Grade 8 and above, up to age 26 — the only full-size symphonic orchestra for young players in the Wellington region.
WYO plays major symphonic repertoire across three concert projects a year, with guest soloists and an annual concerto competition for the Tom Gott Cup. Recent and upcoming works include Sibelius’s Finlandia, Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 and Vaughan Williams’s A London Symphony.
The orchestra is led by Music Director Mark Carter. Players audition once and then commit to the year (or to individual projects — see fees & joining).
The simple version: Rehearsals are every Monday during term, 7:15–9:20pm, at the Adam Concert Room (NZ School of Music, Kelburn) — map<p>Plain dates are ordinary Mondays. Watch only the <span class="chip chip--change" style="padding:2px 9px;font-size:.8rem">amber</span> chips (a different day or venue — tap for a map where it’s known) and the <span class="pill pill--concert">concert</span> rows.</p>
What’s a “project”? The year is split into three projects — each is a run of weekly rehearsals building toward one concert. Think of it as a term’s worth of work with a performance at the end.
Dates reproduced from the current WYO schedule (updated 22/07/2026).