Join the EUYO

ABOUT THE EUYO

The European Union Youth Orchestra is a longstanding partner of the OFJ. It brings together young musicians from all over Europe under the baton of international conductors and represents a fantastic musical and personal experience, giving you the chance to discover professional and musical cultures different from your own. The EUYO offers several sessions throughout the year, led by different international conductors every year, with various soloists. These sessions give you the chance to work with the leading European orchestras and occasionally offers the opportunity to explore areas such as chamber music or orchestral work without a conductor.

WHO CAN JOIN THE EUYO

Candidates must be between 16 and 26 years old on December 31st of the year before the EUYO session (e.g. applications for the OFJ 2024 open at the same time as those for the EUYO 2025, with the first round of auditions in common. A candidate who applies for the EUYO in December 2023 must therefore be between 16 and 26 on 31 December 2024 (the following year), and candidates must have EU citizenship.

HOW TO JOIN THE EUYO

Each year, the first round of auditions is held in conjunction with the OFJ auditions in the spring.
The OFJ jury puts forward a certain number of names to members of the EUYO (the musicians accepted into the orchestra but also other names). It is, however, essential to indicate whether or not you wish to audition for the EUYO when you apply. The second round takes place in October in Paris. Members of the EUYO hear musicians throughout Europe for almost four months. These filmed auditions are then cross-checked against shared criteria by international juries to determine who will join the EUYO the following year.

If you wish to audition for this orchestra, don’t forget to tick the appropriate box in your Candidate Area.

RULES & CONDITIONS

  • The first round is a joint audition with the OFJ and the orchestral excerpts to be worked on are those provided by the OFJ. These auditions take place in January and February, depending on your town. The jury is set up by the OFJ and the programme required is the same for the EUYO and OFJ auditions.
  • Depending on the results of the first round for candidates who have never attended the OFJ and have expressed a wish to audition for the EUYO, along with former members of the orchestra who have also expressed their desire in their Candidate Area to audition for the EUYO, the OFJ compiles a list of candidates for the second round. The closing date for this application is June 30th. N.B. Make sure you set up your Candidate Area before this date and validate your application even if you have been a member of the OFJ in previous years.
  • The OFJ reserves the right not to validate an application if it considers that the level is not sufficient, that behavioural problems may have arisen in relations with the candidate or that the candidate is not sufficiently available to attend the audition.
  • The second round takes place in October. The jury is specific to the EUYO, which posts the orchestral excerpts to the candidates. It includes a set of excerpts and a study. The second round includes a presentation of the excerpts and may lead to questions and discussions with the jury.
  • Travel expenses are not covered for the second round of EUYO auditions.
  • There are no application fees for the EUYO.
  • The jury’s selection decisions cannot be challenged.
  • Musicians who have already taken part in the EUYO are required to reapply for the auditions in order to take part again.
  • Musicians who have already taken part in the EUYO are not required to take part in the first round of auditions (but must nonetheless apply before June 30th on the OFJ site or via a European partner).
  • Musicians are free to apply in whichever country suits them best, depending on their place of study or residence, without discrimination on the basis of nationality as long as they are European Union nationals.
  • Since audition days are particularly busy, any candidate who fails to turn up for an audition without warning and without sufficient justification will not be allowed to try again the following year.

If you have any questions, please contact inscriptions@ofj.fr

To find out more

 

A podcast was created in September 2023 with members of the OFJ to give them a clear understanding of the criteria that are not necessarily the same as for French auditions. Peter Starck, the conductor who prepares the young people at the EUYO, answered the musicians’ questions. This podcast will be published soon.

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