National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) is an orchestra for young musicians in the United Kingdom. The members of the orchestra are all aged between 13 and 19 years.
It is a large orchestra with 160 player players. Players have to be at least Grade 8 Distinction standard. Membership comes from a competitive audition. These auditions take place in the autumn across several towns in Britain.
The National Youth Orchestra was started in 1947 by Ruth Railton (later Dame Ruth King). The current director is Sarah Alexander.
The orchestra meet three times a year during the school holidays at New Year, Easter and Summer for about two weeks. They rehearse before performing several concerts in concert halls across Britain such as Barbican Hall in London, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, St David's Hall in Cardiff and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. Every year they play in a Promenade Concert in the Royal Albert Hall.