We’re calling on teenage musicians across the UK to start their free musical adventure.
NYO Inspire provides opportunities for young people to make music an even bigger part of their lives and take their playing to a whole new level. In a friendly community of teenage musicians, they open up new ideas, play powerful orchestral music together and accelerate their musicianship with coaching from incredible tutors.
The programme is open to musicians aged 13-18, playing orchestral instruments at grade 6 to 8+ or equivalent level. There is no need to have done any formal exams, but applicants should be passionate about music and determined to take their playing to the next level.
It’s completely free. There are no auditions and we offer bursaries for travel.
Musicians can join NYO Inspire at any point during the year but they should apply by the end of August to access a full year of opportunities.
NYO Inspire is designed to support equity in music education and unlock potential. We prioritise those with the greatest need for a place by providing opportunities for teenage musicians who are currently underrepresented in orchestral music.
Over the last ten years, NYO Inspire has supported 5,000 young people to make music a bigger part of their lives. Last year, 82% of participants were state school educated and 41% were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse. Many musicians go on to secure a place in the Orchestra with programme alumni making up 39% of the current Orchestra.
This summer, we’re celebrating ten years of NYO Inspire. For the first time, teenage musicians from NYO Inspire will perform as a touring orchestra at schools across the country. They will unite with leading role models from The National Youth Orchestra to take the joy of musical collaboration and performance to schools across the UK. 100 musicians from the programme will also join the Orchestra for their BBC Proms performance, As One, on Saturday 10 August.