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The mercury may be rising, but the heatwave hasn’t slowed the momentum at the Australian Youth Orchestra’s 2026 National Music Camp (NMC), with more than 200 of Australia’s most talented young musicians descending on Adelaide this week.

Within hours of arriving in the South Australian capital on Monday 5 January, rehearsals for the AYO Summer Music Festival were already underway, with the first notes ringing out through Elder Hall at the University of Adelaide.

Now in its 78th year, National Music Camp brings together outstanding musicians aged 14 to 30 to perform, learn and collaborate with peers who share their passion for orchestral music. From humble beginnings in 1948 — when 65 students rehearsed in two symphony orchestras while living in tents — NMC has grown into one of Australia’s most significant national training programs. In 2026, more than 210 participants are living, rehearsing and performing on campus at the University of Adelaide.

Across eight days, National Music Camp musicians present seven concerts at Elder Hall, Adelaide University, showcasing symphonic blockbusters, contemporary premieres, chamber music, choral masterpieces and high energy brass and percussion. Can’t get to Adelaide? Don’t worry – all four AYO Summer Music Festival orchestral concerts will be broadcast on ABC Classic throughout February and March.

Cellist Marcus Tyler said the first week of National Music Camp has already been “incredibly rewarding and fun”.

“In the Alexander Orchestra’s cello section, we’ve been gelling brilliantly as a team through many hours of tutorials and rehearsals. We’ve been diving deep into this week’s repertoire, with Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury pushing us technically through its demanding melodic and rhythmic passages.
Marcus Tyler, NMC Participant

“The Creatures of Prometheus Overture has been a really fun addition, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 brings a joyful energy, especially the first movement. All in all, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic concert on Saturday, and I’m really looking forward to hearing what the Amadio and Bishop orchestras have been working on.”

Darwin horn player Jethro Llewellyn, said he enjoys meeting like-minded people of all ages at National Music Camp who share their musical knowledge and experiences.

“Coming from Darwin down to Adelaide I get to meet lots of different people… it’s good to meet older people, people who are at university, and getting to know their experience of how they got into music and where they’re headed in life.”
Jethro Llewellyn, NMC Participant

Jethro is playing as part of the Bishop Orchestra, led by acclaimed Kazakhstan conductor Alan Burabayev. “He’s an amazing conductor. I really like how he makes all the different sections – for example with The Miraculous Mandarin, cinematic and he tells us every single part of it.”

For Melbourne-based double bassist QiQi Liu, a highlight of the camp will be playing the new compositions by NMC Composer-in-residence Thomas Green and other contemporary works including Jesse Montgomery’s Strum.

“I’m just really looking forward to the energy and the perspective that the orchestra, the tutors and alumni put into it. One of my favourite things about orchestral playing is listening to the other people around me.”
QiQi Liu, NMC Participant

World Class Artistic Leadership

National Music Camp 2026 is led by a distinguished artistic team drawn from Australia’s finest orchestral musicians and educators. This year’s Camp welcomes internationally renowned conductors Alan Buribayev and Andrea Quinn, alongside Chamber Director Glenn Christensen, with Monica Curro returning as NMC Creative Director.

The NMC Choir also returns in 2026 under the direction of NMC Choral Director Dermot Tutty, performing two major choral works — Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite — across two concerts.

Participants perform across three orchestras: Alexander Symphony Orchestra, Bishop Symphony Orchestra (named after AYO founders Professor John Bishop OBE and Ruth D. Alexander), and Amadio Chamber Orchestra, named in honour of longtime AYO supporter Leonard Amadio AO. Many musicians will also perform as part of the NMC Choir, creating a truly collaborative musicmaking experience.

National Music Camp also offers specialist streams in Orchestral Management, Media and Communication, Sound Production and Composition, giving participants handson professional experience while being mentored by leading industry professionals.