National Open Youth Orchestra

Now in its fifth year, the National Open Youth Orchestra is a hugely creative, inclusive orchestra where talented 11-25 year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians rehearse and perform together. Guildhall School, together with the Barbican, leads the London centre of this pioneering orchestra.

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About the National Open Youth Orchestra

Now in its fifth year, the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) is a hugely creative, pioneering inclusive orchestra where talented 11-25 year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians rehearse and perform together. It works with cutting-edge composers to create exciting new music that marries the sounds of acoustic, accessible and electronic instruments such as the Clarion, Seaboard RISE and LinnStrument.

Join the London NOYO Centre

Applications for the National Open Youth Orchestra will open 1-31 March 2023 on the NOYO website. Read the 2023-24 Applicant’s Information Pack for detailed information about what being in NOYO is all about, as well as the application and audition process, which is relaxed and informal.

Join the London NOYO Centre Open Rehearsals:

Find out where we rehearse, meet our Music Leaders and watch our London NOYO musicians in action.

Visit us at:

Milton Court, EC2Y 9BH

Sunday 12th February, timings TBC
Sunday 5th March, timings TBC

IMPORTANT: To attend, please complete the Open Rehearsals registration form (please note, the form also shows dates of Open Rehearsals at other NOYO Centres in February and March 2023).

A boy wearing an orange North Face t-shirt and sat in a wheelchair sits in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame

I play the Clarion. I use a headset. I love NOYO.

– Alessandro

A girl with shoulder length brown hair, wearing a white top and purple cardigan holds a circular trumpet. She stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame. She has a smile across her face.

NOYO in three words: creative, inclusive and ground-breaking because it's the first youth orchestra of its kind in the world. NOYO is creative because we get composers commissioned to write work especially for us.

Young people should definitely join NOYO because it's an orchestra like no other. And it's been amazing for me and everyone else.

– Georgina

A boy wearing a leather cap, blue shirt and tartan waistcoat holds the accordion. He stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame.

I play piano, accordion and organs. I am happy in the orchestra. It’s fun.

– David

A girl with long blonde hair and wearing a shiny black dress holds a violin. She stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame. She is smiling.

In NOYO, they really encourage you to put your own ideas to the table and it's very encouraging and helps you develop as a musician.

It's been really exciting playing music that's specifically orchestrated for NOYO and to play with a range of instruments rather than a standard orchestra.

– Francesca

A boy with short brown hair and wearing a white striped shirt stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame. He is looking to his right and has his right hand up and left hand down.

We’re diverse. Certainly in terms of inclusivity - not just in terms of disability but also, we've got an incredible range of musical backgrounds. We've got some great classical musicians, we've got folk musicians. There's a huge range of different styles coming to the orchestra and a huge range of different people.

– Oliver

A boy with short red hair and wearing a grey t-shirt with a white print plays a glockenspiel. He stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame.

I play piano and percussion. I like NOYO. I would like to play with Santana!

– Oscar

A girl with short black hair and wearing a black t-shirt stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame, holding a harp. She has a smile on her face.

Lots of the music we play, you wouldn't really get that in a stereotypical classical music concert. We believe that it's best if disabled and non-disabled musicians can integrate together, and then we can come up with fresh new ideas and be more creative. We can be more free with the music.

– Holli

A boy wearing a black polo shirt and backwards cap holds a trumpet and stands in between a customised National Open Youth Orchestra Instagram frame

Every single bit of NOYO I have enjoyed since the day I started. It's a fun experience. You get to learn new stuff and meet new people. I started off as a trainee which means that I could come and play with some of the orchestra but I wasn't able to play in concerts. I wasn't ready at that level, but after one year of persisting and working hard, I achieved the goal of becoming a fully-fledged member and now play in concerts.

– Sam