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 Homecoming Concert

Colour, Sound, Lore
Thursday 31 July, 8pm
Sydney Opera House

AYO Homecoming Concert

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Ed Le Brocq, ABC Classic:

“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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Latest News

Spotlight Stories—The Latest from AYO

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Gaining Perspective at ARTS8 2025

12 May, 2025

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Gaining Perspective at ARTS8 2025

In Conversation with Sandra Tancibudek: From AYO to the World Stage

23 April, 2025

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In Conversation with Sandra Tancibudek: From AYO to the World Stage

From AYO to the World Stage: Duo Aki to Perform at the Osaka World Expo 2025

1 April, 2025

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From AYO to the World Stage: Duo Aki to Perform at the Osaka World Expo 2025

The Perfect Day in Bowral by Julia Hill

27 March, 2025

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The Perfect Day in Bowral by Julia Hill

Weaving Culture into Sound: The Stories Behind Ikuntji Designs

12 March, 2025

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Weaving Culture into Sound: The Stories Behind Ikuntji Designs

Vale Donald Hazelwood AO OBE

11 March, 2025

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Vale Donald Hazelwood AO OBE

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australianyouthorchestra

✈️🌍🎻 The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO

✈️🌍🎻 The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) is returning to international touring this July, and we’re bringing something truly special to Europe. Experience Australia’s finest young classical musicians live in concert, joined by violin wunderkind Christian Li and didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton, under the baton of Maestro David Robertson (New York Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra). The program features a stellar lineup of works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Sculthorpe.

This is your chance to witness the vivacious energy of the next generation of Australian classical musicians. Dressed in stunning designs by Ikuntji Artists that are inspired by the Dreaming of the Western Desert, the orchestra brings a bold new voice to concert halls steeped in musical tradition.

Auditioned nationally each year, AYO showcases Australia’s most promising young talent — many of whom go on to join major orchestras around the world.

Know someone in Europe who hasn’t experienced the energy of AYO? Refer a Freund via the link in bio and we’ll share tour updates and ticket offers, because this is a concert they won’t want to miss. 🎶✨⚡

For more information and bookings, visit the link in bio.

Audio: @melbournesymphonyorchestra

#AYO2025 #ColourSoundLore #LiveMusicEurope #ClassicalMusic

It’s time for our April wrap-up of community ach

It’s time for our April wrap-up of community achievements!

Please join us in congratulating these incredible musicians on their amazing milestones:
⭐ Teresa Yang (AYO violinist 2025) has been offered a full scholarship to Juilliard and will begin her undergraduate studies in New York this August.
⭐ Chloe Matthews (AYO alumna) has won the low horn position at the Estonian National Opera.
⭐ Violinist Anna da Silva Chen (AYO alumna) has been appointed to a permanent position with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
⭐ Jenna Smith (AYO alumna) has been appointed the new Principal Trumpet of WASO, making history as the first female musician to hold the position in the orchestra’s nearly 100-year history.
⭐ Mirabelle Chen (AYO NMC oboist 2025) is a finalist in the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition and will perform with the orchestra later this year.
⭐ Phillip Cullen (AYO NMC Composition 2023) has been selected for the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Emerging Composer Awards.

👏 We’re so proud of our community and can’t wait to see what’s in store.

🎶 The AYO Youth Council began its 2025 term wit

🎶 The AYO Youth Council began its 2025 term with its first meeting on 15 April.

Established in 2024, the Council reflects AYO’s commitment to youth-centred practice, providing a platform for young voices to shape the organisation’s future and advocate for meaningful change in the arts sector.

At the meeting, members outlined their goals for the year ahead, sharing ideas around programming, key cultural and social issues, and their hopes for the future of the arts industry. They also elected their 2025 Co-Chairs: Noah Lawrence (VIC, cello) and Madeleine Hammond (WA, composition).

Noah shared:
“This is such a privilege – the AYO community is one that we all love, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve with this voice for all the young people in it. Please do reach out!”

Madeleine said:
“I feel honoured to be a representative voice for young Australian musicians! I look forward to continuing to advocate for AYO’s vision and empower young musicians to make an impact.”

We can’t wait to see what this inspiring group brings to the year ahead.

A huge congratulations to our brilliant Young Symp

A huge congratulations to our brilliant Young Symphonists on their show-stopping Easter Saturday performance to a full house!

Under the baton of the dynamic Dr Luke Dollman, Australia’s finest high school-aged musicians lit up the stage with Jessica Wells’s Uplift, dazzled with Ann Carr-Boyd’s Look at the Stars, waltzed through Strauss’s Blue Danube, and brought every vivid scene of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition to life.

Thank you to the incredible artists who supported them in the lead-up, to Snow Concert Hall for welcoming us so warmly, and to every audience member who came along and cheered them on ✨🌟

📸 Photography by Lisa Maree Williams

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