How would you like to be fully immersed in classical music for two and a half weeks weeks together with your peers from all over Europe? Discover the great symphonic repertoire under the baton of a world-famous conductor. Come and perform as a member of Concertgebouw Orchestra Young!
The fifth edition of Young will take place from 4 until 22 August 2025. Applications for this edition are now closed. The next edition you can apply for is Young 2027, with applications opening in November 2026.
Young is open to European residents from any background whatsoever. We are particularly open to candidates who can bring a greater degree of diversity to classical orchestral music and/or who have not had access or the opportunity to train at the highest level or to participate in highly qualified youth orchestras, summer festivals or similar experiences outside their communities.
As a participant, you must have a minimum age of 14 and a maximum age of 17 years old for the entire duration of Young, from 4 until 22 August 2025. That means your date of birth has to be between 22 August 2007 and 4 August 2011. Unfortunately, we cannot make exceptions to this rule.
To apply for Young, you must be nominated by someone who knows you well – a music teacher or a conductor of a local youth orchestra, school orchestra or ensemble, for example. Your nominator can also be an alumnus from a previous edition of Young. The nominator writes a recommendation, which you can attach to your application on Muvac.com.
You need a referent. This is someone else than your nominator. Your referent makes a recommendation based on your personal and musical qualities. Important questions that have to be answered are:
The recommendation letter can be attached to the application on Muvac. The letters from your nominator and referent can be written confidentially. In that case, your nominator and referent can send the letters directly to young@concertgebouworkest.nl with your name clearly mentioned.
Describe your background, musical experience and education.
For your convenience, we have provided sheet music of the required excerpts for Concertgebouw Orchestra Young application. You can find the sheet musicon Muvac, or below per instrument. If you are unfamiliar with these excerpts, or with performing excerpts in general, we encourage you to listen to recordings of the pieces and bring the excerpts to your private instructors or ensemble leaders for their input.
You can apply through Muvac between 1 November 2024 and 31 January 2025.
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
OPTIONAL: You can add these, but it’s not mandatory:
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5
Mozart – Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’:
Brahms – Symphony No. 2:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5
Popper – Vierzig Etüden Op.73:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Rossini – Willem Tell Overture:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Kodaly – Der Pfau:
Mozart – Die Zauberflöte:
Rossini – La scala di seta:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”:
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale”:
Brahms – Symphony No. 3:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Dvorak – The Noonday Witch:
Strauss – Don Quixote:
Stravinsky – The Firebird
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5
Beethoven – Violin Concerto:
Ravel – Ma Mere l’Oye:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Elgar – Cello Concerto:
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Mozart – Requiem:
Berlioz – La damnation de Faust
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Schumann – Symphony No. 3:
Berlioz – La damnation de Faust
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Wagner – Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Respighi – Fontane di Roma
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5:
Beethoven – Symphony No. 9:
Woud – Timpani solo piece
Snaredrum
Knauer – Etude
Separately: A long roll on snare drum, starting from pp, crescendo to ff, diminuendo + morendo
Tchaikovsky – Fantasy Overture (Romeo & Julia)
Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker Suite
Tchaikovsky – Nutcracker Suite
Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique:
All candidates applying to Young must record videos complying with the conditions set out below.
Introduction: before performing your solo selection, please include a spoken introduction in which you state your name, instrument, hometown, and title of the solo work you have chosen. The introduction video can be recorded seperately and added in front of the video of the solo piece.
Solo piece: : The solo piece is preferably the exposition of a classical solo concerto, but can be any work of your choice, or a movement/section of a longer work, provided that it is approximately three minutes in duration. If the piece is longer than three minutes, you may record an excerpt or submit an unedited three-minute section from a longer recording. You may also use a recent solo recording if it meets the Concertgebouw Orchestra Young audition requirements, but please record and upload the spoken introduction separately. A work with piano accompaniment (except if you are applying on timpani, percussion or piano) is strongly preferred.
Excerpts: Each instrument has to play all required orchestral excerpts for their specific instrument.
Scales: please play one major and one minor (harmonic or melodic) scale in any key of your choice with up to four sharps/flats from memory at a comfortable tempo. Each scale should be played twice, once slurred and once separated, using an articulation or bowing of your choice. Violin and viola applicants should play two or three octaves; wind, and brass applicants should play two octaves. Applicants for cello, double bass, harp, piano, percussion and timpani don’t have to play scales.
Video essay: you are asked to answer the following questions.
Please notice: this video essay should preferably be spoken in English. If that is too difficult, please record it in your own language.
Where possible, we encourage you to keep the following in mind when making the recording.
Participation in the Young summer camp is free of charge so that anyone has the chance to take part. Travel expenses, too, are reimbursed. Young is made possible by support from private individuals, funds and the business community.