City of Belfast Youth Orchestra

EA City of Belfast Youth Orchestra is the senior orchestral ensemble in Belfast. For by their busy season of local concerts, every two years the CBYO embark on a concert tour. Recent tours have included Belgium and Holland, Spain and Portugal and the USA.

CBYO has also performed regularly in the MFY Proms Concert Series at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Invitations to perform abroad and in London are testimony to the formidable reputation the CBYO has gained, establishing itself as one of the foremost youth orchestras in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Rehearsal dates 2024/25

Term 1: Rehearsals begin on Saturday 7th September 2024

Application for membership of CBYO for 2024-25 remains open for the following instruments only:

• Viola
• Double Bass
• Oboe
• Bassoon
• Percussion 

Please contact CBYO Manager Robert Briscoe to find out more information.

Application for all other instruments closed on Friday 17th May 2024

Auditions for September intake will take place 2-6 June 2024

• Entry to CBYO is by competitive Audition. Audition panels will be comprised of at least 2 members. At least one member of the panel, will be a sectional tutor from CBYO. The decision of the audition panel is final.

• Places in the Orchestra will be allocated depending on the number of places available in each section.

• Existing members of CBYO must reenrol if returning to the orchestra in September. Parents of existing members will be sent digital re-enrolment forms in June 2024. If you did not receive a form and wish to reenrol, please contact CBYO Manager Robert Briscoe

• In the event of over subscription current members of the Orchestra may be required to audition.

• Places in the Orchestra will be allocated depending on the number of places available in each section

• Candidates should be present an own choice piece of at least Grade 6 standard

• In advance of the audition process candidates will receive two orchestral excerpts which they should prepare with their teacher for the audition.

• Candidates will be expected to sight read from an orchestral work during the audition.

• Orchestral excerpts and sight reading will carry significant weighting in the overall marking scheme.

• Percussionists will be required to have experience on the full range of percussion instruments.

• Please note an accompanist will not be provided or expected Before applying please consider the following.

• Players are expected to attend all rehearsals during the academic year (Please see Terms and conditions)

Over Subscription-where the total number of students re-enrolled together with the number of new applicants exceeds the number of places available in a particular section places will be awarded in the first instance to existing members of the orchestra upon the application of the following criteria in the order below

• Members who have been in the orchestra for not more than 3 years at 1st September 2024

• Members who receive tuition on their instrument at CBSM

Remaining Places-if after the above criteria has been applied and there are still further places available preference will be given to new applicants who have attained the required standard of performance based on the audition. If there are two applicants with the same score the following criteria will be applied:

• Students currently enrolled for tuition on their instrument at CBSM during 2024-2025

• Students currently enrolled on any course at CBSM during 2024-2025

• Preference to students on the basis of age eldest first

Please contact CBYO Manager Robert Briscoe - Robert.briscoe@eani.org.uk or Acting Head of Music Therese McKinney - Therese.mckinney@eani.org.uk

By accepting a place in the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra the applicant is agreeing to the following:

• Weekly attendance at rehearsals and a consistent level of playing appropriate to the standard required for entry into the CBYO. The City of Belfast School of Music reserves the right to ask any member to re-audition for their place if it is felt that the student is not maintaining the required level of performance.

• Seating Auditions-all students after entry to the Orchestra will be required to play a piece of their own choice and a prepared orchestral excerpt to a panel that will be made up of the sectional tutors from the orchestra.

• Leaders Position-the leaders position will be determined by a further audition. The panel for this audition will consist of the Conductor of the Orchestra, Head of Music Service and two of the Sectional Tutors from the orchestra.