Australian Youth Orchestra

Since 1948

AYO trains, empowers and inspires young musicians as Australia’s leaders, thinkers and artists, through music education and performance experiences of the highest standard.

AYO Young Symphonists

Look at the Stars
Saturday 19 April, 2pm
Snow Concert Hall
Canberra

AYO Young Symphonists

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“One of the best orchestras in the country”

About Us

There is no other national organisation with the passion, power and potential to bring young people to music and music to young people like the Australian Youth Orchestra.

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australianyouthorchestra

Internationally acclaimed cellist Timo-Veikko ‘T

Internationally acclaimed cellist Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve leads Momentum Ensemble in a lush program for cello and string orchestra, masterfully intertwining his Finnish heritage with his Australian experiences. Jaakko Kuusisto’s Wiima evokes the nostalgic charm of Sysmä, a town dear to Tipi’s childhood. Tipi’s own arrangement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata allows the cello to sing with warmth and lyricism, while Olivia Bettina Davies’s Crystalline shimmers with its delicate textures. The evening culminates with the introspective strains of Sibelius’s Voces intimae interspersed with select movements from Sculthorpe’s dark String Quartet No. 8, weaving together Finnish and Australian traditions into a captivating tapestry. Don’t miss this opportunity to lose yourself in a night of unforgettable musical beauty.

ACO On The Pier, The Neilson
Fri 28 November, 7:00pm
Book tickets via the link in bio

Almost 40 years after the Australian Youth Orchest

Almost 40 years after the Australian Youth Orchestra premiered Ann Carr-Boyd’s ‘Look at the Stars’ at the opening of Parliament House, the piece returns in a new light. 🌟🎶

Arts leader, harpist, and recent participant in the REPLA.Y.O alumni orchestra Marshall McGuire reflects on this momentous occasion:

"My first AYO season in 1988 was a grand one indeed – with the opening of the new Parliament House in Canberra in May. The event was an all-day extravaganza with fanfares, anthems, flyovers, and, of course, Queen Elizabeth II in close proximity to all of us on stage. John Hopkins conducted, with Yvonne Kenny and Julie Anthony as soloists. We played a huge range of music, and I recall Ann Carr-Boyd's ‘Look at the Stars’ as a notable inclusion, showcasing the richness of Australia's composers to this eminent and unique gathering. It's great to see that AYO Young Symphonists will once again perform this work nearly forty years after its first performance, highlighting the role that AYO plays in creating and nurturing new works, as well as connecting new AYO members with the rich history of all the events and memories which precede them. Every AYO season creates its own indelible memories, of course, and I hope this event in April lingers in the memories of all who are there for another forty years!"

Be part of this historic moment as Australia’s brightest young musicians bring ‘Look at the Stars’ to life once again in Canberra. 🎻✨

Free admission – bookings essential via the link in bio.
Saturday 19 April, 2pm
Snow Concert Hall, Canberra

Experience a profound journey through emotional an

Experience a profound journey through emotional and spiritual landscapes with the Momentum Ensemble at the Bowral Autumn Music Festival, set against the rugged beauty of the Southern Highlands.

The program sweeps from the introspective depths of Arvo Pärt’s ‘Fratres’ to the sublime stillness of Andrew Howes’s ‘The Early Morning’, and the virtuosic brilliance of C.P.E. Bach’s String Symphony in B flat. The concert culminates with William Barton and Véronique Serret’s evocative ‘Bush{fire} Requiem’, a powerful reflection on the devastation of the Australian bushfires and the urgent need for cultural preservation and unity. Immerse yourself in music that transcends time, tradition, and nature’s breathtaking wonder.

Saturday 29 March, 2pm
St Jude's Anglican Church, Bowral

Book tickets via the link in bio!

Meet our incredible flautist, Annabel! Now in her

Meet our incredible flautist, Annabel! Now in her third year with AYO Young Symphonists, Annabel shares her favourite composers and explores how Mussorgsky’s 'Pictures at an Exhibition', in Ravel’s colourful orchestration, paints a gallery of vivid musical scenes. Catch her in action at our upcoming concert in Canberra! 🎶✨

Free admission – bookings essential via the link in bio.
Saturday 19 April, 2pm
Snow Concert Hall, Canberra

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