The Hampshire County Youth Orchestra gives the best of the county's instrumental players the opportunity to perform in a full symphony orchestra. Formed in 1956 - and shaped into its current form by Edgar Holmes in 1971 - the orchestra performs several times a year in a wide range of concert venues both in Hampshire and further afield.

The Hampshire County Youth Orchestra consists of around 140 players who are drawn from schools all over the county. Yearly auditions take place and successful new members are welcomed into the orchestra each September. Rehearsals are held fortnightly and the orchestra holds a residential course during the Easter holiday at Bryanston School, Dorset.

During the year players receive expert coaching from professional musicians and the orchestra has a flourishing relationship with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

In addition to the main County Youth Orchestra, the Hampshire County Youth Chamber Orchestra extends the range of playing opportunities to members in terms of both repertoire and venues. A further performing group for string players acts as a training orchestra having its own conductor and team of tutors.

The HCYO is honoured to have as its patron The Duchess of Wellington. She writes:

All four member orchestras making up the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra play several concerts a year, requiring a demanding fortnightly rehearsal schedule operating throughout the academic year. They have also recorded a number of CDs, and undertaken international tours in South Africa, Poland, Hungary and Chile.

In 2000, the County Youth Orchestra premiered Eleanor Alberga's Mythologies under Leonard Slatkin, the Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In 2001, the Wind and String Orchestras commissioned and premiered a work by David Bedford entitled Sprites, Elves and Blue Jets.

The orchestra has also broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 4 and Classic FM in association with Sainsbury's Youth Orchestra Series.

The Hampshire County Youth Orchestra is made up of a number of young musicians who are chosen by audition from towns, villages, and cities throughout the geographical county of Hampshire. Members are selected for either the String Orchestra or the County Youth Orchestra, and members of the Chamber Orchestra are selected from players who have successfully auditioned for the County Youth Orchestra. The upper age limit is 19, and members have to be current students at a Hampshire school or college or be resident in the area. The lower limit depends entirely on skill.

Entry is by audition, but most members have taken some kind of grade exams beforehand. It is suggested that applicants for the String Orchestra have Grade 5 and applicants for the County Youth Orchestra have Grade 7 or 8 (or equivalent standards). If you would like to apply for a place in the next academic year for any orchestra, please click here for information and an Application Form to fill in and post. We are currently unable to accept applications online.