IAYO Festival of Youth Orchestras
2026 Festival Applications:
Closing date for applications is Friday, 11 April 2025.
There are links below to information on how we select orchestras and the participation agreement has information on what you can expect from the day. You can download the application form to print and handwrite or fill out the Word doc and submit by email to info@iayo.ie.
The Festival of Youth Orchestras is the annual celebration of youth orchestras in Ireland and their members, with a diverse variety of music played by young people, for young people.
If you have any queries about the Festival, please do not hesitate to contact us on 021-4215185 or info@iayo.ie.
2026 Application Details:
Please take the time to read the documents below carefully submitting your application.
- Read the Selection Criteria for the Festival of Youth Orchestras.
- Read the Participation Agreement for the Festival of Youth Orchestras.
- Application forms for the 30th Festival can be downloaded as Word or .pdf.
2025 Festival:
The 2025 Festival took place on Saturday, 8 February 2025 in the National Concert Hall, Dublin!
The 2025 programme featured iconic works such as Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, music from the screen including Mission Impossible and Pirates of the Caribbean, pop and rock anthems including music by the Cranberries and U2, original compositions and world premieres from Irish composers and much more!
You can view the 2025 Festival programme online via Dropbox here.
The 2025 participating orchestras were:
- Cork ETB Junior Orchestra
- St Louis Orchestra
- The County Tipperary Ryan Youth Orchestra
- Athenry Youth Orchestra and Voices of Athenry Project Choir
- Limerick School of Music Senior Orchestra
- Julianstown Youth Orchestra
- Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra
- Irish Youth Wind Ensemble
The Festival of Youth Orchestras was one of the first activities to be undertaken by IAYO on its formation in 1994. To date, over 12,000 young musicians have performed at the Festival.
Alexandra College Orchestra, Athenry Music School Camerata, Athenry Youth Orchestra, Athlone Youth Orchestra, Belvedere College Symphony Orchestra, Carlow Youth Orchestra, Ceol na Mara Orchestra, City Music College Orchestra, Cork, City of Belfast Training Orchestra, Clare Music Makers Senior Orchestra, Clare Youth Orchestra, Clongowes Wood College Orchestra, ConCorda, Coole Music Youth Orchestra, Cork City Music College Orchestra, Cork School of Music Sinfonietta, Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra, Cork Youth Orchestra, Cork ETB Junior Youth Orchestra, Cork ETB Youth Orchestra, County Tipperary Ryan Youth Orchestra, County Wexford Youth Orchestra, Cross Border Orchestra, DIT Wind Ensemble, Donegal Junior Orchestra, Donegal Youth Orchestra, Drogheda Young Orchestral Players, Dublin Youth Orchestras Concert Orchestra, Dublin Youth Orchestras Intermediate Orchestra, Dublin Youth Orchestras Junior Strings, Dublin Youth Orchestras Transitionals, Dunlavin Youth Orchestra, Dublin Youth Orchestras Symphony Orchestra, Dundalk Grammar School Orchestra, EA City Of Belfast Junior Chamber Orchestra, Fidil, Fingal County Youth Orchestra, Galway Youth Orchestra, Galway Youth Jazz Orchestra, Greystones Youth Orchestra, IAYO Festival Orchestra, Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra, Irish Youth Wind Ensemble, Julianstown Youth Orchestra, Junior Cork Youth Orchestra, Kerry School of Music Youth Orchestra, Kilkenny School of Music Junior Strings, Kilkenny Youth Orchestra, Kylemore College Orchestra, Laois School of Music Youth Orchestra, Liffey Valley Orchestra, Limerick Municipal School of Music Orchestra, Lír Orchestra, Loreto Secondary School Orchestra, Kilkenny, Louth County Youth Orchestra, Major Minors Junior Orchestra, Mannix College Youth Orchestra, Maynooth University Orchestra, Mayo Youth Orchestra, McEgan College Orchestra, Macroom, Music Generation Louth Senior Strings, Music Matters Orchestras, Musica Fusion Community Orchestra, Musica Fusion Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Under 18s, National Youth String Training Orchestra, Newpark Junior Strings, Newpark School of Music Orchestra, North Wexford Youth Orchestra, Nós Nua – Louth Youth Folk Orchestra, NYOI Camerata, Presto Players, Queen’s University Symphony Orchestra, Royal Irish Academny of Music Sinfonietta, Royal Irish Academy of Music Intermediate Orchestra, Royal Irish Academy of Music Junior String Orchestra, Royal Irish Academy of Music Percussion Ensemble, Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Sacred Heart School Orchestra, Scoil Úna Naofa Violin & Orchestra Project, Sligo Academy of Music Sinfonietta, Sligo Academy of Music Junior Orchestra, South East Regional Youth Orchestra, South East Ulster Intermediate Orchestra, South East Ulster Youth Orchestra, St Agnes’ Primary School Orchestra, St Canice’s National School Orchestra, St Joseph’s College, Lucan, St Malachy’s College, St Peter’s College Orchestra, St Peter’s Junior String Orchestra, St Vincent’s School Orchestra, Symphonic Waves Youth Orchestra, The High School Orchestra, The Quay Quintet, Tipperary Millennium Orchestra, UCD Symphony Orchestra, University College Cork Orchestra, Wesley College Orchestra, West Dublin Youth Orchestra, Western Education and Library Board Youth Orchestra, Wexford School of Music Orchestra, WIT Junior Strings, WIT Youth Orchestra, Young Dublin Symphonia, Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra, Young European Strings Intermediate Orchestra, Young Orchestral Pops.
18th Festival of Youth Orchestras by Jonathan Pearson: As is the case every year, the IAYO Festival of Youth Orchestras took over the National Concert Hall to showcase the talent in youth orchestral music in Ireland. The IAYO Festival, now in its 18th year, saw performances by WIT Budding Bows Chamber Orchestra, Mayo Youth Orchestra, Julianstown Youth Orchestra, and Roscommon County Youth Orchestra in the afternoon with evening performances by a collaborative ensemble consisting of members of Carlow Youth Orchestra, Laois School of Music Senior Ensemble and Lír Orchestra, the County Cork School of Music VEC Youth Orchestra, another collaboration, this time international, by Young Dublin Symphonia, Vestfold Ungdomsstrykeorkester from Norway and Midtjyllands Unge Strygere from Denmark, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra closed the evening. read more…
Musical Nostalgia at the Festival of Youth Orchestras by Aisling Ryan: I spent a chilly afternoon on Saturday last in the warm surrounds of the Concert Hall, at the 16th festival of youth orchestras. The event is presented by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, and I was delighted to be invited to the first half of the day in my capacity as Music Capital Scheme Manager for Music Network . . read more . .
