2026 AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Celebrating 36 Years of Musical Excellence
Richard Pontzious, founder
Rehearsal Camp/Summer Festival @ Tianjin Juilliard
Asian Concert Tour
12 July ~ 23 August 2026
Joseph Bastian, principal conductor
John Axelrod, guest conductor
Anna Tsybuleva, piano soloist
Introduction
Chosen through highly competitive auditions held throughout the region, the 100 members of the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) represent the finest young musicians in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
They are together for six weeks each summer, initially for a three-week Summer Festival, and then to perform on tour for three weeks with major international solo artists and conductors.
In 35 years, they have performed with cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Steven Isserlis, Wang Jian, Alban Gerhardt and Alisa Weilerstein, violinists Gidon Kremer, Gil Shaham, Sarah Chang, Vadim Repin, Tseng Yu-Chien, Giuseppe Gibboni and Ning Feng, soprano Elly Ameling and Lydia Teuscher, pianists Alicia de Larrocha, Cecile Licad, Leon Fleisher and Rachel Cheung, the Beaux Arts Trio, and trumpet virtuoso Hakan Hardenberger. Among those who have conducted AYO are Yehudi Menuhin, Sergiu Comissiona, Alexander Schneider, Eri Klas, Tan Dun, Okko Kamu, Matthias Bamert, James Judd, Joesph Bastian, Jader Bignamini and the orchestra's founders Richard Pontzious.
AYO International Artist-Faculty
Those selected for the full scholarship program study with an exceptional artist-faculty of principals from the La Fenice Teatro Venice, Teatro Carlo Felice Genoa, Rome Opera Theater, the Orchestra Della Radio Svizzera Italiana, Polish National Opera Theatre, Spain’s Real Orquestra Sinfonia de Sevilla, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Tianjin Juilliard School and Conservatorio Gaetano Donizetti and so on.
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Repertoire on Tour
Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italiana
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3
Shostakovich: Symphony No.5
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Chamber Music will also be included for the 2026 season, offering participants the opportunity for specialized coaching and performance in small ensembles.
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Performance Tour
Performances are scheduled for Tianjin, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hanoi, Taipei, Chiayi City, Chiba City, Atsugi City and Tokyo.
*Itinerary is subject to change*
Live auditions will be held in the following cities. Please note the deadline to submit your application form:
Manila, Saturday, 17 January
Singapore, Sunday, 18 January
Kuala Lumpur, Monday, 19 January
Bangkok, Wednesday, 21 January
Hanoi, Friday, 23 January
Application deadline for the above cities is 5 January 2026.
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Taipei, Saturday & Sunday, 7 & 8 March
Shanghai, Wednesday, 11 March
Tokyo, Saturday, 14 March
Osaka, Sunday, 15 March
Seoul, Wednesday, 18 March
Tianjin, Friday, 20 March
Hong Kong, Sunday, 22 March
Application deadline for the above cities is 9 February 2026.
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*Percussion instruments for live auditions are available at the following cities:
Taipei, Seoul and Tianjin.
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Audition fees may apply in some cities.
We strongly recommend you to join the live auditions.
Applicants who are unable to attend the live auditions may submit a video audition. Please submit your completed application form to AYO no later than 13 February. The video audition fee is HK$300 (US$40). Payment instructions will be provided upon receipt of your application form.
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Invitation to audition
Musicians ages 17 to 29 are welcome to audition.*
*In rare cases age requirement may be waived at the discretion of AYO. ​
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Application form
Download here. Once you have submitted your application form, you will receive an acknowledgment by email from AYO within a few days. If you do not receive any communication, please contact AYO for assistance.
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Audition requirements (Live)
1. Solo piece & Orchestra excerpts -- Click here.
2. We strongly recommend that you play the solo piece with a piano accompaniment or by MIDI accompaniment. Please do not
include long piano introductions and interludes. Please play the excerpts in the order listed.
3. Audition fees may apply. Please contact your Local Representative for details.
Audition requirements (Video)
1. Please record your audition video in one take without editing. For best result, please record in high quality format such as
mp4 or mov. The recording should show a full front view of the candidate and the instrument.
2. We strongly recommend that you play the solo piece with piano accompaniment. Please do not include long piano
introductions and interludes. Please play the excerpts in the order listed.
3. Please introduce yourself with your name, age and region you are from at the beginning of your video.
4. Solo piece & Orchestra excerpts -- Click here.
5. Video Audition fee is HK$300 (US$40).
6. Please upload your video to YouTube and make sure the permissions are set so that we can access your video.
7. Please include the video link in your application form and send to AYO.
8. Deadline to submit your audition video is 13 February.
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Audition results
Results will be announced before 31 March. Applicants will receive notification by e-mail no later than 10 April. All musicians invited to join AYO will be required to pay a registration fee.
For enquiries, please contact your local representatives or AYO.
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