As a member of HCYO you will experience repertoire and opportunities designed to develop confidence in your orchestral skills at the highest level of county music making. Each HCYO course offers the opportunity to work alongside professional conductors and experienced sectional tutors, including professional orchestral musicians from around the UK.
The Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra is an auditioned county-level ensemble. The sign up deadline for on time applications for the 2024/25 academic year is Friday 30 August 2024. After this, late applications are welcomed at any point during the year, although places are then subject to availability, and you may be placed on a waiting or reserve list.
Signing up before the deadline of 30 August ensures you have access to a full year of opportunities, any relevant membership discount(s), and the opportunity to apply for principal positions in our auditioned ensembles.
Summer course: Monday 19 - Friday 23 August 2024
'Summer of music from the screen'
We will be celebrating film and video game music in all its forms across all County ensembles, for our 2024 Summer courses.
More details to follow!
Easter course 2024: CYO Opera Gala 2 - 5 April 2024 with concert at St John's Smith Square, featuring alumni singers from the National Opera Studio. Conducted by Peter Stark. Repertoire included well loved operatic overtures and preludes, as well as arias performed by National Opera Studio alumni singers.
Christmas course 2023: Looking back / Looking forward, 27 – 30 December 2023 conducted by Peter Stark. Concert on 30 December at Haileybury Big School Auditorium. Repertoire included Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, Britten Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Ravel Pavane, Dukas La Peri Fanfare.
Summer Tour 2023: Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 August Tour to the Loire Valley, France with the members from the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Hertfordshire Schools' Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Stark.
First two days consisted of rehearsals in Hertfordshire, and three concerts in the Loire Valley at the following venues: Cathédrale de Saint-Louis de Blois, Eglise Saint Julien (Tours), and Chateau de la Selles sur Cher.
Tour repertoire:
Paul Dukas - La Péri Fanfare
Léo Delibes - Entr’act & Waltz, Prelude & Mazurka, and Czardas from Coppélia
Frederick Delius - Intermezzo from The Walk to the Paradise Garden
Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World", Op. 95
Edward Elgar - Nimrod from Enigma Variations [encore]
Easter Course 2023: 12-15 April 2023 at Watford School of Music. Poulenc - Sinfonettia, Vaughan-Williams - English Folk Song Suite, Mozart - Overture to Die Zauberflote and Symphony no. 31 'Paris'
Christmas Course 2022: 21-23 December 2022 at Haileybury College. Brahms Double Concerto, Marquez Danzon no.2
Summer Course 2022: 15-19 August at Haileybury College, conducted by Peter Stark. Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony no. 5, and Beethoven Symphony no. 6.
Spring Course 2022: Tuesday 5 - Friday April at Clement Danes School, conducted by Peter Stark. Repetoire featuring Malcolm Arnold's Symphony no. 5.
Summer Course 2021 - Monday 23 - Thursday 26 August 2021 at St Clement Danes School with a concert on Thursday 26 August at 5pm.
CONCERT - 23rd December 2019 at 5pm, Haileybury College Guest Conductor Lev Parikian Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 2
Rehearsals - 20th-23rd December 2019 at Haileybury College
CONCERT - 23rd August 2019 at 7pm, Barbirolli Hall, Chorleywood Conductor Peter Stark
Berlioz
Overture, Ballet Music and Royal Hunt from Les Troyens Strauss
Don Quixote
Rehearsals - 19th-22nd August 2019 at Academy Residences St Albans
CONCERT - 18th April 2019 at 7pm, Haileybury College, Hertford
Conductor Peter Stark
Mendelssohn
Ruy Blas Overture Delibes
Coppelia Ballet Suite Schumann
Symphony No. 2
Course - 15th-18th April 2019 at Haileybury College
CONCERT - 23rd December 2018 at 3pm, Haileybury College, Hertford (joint with HSSO)
Conductor Peter Stark
Bax
In Memoriam Respighi
Pines of Rome
Course - 20th-22nd December 2018 at Haileybury College
CONCERT - 1st September 2018 at 3pm, Barbirolli Hall
Conductor Peter Stark
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1
Course and recording - 28th-31st August 2018 at Barbirolli Hall
CONCERT 6th April 2018 at 7pm, Haileybury College, Hertford
Conductors Peter Stark & Mark Heron
Dag Wiren Serenade for Strings
Sibelius En Saga
Valse Triste
Lemminkainen's Return
Gorb Suite for Winds
Alarcon Duende
Joint Spring Course with the County Wind Sinfonia 3rd - 6th April 2018
CONCERT - 22nd December 2017 at 7pm, Haileybury College, Hertford
Conductor Peter Stark
Dukas Prelude pour Preceder La Peri
Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie pour Klarinette et Orchestre (with soloist Dougie Mitchell)
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Autumn Course 19th - 22nd December 2017
Tour to Wiesbaden, Germany - 25th - 29th August 2017
Conductor Peter Stark
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Brahms St Anthony Variations
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Summer Course - 21st - 23rd August 2017
CONCERT - 13th April 2017 at 7.30pm, Barbirolli Hall, Chorleywood
Conductors Ben Glassberg & Peter Stark
Rimsky Korsakov Russian Easter Festival Overture
Barber Adagio for Strings
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Elgar In the South
Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Spring Course - 10th - 13th April 2017 as part of a joint course with the Hertfordshire Schools' Symphony Orchestra and County Wind Sinfonia