This July sees the Australian Youth Orchestra embark on a month-long tour of Europe and China. An invaluable experience for early-career artists, it’s hoped such opportunities will give them insight into the intensity of a professional music career, not to mention the chance to further hone their artistry and build greater ties with their fellow orchestra members.

Australian Youth Orchestra. Photo © Oliver Brighton 

“It’s a combination of musical and artistic discovery,” says AYO CEO Colin Cornish. “As a former member of the AYO, and having talked to the many alumni who’ve been on tour, I know firsthand that the musicians go away at the end of it with a motivation and inspiration to achieve even greater things than they have before – ‘I want to be the champion of my instrument and I want to aim really high’.

“The other part is the social and personal development of travelling with your peers whether you’re 16 or 21 or 24, to play onstage and celebrate your success with a hundred of your peers from around the country that you’re getting to know, it not only builds great camaraderie but great confidence. I hear many...