NYO Inspire

Make music an even bigger part of your life. Start your musical adventure with NYO Inspire, and take your playing to a whole new level.

Start your musical journey with NYO Inspire

About NYO Inspire

NYO Inspire is a musical adventure for teenagers who want music to be a bigger part of their lives but face barriers and lack of opportunity to progress.

Explore new ideas, meet new friends, visit new places and achieve your goals in a friendly community of teenage musicians.

NYO Inspire is completely free. There are no auditions. We also offer bursaries for travel.

Who can join NYO Inspire

NYO Inspire is open to musicians aged 13-18 years playing orchestral instruments.

NYO Inspire is designed to support equity in music education and unlock potential. This programme is for teenagers with determination, potential and passion for music, playing at a level equivalent to Grade 6 (and above), but there’s no need to have taken formal exams.

We prioritise those with the greatest need for a place by providing opportunities for teenage musicians who are currently underrepresented in orchestral music.

We welcome applications from teenagers who attend state school or are home-schooled, or come from a Black, Asian or ethnically diverse background, from any educational context.

Each musician’s experience will differ as we tailor it to your musical needs.

If you’re not eligible? Sign up for an NYO Open event to experience high quality music making opportunities with other young people, grade 3 to 8+. We have some creative opportunities for all instruments too. You’ll find details on the events page.

A musical adventure

Be inspired by the creativity and passion of other musicians. Play extraordinary music together. Accelerate your musicianship with coaching from incredible tutors. Open up your future.

A year in NYO Inspire could involve:

October

NYO Unite

An epic day of music making uniting musicians from the whole NYO community, including the Orchestra and NYO Inspire.

February

Inspire Ensembles

Three-day residencies for strings, woodwind, brass, harp, percussion and creative ensembles or non-orchestral instruments.

July

Inspire Orchestra

Ten days of full orchestra activity including workshops, rehearsals and performances to teenage audiences.

Throughout the Year

Events include:

Inspire Instrument Days, chances to attend NYO residencies, Free for Teens tickets, Play the City opportunities, digital and NYO community meet ups.

How to join

Applications for NYO Inspire open in June. All you’ll need to do is create an account and complete an application on the Musicians’ Portal. There are some questions that you may need your parent or carer to help you with.

If you are a music educator, you can talk to our friendly team about encouraging the motivated teenage musicians you know to join NYO Inspire. Or look at NYO Open to explore opportunities for everyone.

If you have previously taken part in NYO Inspire and you want to take part again, you’ll need to re-apply.

Register your interest in NYO Inspire and get notified when applications open in June!

By signing up, you’ll also receive invites to free one-off NYO Open events — your chance to play and experience orchestral music and get an intro to the NYO Community.

Frequently asked questions

How much does NYO Inspire cost?

NYO Inspire is completely free for young people facing lack of opportunities for musical development.

All activities are funded through the generous support of sponsors including Arts Council England and ABRSM, and the kind donations of our supporters.

Can I still apply if I’m not 13-18 years old?

If you don’t quite fit the age bracket, we encourage you to get in touch with us before you apply: email inspire@nyo.org.uk.

What instruments can I apply to play at NYO Inspire?

You can apply to play orchestral instruments including: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, orchestral percussion, harp, orchestral keyboard and saxophone.

We are developing creative projects for non-orchestral instruments, so please take a leap and apply, whatever your instrument, to meet other young musicians. You can simply select ‘other’ when you fill out your application and let us know which instrument you play.

Can I apply for more than one instrument?

Yes. If you’d like to apply for more than one instrument, you can let us know on Step 1 of the application form. You can indicate your ‘Primary Instrument’ and ‘Secondary Instrument’ on the application form. We suggest you choose the instrument you are most competent on for your ‘Primary Instrument’.

You don’t need to complete two separate application forms.