About the CYO
The CYO is the senior orchestra of the Music and Performing Arts Trust and rehearses on Saturday mornings in the Edward Rubbra Hall at the
Kettering Road Music and Arts Centre from 9am–12:45pm. The conductors for the 2016 – 2017 season are Andy Kirkwood and Tim Green (pictured).
The
orchestra was originally formed as the Northampton Youth Orchestra in
1970, before the formation of the County Music Service, but since 1974 it has drawn its membership from the whole county.
The orchestra performs a regular series of concerts in Northampton,
including a gala concert in the Derngate every spring. They are regular participants in the
National Festival of Music for Youth performing at the Royal Festival Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham. They have frequently been invited to the Schools' Prom at the Albert Hall, bringing the events to a close with the famous Pomp and Circumstance March No1 - Land of Hope and Glory.
Every two years the orchestra tours to Europe and in recent years they have visited Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany. In the summer of 2016 they returned to northern Spain with the County Youth Choir for four spectacular concerts.
Listen to the CYO in performance
CYO concert tours
Recent letters to members
How to join us
Auditions are held annually in July.
Application forms are available in May
Watch the CYO in performance
The CYO Schools' Prom at Albert Hall, 10 November 2009 playing Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No.1.