A "must read" before applying

These rules and regulations apply to new applicants for the 2023 orchestra:

  1. All applicants for the 2023 Orchestra must be aged between 16 and 26 inclusive on 31 December 2022.
  2. All applicants must hold passports from one of the 27 current European Union member countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden).
  3. The decision of the EUYO audition panel members in the choice of players is final.
  4. All candidates have to compete every year for a place in the Orchestra, even if they have previously played in the Orchestra. Musicians who have been a member or were on the highly commended or reserve list in either or both of the two years prior to the current auditions are automatically eligible for the final round audition and do not need to attend a first-round audition. All candidates must still submit an application form before the closing date and submit a video if required.
  5. Candidates may apply to audition in any EU member state providing that country is the candidate's country of birth, country of residence or country of study/work.
  6. As part of the audition process EUYO is seeking the finest young musicians in the EU who are interested in working at the highest level of excellence and commitment. The mission of the Orchestra is to unite Europe's most talented young musicians under internationally renowned conductors in an ensemble that transcends cultural, social, economic, religious and political boundaries, all in the common pursuit of musical excellence. The highest standards are therefore critical to the success of EUYO, and the Orchestra seeks as members those who are committed to working towards such high standards.
  7. As part of its mission, EUYO is an initiative committed to both the musical and the cultural development of its members, as well as to developing their employment prospects. All applicants will therefore be asked, as part of the application process, to explain why they are interested in joining EUYO and what they hope to gain from the experience if they become a member.

EUYO makes no charge to candidates for auditioning.

EUYO audition days are extremely busy and candidates not turning up can cause considerable delay to the schedule. Therefore, if you do not turn up at your allotted time without prior notice (messages can be left on the EUYO Orchestra Manager's mobile telephone voicemail and email address 24 hours a day), or without a valid medical reason on the day, you are not allowed to audition for the EUYO in the following year.

 

Disability Policy:

The European Union Youth Orchestra welcomes applications from disabled young musicians who satisfy the usual criteria for application to audition. A disabled musician who wins a place in the orchestra will not be omitted because of that disability. The orchestra will use its best endeavours to ensure that a disabled member of the orchestra can take as full a part as possible in all its activities: not just participation in performances, but in social activities also.

 

General information:

Candidates will be asked to play a prepared piece of their own choosing (e.g. a movement from a concerto, sonata etc.) and a selection of Orchestral Extracts. Percussionists will be asked to play a selection of prepared orchestral extracts only (no solo piece).

For online auditions you must record a video of yourself playing the two mandatory excerpts and your solo piece in one take. The video cannot be from a performance or an older recording. It is to your own advantage if the video is high quality and if you play with a pianist. The solo piece should not be longer than 4 minutes. It is acceptable to play only four minutes of a longer piece. Please upload only ONE video on YouTube. No other format will be accepted. Make sure the setting is on 'unlisted' (not 'private' or 'public').

Woodwind Players, you do not need to prepare a solo piece for your auxiliary instrument, just the orchestral excerpts (bass clarinet, Eb clarinet, piccolo, cor anglais, contrabassoon etc.).

Flautists, it is expected that you also play the piccolo at your audition. 

Oboists, it is not obligatory to audition on cor anglais, but it increases your chances if you do, as for the tours we will need musicians who can cover the auxiliary instruments as well. 

Clarinettists, please note that it is expected that you bring an auxiliary instrument, but please bring only one! Playing an auxiliary instrument increases your chances, as for the tours we will need musicians who can cover the auxiliary instruments as well. 

Bassoonists, we understand that you may not be able to bring a contrabassoon to the auditions. But please let the panel know if you play the contrabassoon. 

Auditions are held annually to fill approximately 120 places. Current members have to re-audition, so the competition is high. However, the EUYO also has a reserve list of about 200 players, which we rely on heavily, and those selected for the reserve list have a good chance of getting asked to play in the orchestra at some point during the year. The experience of auditioning for the EUYO is, in itself, widely regarded as invaluable preparation for future auditions with professional orchestras.

Successful candidates will become members of the 2023 orchestra and will be invited to take part in the 2023 spring and summer tours where they will have the opportunity to work with expert instrumental professors and to perform in the great concert halls of the world with renowned conductors and soloists. Courses normally begin with a 2-3-week rehearsal period, when musicians work in tutti rehearsals and in sectionals with the EUYO Tutors, followed by a concert tour. In addition to the preparation of repertoire for the forthcoming tour, the rehearsal period offers opportunities for chamber music, personal and career development, and other recreational and social activities to enable musicians to make the most of working in a multi-national environment. We expect musicians who are invited to become members of the 2023 EUYO to take part in both the Spring and Summer Tours. 

Members of the EUYO do not receive a fee, but tuition, travel (including to and from the tour), food and accommodation are provided free of charge.

 

Tips for Auditions:

The key to a successful audition is thorough preparation of orchestral excerpts. Make time for your extracts and listen to the piece if it is unfamiliar to you and/or take a look at the score. It is important that you play the extracts accurately but also with sensitivity to the context of the whole piece, paying particular attention to accurate rhythm, tempi, dynamics and tuning.

Moreover, we have a page that may help you.

 

EUYO Data Protection Declaration for Auditions:

Protecting your data is important to us. Therefore, we would like to inform you here about the personal data EUYO processes in connection with our audition process, and to which purpose.

  1. Your Data  

In order to effectively hold auditions for membership to the EUYO, we will collect, process and store the following personal data for each candidate:

  •       Name
  •       Date of Birth
  •       Gender
  •       Citizenship
  •       Address (permanent and residence, e.g. due to studies)
  •       Email Address
  •       Phone Number
  •       Name of current college and teacher
  •       Link and downloaded copy of your audition video

Your data will be shared with the EUYO panel members or alumni tutors, and with the National Partner for your country, in part or as a whole.

Your data will be saved by us for the duration of the year in which you apply and the following year. Furthermore, your data will continue to be saved for the legally required period, in order to ensure our compliance with the law (usually 7 years, or in some cases, due to requirements of some public funding bodies, 10 years).

This data will be processed for the following purposes:

  •       In order to contact you, and
  •       In order to organize the auditions as described on this website.

If you enter personal data on this website, submitting such data also includes the permission for us to use the data for the purposes stated above. Your data will be safely stored and not shared with third parties apart from the ones enumerated above. The only exception is the sharing with state authorities, should EUYO be legally obliged to do so.

There is no obligation to actually submit the data we request on our website. However, if you do not submit the data, you will not be able to participate in EUYO’s audition process.

By submitting your application via our online process, you agree to the collecting, processing, storing and sharing of your data to the extent described above.

  1. Legal Basis for Data Processing

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is your application to audition for EUYO, or is to be found in our legitimate interest according to the GDPR, which consists in achieving the goals listed in Item 1 above.

  1. Transferring Your Personal Data to Third Parties

In order to safely process your personal data and on our website, we use programmes and tools from third-party providers with whom we maintain contracts for data processing, thereby ensuring that these third parties also safeguard your personal data, pursuant to the GDPR. This concerns the following suppliers:

  •       IT Service Provider: Cara Networks Ltd
  •       Application Form Provider: Airtable
  1. Your Rights in Connection with Your Personal Data

You have the basic right to be informed about your data, to have such data corrected, deleted, limited, its transportability ensured, and to protest against its storage. To do any of these, please contact us: EUYO, Corso della Giovecca, 38, 44121 Ferrara (FE), Italy, info@euyo.eu.

If you think that the processing of your data is in conflict with data protection law or that your rights regarding your personal data have been infringed in some other way, please contact us, but you are of course entitled to contact the Data Protection Authority.

 

If you have any questions about these rules & regulations then please contact Lia Melo Auditions Assistant, or Alexa Nieschlag, Recruitment Manager.