Spring / Summer 2026 music thread

I agree that it wouldn't count against anyone, and actually co-leaders at NCO have very different styles, I'm not sure how NCO plan exactly but I guess they rotate to match the style of pieces (I may be wrong as I didn't pay that much attention tbh but players are VERY different).

Yes, group auditions are always better. For smaller and louder sections like trumpets or trombones one soloist type player can really stick out, not always great for a balanced sound.

That is an interesting one Uberto, but I don't think should count against either of them for orchestral auditions as they'll be given interpretation by the section tutors. I think what NYO are doing now is interesting as they will be able to really get into how well players match with a section at the in person audition days. When I did it you just had to turn up and play your solo and fiendish Derek bourgeois studies.

I think it's even more complex - we've heard two cellists playing the same piece, both played really well but one was Romanian with a Russian teacher as far as I remember, and the interpretation was entirely different. They were both 11-12 but it was already obvious.

At a music festival this year we happened to hear two players playing the same piece. One young child played it like a g5 player. Loads of promise, but she'd clearly picked a challenging for her piece. The other child if I'd closed my eyes it could have been a pro playing. Same piece. Real insight into what these audition panels may be seeing and why you shouldn't rule anyone out because they're "only playing grade x pieces".

Lower strings here but similar otherwise

Good to know. What standard was she when she first applied? It is interesting that they apply so far ahead too as all will have progressed (hopefully) before they actually turn up.

DD is away on a music course in the US for six weeks and Lark allowed me to change just the instrument she was taking to worldwide online for a minimal fee which was very helpful to me.

New Moon have a lot of ex Allianz employees working for them & seemed great on instrument insurance but they couldn’t, when I asked provide the public liability he needed.

Well done to little @Siriusmuggle - a great result

We use lark for all our instruments.

We use Lark for insurance too.

Once you add in a mouthpiece it’s just over £1000 for a decent second hand tenor horn. I don’t think he has the commitment for French horn!

Thanks for the recommendations, @northerngoldilocks

Ah tenor horn @StuntNun - I love them! Has anyone tried to encourage him to switch to French horn yet?

And do they really cost over £1k? Have you looked for second hand?

Can anyone help me with instrument insurance? My DS aged 11 has been playing a loaned tenor horn at junior school but, now he’s moving to high school, I need to buy him his own instrument which apparently costs over a thousand pounds. He will need to take it on the bus to and from school and it will be left in a school music room as it’s too big for his locker. Do I need to arrange any specific type of insurance cover for it?

Ha! Yeah. After the way they treated the parents and kids during that, I’m not playing along with their strange idea that one workshop a year per instrument gives them any equivalence to a junior department.

People who put that down should get extra points for time travelling ability.

I really hope it’ll be called just off the playing and not the other stuff. The form still has a JD down for RWCMD and that department was axed two years ago.

Thanks all. Bit like lots of things, if you don’t try then you don’t even have the option of getting in 😂. Very good experience as all exams so far have been face to face.

Forgetting about it is the trick. One I'm very bad at, but it's so long till the results come back you should definitely try. It's all good practice at the whole audition process and like DD's teacher said with NYO, one thing's for sure, if you don't audition you definitely won't get in. Fingers crossed for a whole new generation of MN NCO-ers!

I don't think they're using the questions for picking players. Maybe for planning tutoring - or even seating plans, makes sense to mix experienced and inexperienced particularly at the back of string sections where it's easy to feel lost if you're new to it all. Like I don't think they're using the what grade are you question to pick players, but do use it to share info back to future potential auditioners to give an idea of when it's worth having a go.

But also things like talking to potential funders: x% have never played in an orchestra before, y% from the state school system etc.

I don't think it's a major factor for projects, DD auditioned at 8 and didn't play in a big orchestra then.