Ceolfhoireann Náisiúnta Óige na hÉireann

Founded in 1970 on a private initiative, the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland is now primarily funded by the Department of Education & Science, by its corporate sponsor for more than a quarter of a century, Toyota Ireland, and by the Arts Council of Ireland in addition to players’ fees. Since its foundation the orchestra has worked in an all-island dimension.

All players gain their places through a rigorous national selection procedure and must re-audition annually to keep their places. There are no safe seats, and this keeps standards high. There are several performing ensembles, the make-up of which is decided from the outcome of the auditions.

Audition forms are available on this website from July/August annually. Audition applications close in September/October annually for the following season. Free Audition training workshops are held each year in September at several venues around the country to help players in peripheral areas prepare for audition. The workshops are only open to those who have already applied to audition for places in one of the orchestras. Click on auditions for information about these.

The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Symphony Orchestra - NYOI SO
		The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Symphony Orchestra - NYOI SO is the flagship ensemble and they perform under internationally renowned guest conductors and at major concert venues throughout Ireland and abroad. Formerly called the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, recent tours have included Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the United States of America, the Netherlands and Germany. They have performed before an audience of 4000 at the Hatch Shell in Boston and in the Konzerthaus in Berlin at the young.euro.classic festival in 2000 and 2004.

They rehearse in residence during the Christmas and Summer holidays and perform in venues around Ireland as well as touring abroad. NYOI receives regular broadcasts on Ireland’s classical radio station RTÉ lyric fm. Each series of concerts is given valuable promotional support by RTÉ lyric fm and by The Irish Times.

In 2002 the Orchestra, in association with Opera Ireland, University Concert Hall, Limerick and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK, gave two complete performances in concert of Wagner’s awesome Ring Cycle. Birmingham Post chose this event as the “outstanding musical event of 2002 in Birmingham” while the 2003 Allianz Business2Arts awards in Dublin gave a special award both to the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and to Toyota Ireland as lead sponsor for the most outstanding arts event of 2002.

In Summer 2008 the NYOI SO were invited to perform in a festival of youth ensembles in Switzerland to mark the 150th anniversary of the Bern Conservatory of Music, under the baton of Atso Almila, and with soloist and former NYOI player, Clíodhna Ní Aodáin.

The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Junior Orchestra - NYOI JO
The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Junior Orchestra - NYOI JO is formed with players who audition from all over the island of Ireland They rehearse in residence during the Christmas and Summer holidays and perform in venues around Ireland. Recent years have focussed on reaching venues around Ireland to increase access and awareness of the NYOI among young Irish musicians who might never have heard of us.

Concerts in such places as An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny, Leisureland Galway, the Lough Rea Arts Festival are just some of those. The orchestra has performed on Inis Mór, Aran Islands with the whole orchestra complete with percussion and harp travelling over by boat from Rossaveal. In Summer 2008 theytook part in the Mayo County Council Summer Music Series in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet, as well as Waterford and Dublin with former NYOI member, Gwendolyn Masin

		The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland has a clear objective to give its members access to the best possible training and performance experience while they are members. Both orchestras are outstanding ambassadors for Ireland, demonstrating convincingly the talent and high artistic standards of Ireland today, and the creativity with which young Irish musicians are currently exploring and experiencing their Irish as well as their great European heritage in music. Its potential to enhance the lives of young people, to enrich cultural life in Ireland through live performances and broadcasts, and to carry an image of excellence and creativity with it at home and abroad is its future - and its future looks bright.
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In the past the ensembles have had different names and these included the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, The National Youth Orchestra Of Ireland - Under 18s, the National Youth String Training Orchestra. There have also been various other groupings and initiatives to give extra musical training or to encourage the development of certain instruments. These grouping are not active in the NYOI at present but may be re-formed in the future when the need arises. These grouping have included NYOI Camerata Strings, The National String Training Orchestra (NYSTO) and Touch Bass course.

		NYOI Camerata Strings was founded on an initiative of the players of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Members of the NYOI Camerata Strings may be players of any of the NYOI playing ensembles and may also, at the discretion of the musical director, be recent X-NYOI players. They have taken part in the Shannon International Music Festival, the Paris Parc Floral Classique du Vert Festival and at the Kuopio Music Centre in Finland in the Summer of 2006.

The National String Training Orchestra - NYSTO offered intensive training to players who have not quite reached the standard of the NYOI at audition. They worked in residence concurrently with the NYOI orchestra and their courses concluded with short performances.

Touch Bass courses were started as a result of the small numbers of players auditioning for certain instruments over the years. They happen in conjuction with the courses for both the NYOI JO and NYSTO so that players can mixed socially with members of these ensembles. They started initially for the Double Bass and have expanded to include Oboe, Bassoon and Tuba. A clear indication of the success of these courses is that the Double Bass section of the Under 18s orchestra grew to eight players in 2002 as opposed to two players in 1997. The aim of the courses is to provide tuition, motivation and increased awareness of these vital instruments to an orchestra. And whilst the NYOI benefits in the numbers of players of these instruments coming through to audition they can also benefit orchestras at local and regional level all over the country.

Touch Bass courses only run when there is significant interest from a number of players.

The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Symphony Orchestra - NYOI SO

The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Junior Orchestra - NYOI JO