There are four orchestras where young musicians come together for two non-residential Orchestral Weekends – one weekend in the spring (February or March) and one in the summer (June). The weekends involve non-residential, daytime, orchestral activities bringing together musicians of mixed ages (8-14) and ability and currently take place in the North West, the Midlands and at two venues in London.
Each weekend has a musical theme, and the programme includes a range of well-known music, new discoveries and new music written specifically for the young musicians. Guest artists (previously including Jess Gillam, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Nate Holder) play alongside young musicians.
Watch A Day in the Life: NCO Orchestral Weekends (previously the ‘Projects programme’) on YouTube by clicking the image.
If you’ve been in NCO before, these orchestras were previously called our Projects Orchestras.
"It's given me more confidence in making friends outside of school. I would love to play in more
ensembles and orchestras for many years to come!" NCO Member, aged 9
“(The music) was hard at first but at the end of the second day I was so proud... I loved it. It was really inspiring.” NCO Member, Spring 2022
"NCO Orchestral Weekends are a gateway to a lifelong love of music making. The weekends are orchestral, creative and most importantly lots of fun. Put simply, bringing like-minded, aspirational young children together to share great music, is what NCO is all about." Catherine Arlidge, Artistic and Educational Director, NCO
We have four non-residential orchestras who meet for Orchestral Weekends currently - bringing together children in different areas of the UK and taking place in the North of England, the Midlands and in London.
They play brilliant music, learning with the support of stellar tutors and conductors as well as playing with amazing guest artists - it's a fantastic opportunity to grow musically and in confidence through playing together as an orchestra and having fun!
You can get the best introduction to what happens in our Orchestral Weekends by watching our Day in the Life of Orchestral Weekends (previously Projects) film above!
Joining NCO
