Student Player Applications
As part of its charitable outreach work, the orchestra offers the chance for young players to attend the first rehearsal for upcoming concerts and to play through the full programme.
This is a great opportunity to experience playing in a large orchestra, with the orchestra's inspirational conductor Simon Wright.
The musicians in each section will be very welcoming and helpful, and you won't be expected to play every note!
Invitation to play
The York Guildhall Orchestra will soon be preparing for their concert on Sunday 12th October 2025, in the Barbican, York. Click here for further concert information.
The orchestra extends an invitation for young players working at Grade 8 level to join the orchestra for their first rehearsal on Tuesday 23rd September 2025, when they will be playing through the entire programme.
The first concert in our 45th Season continues with this year's celebration of the life and compositions of Dmitri Shostakovich with a performance of his 10th Symphony. This is often read as the composer's commentary on the Stalinist era, but there is little corroborating evidence for that. The third movement contains a motif that spells out, in note names, an acknowledgement of the love he felt for one of his students, Elmira Nazirova. Shostakovich's calling card in many of his works is also present here - the so called DSCH motto.
The concert includes the wonderful Háry János suite by Zoltan Kodály. This is a set of movements that Kodály arranged for orchestra from his Hungarian Folk Opera of the same name. It features the wonderful sounding Cimbalom - a Hungarian version of the hammer dulcimer - played for us in this concert by Chris Bradley of the Orchestra for Opera North. The work begins with a characteristic orchestral "sneeze" - which, in Hungarian traditional storytelling, indicates that what follows shouldn't be taken too seriously or as being strictly true!
Event details
Date:
Tuesday, 23rd September 2025.
Time:
7:15pm for a 7:30pm start, until 10:00pm.
Place:
Archbishop Holgate's School,
Hull Road,
York,
YO10 5ZA.
Music:
Kodaly - Háry János Suite
- Prelude
- The Fairy Tale Begins
- Viennese Musical Clock
- Song
- The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon
- Intermezzo
- Entrance of the Emperor and His Court
Shostakovich - Symphony No.10
- Moderato
- Allegro
- Allegretto – Largo –Più mosso
- Andante – Allegro – L'istesso tempo
Attendance
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit on overall numbers to maintain the balance within the orchestra. We will try to rotate places to give everyone who applies a chance to attend the first rehearsal in the course of our concert season. Clarinettists will require an A clarinet.
If you would like to attend this rehearsal, please apply by filling in the application form, before Friday 5th September. Please note, if you are under 16 this form should be completed by your parent/carer.
Students who are under 16 will need to be brought to the rehearsal and collected again by an adult. There is a large car park at the school. Please bring your child no earlier than 7:15, and please arrive to collect them by 9:50pm.
Confirmation
We will confirm by email that a place has been allocated. The orchestra reserve the right to select those players to whom a place will be offered. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the allocation process.
Players who have attended this rehearsal will be entitled to a complimentary ticket for the concert on 12th October 2025.
Please note that by filling in this form you consent to YGO keeping the information you provide here for the purpose of communicating with you about our rehearsals and concerts. All information will be safely stored and will be deleted after three months from the date of the first rehearsal above.
