WELLINGTON YOUTH ORCHESTRA AUDITIONS 2026
WYO is intended for players who have reached Grade 8 or equivalent. (Our other orchestra, Wellington Youth Sinfonietta, is for players who have reached Grade 5 or equivalent). There is an upper age limit of 26, and there is no lower age limit.
Please apply for a place in WYO for 2026 by completing the application form HERE. You will receive an acknowledgement of your application by email.
You must audition for the coming season if:
- You are a new player, or you did not play in the previous season
- You are a wind, brass or percussion player
-You wish to be considered for a desk position
String players who played in the previous season do not have to audition again for 2026, but if you wish to be considered for a position as a string section principal or concert master, auditioning will increase your chances of being selected for those roles. In all cases, you MUST complete the Application Form.
You have the option of a live audition or to submit a video audition. Details of how to submit your video recording are given below.
Live auditions this year will take place on Sundays 15th and 22nd February 2026.
Auditions, live or by video, are by playing the Audition Excerpts for your instrument. You can view and download the WYO audition excerpts from the Audition Excerpts page.
If you wish to join WYO part way through the season please contact us first either through the WYO Orchestra Manager on the Contact us page, or by email to admin@wyos.org.nz to see if there is space on your instrument.
Audition by Video Recording
For auditions by video, please prepare a video recording of you playing the full Audition Excerpts for your Instrument. Please start your recording by saying your name and date of birth so that we may be sure to identify you from the recording. The recording must be made in one take with no edits or cuts. Video recordings made on a smartphone are acceptable.
To make your video available to the audition panel, please upload it to YouTube as follows. Please be sure to mark it as 'Unlisted'.
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Go to YouTube.
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If you do not already have a YouTube account then create an account.
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Sign in to YouTube.
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Select Upload.
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Set the privacy settings for the video to be 'Public' and 'Unlisted'. The 'Unlisted' will mean that it is not found by any search and only people with the link will be able to view it. If you wish, you can delete the video once the auditions are complete.
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Upload your audition video.
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E-mail the link to your uploaded video to admin@wyos.org.nz or provide it via the Youth Orchestra Audition Application Form when you apply.
Please make sure that we have the audition recording by the deadline, Thursday 19 February 2026.
The submitted audition recordings will be reviewed together, in a batch, close to the date of the live auditions so please do not expect an immediate outcome.
In all cases, it is essential that you complete the audition application form so that we have up-to-date details and know that you wish to join the orchestra this year.
Please contact admin@wyos.org.nz if you have any questions about the audition process.
WYO Subscription and Discounts 2026
Wellington Youth Orchestras is a volunteer organisation. We work hard to minimise costs but providing excellent training in orchestral playing for young musicians still involves significant costs, including professional coaching, rehearsal venue hire, music, storage, and the costs associated with presenting concerts.
The player subscription is a contribution towards covering those costs. We rely on concert proceeds, donations and grants to cover the difference, and also ask that all tertiary students and the parents of school-age players help with the practical running of the orchestras.
Full annual subscription (first full-subscription family player) – $220.00 (incl. GST)
Full annual subscription (second, third full-subscription family player) – $110.00 (incl. GST) each
Discounted annual subscription for full-time tertiary students – $110.00 (incl. GST)
WYO players have an option to enrol for 1 or 2 of the three annual projects, in which case subscriptions are:
One project (full-time tertiary student) – $45.00 (incl. GST)
One project (non full-time tertiary student) – $90.00 (incl. GST)
Two projects (full-time tertiary student) – $90.00 (incl. GST)
Two projects (non full-time tertiary student) – $180 (incl. GST)
Payment
Subscriptions are payable upon confirmation of acceptance in an orchestra and receipt of an invoice, and no later than one month after the invoice is issued.
Orchestra fees will not be refunded from week 3 of the term or week 3 of the relevant WYO project.
Any players with outstanding invoices from previous years are not able to take up a place until those subscriptions have been settled.
Financial hardship
We want all musicians who are offered a place following the auditions to be able to participate in our orchestras. We understand that some families or students might find it hard to cover these costs.
For full subscription non-tertiary students, arrangements can be made for payment of the annual subscription to be made in 2 or 4 installments over the year. Please contact admin@wyos.org.nz if you wish to take up this option.
In cases of financial hardship, you can apply for a partial or full fee grant. If you wish to apply, please select this option on the application form, or email us at admin@wyos.org.nz
Additional Notes
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Family member players who are receiving a tertiary student discount or financial hardship grant do not count towards the family player discount.
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Please advise us at admin@wyos.org.nz if a ‘second’ or ‘third’ player discount should be applied, particularly where family names are different.
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Players who accept a place in both orchestras are not asked to pay an additional subscription fee for the second orchestra, although a donation is welcome.
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‘Invited’ non-professional players are expected to pay the relevant subscription.
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WYO ‘reserve list’ players are not asked to pay a subscription unless they are offered a place in a full project.