Orchestral weeks

Auditioned Orchestral weeks with NCO

During Orchestral weeks young musicians take their playing to another level. They discover incredible music with our world class music team, take part in creative sessions with composers to collaborate and write their own music, and they learn how to look after their bodies and minds with experts in sports, psychology and fitness.

There’s also down time, where they get to know their fellow musicians and make friends for life. They are cared for brilliantly by our trained Support Team and in line with our robust safeguarding policy.

The residential week culminates in a public concert in one of the UK’s most prestigious concert halls.

Orchestral weeks are supported by year-round access to online resources and events to prepare young musicians for in-person activity – particularly if they haven’t been away from home before – and to enrich their musical learning.

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Meet friends,

Meet friends,
make music, have fun. 

The young musicians who take part in our Orchestral Weeks are some of the most remarkable young musicians in the UK.

Auditions are free and are by video recording.

We have suggested grade guidance from at least grade 4, to help give children and their families and idea of the level of playing young musicians need to be at in order to gain a place and enjoy taking part. This can depend on the instrument and the age of the young musician, and they do not need to have taken the exams, as offers are based on their playing and musicality in their audition.

More information & Auditions process

If you’ve been in NCO before, these orchestras were previously called our National orchestras. 

Each age-banded residential orchestra is allocated:

  • A week-long spring residential in March/April school holidays and
  • A week-long summer residential in July/August school holidays.

The Under 14 Orchestra also meet for a non-residential weekend in November.

We welcome auditions for Orchestral weeks from young musicians who:

  • Are aged 11-13 years old (as of 31st August in the year before the year they are auditioning for) and
  • Play an orchestral instrument to the appropriate standard and
  • Are British citizens or are living/studying in the UK (please check with us if you are unsure)

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

We also offer full and partial financial support to help ensure everyone who is offered a place can take part.

Auditions are free and submitted via video. Auditions were open from Wednesday 14th May until the deadline of 9am Thursday 31st July 2025.

We are now processing more than 1000 auditions to take part in NCO 2026 – thank you to everyone who applied for their time, effort and enthusiasm!
We may open Late Auditions for 2026 for instruments and/or ages where we have fewer applicants than needed to fill the orchestras. We’ll update information here in late August or early September 2025.

“It’s the real thing. It’s like taking your child and enabling them to access a future that without NCO would be something existing in dreams, if at all.”

Parent of a Young Musician, 2024

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See our orchestras perform!

There’s nothing quite like watching young musicians.

Get involved by joining us at a concert hall near you.

Concerts