Join us
There’s a place for players from Grade 5 to conservatoire level, up to age 26. Here’s how it works.
Sinfonietta for Grade 5 and above. Youth Orchestra for Grade 8 and up. Not sure? Ask your music teacher or listen to the audition excerpts.
Fill in the form and prepare your excerpt. Sinfonietta auditions · Youth Orchestra auditions.
We place you on your application, experience and (where relevant) audition. Then pay your subscription within a month — and you’re in.
When to apply: auditions for the following year run in late November / early December. Mid-year places are sometimes available — email admin@wyos.org.nz.
Wind players especially wanted — brass and woodwind places are open in the Youth Orchestra. See Youth Orchestra auditions →
2026 subscriptions
One subscription covers the whole year. Play in both orchestras? You still pay only once.
| Who | Annual subscription | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First family member | $220 | Full year, either or both orchestras |
| Each additional family member | $110 | Sibling discount |
| Tertiary student | $110 | Full-time tertiary study |
| WYO — 1–2 projects only | $45–$180 | Students $45–$90 · others $90–$180, by number of projects |
Cost should never be the reason a young person can’t play.
Pay in 2 or 4 instalments, or apply for a partial or full fee grant for hardship — tick the box when you register, or email admin@wyos.org.nz in confidence.
We’re powered by parents — including you.
WYOS is run entirely by volunteers: the committee, the concert helpers, the people moving chairs and selling tickets are all parents and supporters giving a little of their time. That’s what keeps fees this low. When you join, we’ll ask you to lend a hand a few times a year — front of house at a concert, supper at a rehearsal, or a spot on the committee. Many hands, light work — and you get the best seat in the house watching your young musician grow.
There’s no minimum age — placement is by playing level, not age. The upper limit is 26.
Yes, and it’s still a single subscription. Many players are in both.
Ask your child’s music teacher, or listen to the audition excerpts for each ensemble. Players often start in the Sinfonietta and move up to the Youth Orchestra as they progress.
Subscriptions are refundable up to the end of week 3 of the term or project. After that, fees are non-refundable. Any outstanding balance from a previous year must be cleared before a place is confirmed.