to raise the funds which cover the balance.
You will find more information on membership fees for joining our activities on our Auditioning for NCO page.
There is also information on that page about NCO’s Financial Support programme, which offers assistance to young musicians and their guardians, who may have difficulty paying part or all of the membership fees and certain associated costs. Support ranges from partial to full financial support and you will be provided with the information and forms to make an application once your child has been offered a place in NCO.
This should only be done for joining your spoken introduction on to the video of you playing your two audition pieces if you need to take a moment move to your instrument and set yourself up ready to play. You should still play your two audition pieces in one take. If you are preparing excerpts for the residential Orchestral Weeks they should be recorded and submitted as a separate video on the same form as your video audition.
Yes you can. Please complete a separate application form for each instrument, with entirely separate audition recordings. Please note that should your child be offered a place, that a membership offer will only be given for one instrument in one orchestra.
No. Please only send a video of you playing your audition pieces on your main audition instrument. There is space on the form to tell us about any doubling instruments you play and your experience on them.
We encourage applicants to submit their video auditions as early as possible. This helps us to administrate and adjudicate all of the auditions but of course won’t affect your result.
Videos must be submitted with the application form. Auditions will be open until 9am Thursday 31st July 2025.
We do not allow applicants to submit pre-recorded performance videos for their audition. Often, performances are recorded from a distance which makes it harder for adjudicators to see or hear the audition and could count against you. We want all applicants to do well, so we would encourage you to record a video specifically for your NCO audition that is in one take where you can be seen and heard clearly. Remember to check the quality of your video and sound before you record the whole audition.
Please note that you should not submit sections of videos recorded and submitted for graded examinations with exam boards such as ABRSM, Trinity etc.. This goes against their terms and conditions and could result in your examination result being invalidated and you being disqualified from participating in future music exams.
If you are recording your audition unaccompanied you do not need to count all the bars of rest if there are a large number of them. Feel free to leave a small silent pause to represent these bars and then continue playing.
It’s ok- they are meant to be hard and cover a range of abilities and qualities in you’re playing. If there is a particular excerpt you are finding difficult, don’t worry. Make sure you practise them as much as your pieces and take them to your teacher. Try playing them slower – the metronome marks are just a guide. We’d rather you play them accurately and slower than too fast and not so well.
You can also find top tips videos from our tutors and suggested recordings to listen to, to give you a feel for the music on each of the excerpts for your age band. If you have any further questions, you can email us at auditions@nco.org.uk
The residential Orchestral weeks involve residential activities in the Spring and Summer holidays. Each residential lasts between 7 and 8 days depending on the orchestra you are in. The orchestra made up of our eldest members (those aged 13 on 31 August 2025) also meet up for a non-residential weekend in November, leading to a public performance in London.
The non-residential Orchestral weekends includes two weekends of non-residential, daytime performance-based activities bringing together musicians from across the country. There will be four days of rehearsals per orchestra.
NCO members will also benefit from digital opportunities in advance, better preparing them musically and socially for their courses. Opportunities will include tutor welcome and preparation videos, online orchestra meet-ups, plus access to an ongoing online programme including creative and wellbeing resources and webinars.
Whichever orchestra you join, you will learn from exceptional NCO tutors, experience the joy and power of playing in live orchestras and will enjoy getting to know your fellow young musicians.
You can choose to apply for a single programme or apply to be considered for both. Once your audition has been adjudicated, you will only be offered a place on only one orchestra. This enables NCO to offer exceptional musical opportunities to as many promising young musicians as possible.
Your video will be adjudicated and then moderated by two NCO tutors and our official moderator. All footage will be held in accordance with Data Protection guidelines and will not be used for any other purpose.
Once decisions have been made, we will contact you by email. We aim to send out results for all auditions by email in the autumn term of 2025, from October onwards.
Please note, we do not give out results over the phone and our decision is final.
Yes. We will let everyone who submitted an audition know if they were successful or not.
If you are offered a place in one of our age-banded orchestras who meet for two residential orchestral weeks during the year, you will be placed in one of our three orchestras according to your age as of 31st August 2025.
If you are offered a place in one of our regional non-residential orchestras who meet for Orchestral weekends, you will be placed in an orchestra in one of four locations. In order to create the best orchestral experience, we allocate places to create balanced orchestras in each of the four locations. As a guide, applicants who are successful in their audition for a non-residential orchestra will broadly be allocated to the following locations based on where they live:
North: North West of England, North East of England, North Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire and the Humber
Midlands: South West of England, West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, Mid, West and South Wales
London (x2 orchestras): Greater London, South East of England, Northern Ireland
If you are offered membership for the Orchestral weekends you will be allocated an orchestra based upon the region you live in. You will be expected to attend both the weekend dates for that orchestra.
Anyone who is offered and accepts membership is expected to attend all activity for the orchestra they are assigned to. For Orchestral weeks, this is two week-long residentials and for Orchestral weekends this two non-residential weekends.
Due to volume of applications that we receive, we are currently not offering feedback on individual auditions.
Please note if you want to withdraw your application at any point, please email us to let us know so that we don’t send you further auditions updates and so that we don’t book NCO Tutors to adjudicate your audition. Letting us know as soon as possible can help us save valuable resources. Thank you.
