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Application process  

 
Who can apply for the National Youth Folk Ensemble?

 
The National Youth Folk Ensemble is open to players of any instrument, but we are not looking for singers. 

It is free of charge to apply and audition for the National Youth Folk Ensemble, and travel bursaries are available.

To apply for a place in the Ensemble you will need to:

• be aged 14–18 on 1 September of the year you apply
• live in England
• be able to play confidently on your chosen instrument
• be available to attend a final audition in London 
• be available to commit to all four weeks of residential courses in the school holidays (October, February, April, and summer)

Who are we looking for?

 
If the following describes you, we’d love to meet you!

• Confidence, accuracy and skill on your chosen instrument
• An interest in folk music, and desire to learn more
• Ability to learn and play music by ear
• Experience of folk character and style from any tradition
• Passion for playing and collaborating with others
• Interest in developing arrangements and creating music with others
• Commitment to learning and developing as a musician
• Open-mindedness and willingness to share ideas  

We also take into account a balance of instruments, gender and geographic spread.

How to Apply  

 
There are three steps to the audition process:

Step 1: Attend a free Open Day

(optional, but highly recommended)

Step 2: Submit your application (by midnight on 11 June 2025)

• If you don’t already have one, create an English Folk Dance and Song Society account at efdss.org/account
  
  
• Fill in the online application form, telling us about your musical background and why you want to join the Ensemble
  
  Unless you have a Google account and are logged in, the form needs to be answered in one go as it does not allow you to save or return where you left off. 
  If you would prefer or would find it more accessible to complete the application form in a Word document please get in touch on [email protected]
   

• Submit a film of you playing your main instrument. Please send your film to [email protected] with the subject line 'Application for National Youth Folk Ensemble 2025–26'.
  
  Your film should include the following: 
  • Introduce yourself – say your name and what you plan to play. 
  • Play one set of tunes, or two separate pieces, adding up to 6 minutes in total. Your chosen repertoire should be played by ear and be traditional/ contemporary folk tunes of any style.
  
  Important things to think about:
  • Play music that you know well and enjoy playing.
  • Through your tune choices and playing, you should demonstrate your interest in traditional music and your musicality.   
  • We're looking for quality of playing over quantity and speed – we’d prefer to hear a simpler tune played confidently and well, rather than an overly complex tune, or one played too fast. 
  • Please show some contrast in your programme. 
  
  You can send your film in one of the following ways: 
  • Unlisted YouTube link 
  • DropBox link 
  • Send large files with WeTransfer.  

Step 3: Attend a Creative Audition Day, if invited

Selected musicians will be invited to a Creative Audition Day at Cecil Sharp House in London. For 2025–26, the audition dates are 12 and 13 July 2025.

At the Creative Audition Day, we look at instrumental technique, musicality, ensemble skills, and enthusiasm.

Following the Creative Audition Days, places will be offered to young musicians for the 2025–26 National Youth Folk Ensemble. 

Experience the Ensemble

 
We strongly recommend you attend a National Youth Folk Ensemble Open Day to learn new skills, experience what it’s like to be a member of the Ensemble, and understand what we’re looking for in new members. Open Days are free to attend and you will have a fun, creative and inspiring day! 

If you are new to folk music, we recommend you watch our film resource Folk Music Starting Points created by the National Youth Folk Ensemble team

Fees and financial support 

 
We aim to make sure that money is never a barrier to anyone getting involved.

There are no audition fees and we can help with travel costs to and from the audition venue.

We want everyone who is offered a place in the Ensemble to be able to take it. We keep our fees as low as possible and offer financial support if the fee and / or travel costs are unaffordable. We work out fee bursaries via a means-tested system (see below). We also offer payment plans to spread payment of fees.

You will not need to make any contribution to fees if your total family income before tax is £32,500 or less (after deducting £2,264 for each dependent young person in the family, including the potential member of the Ensemble) in the tax year ended 5 April 2025.

Full membership fees for 2025 - 2026 are £1,200 for the year. These fees help cover a small proportion of the costs in providing each place in the Ensemble for the four week-long residential sessions and performance opportunities.

Once you are offered a place in the Ensemble you will be sent a link to the financial support application form, along with full information about the supporting proof of household income that you will need to supply if you wish to apply bursary support. The form can also be completed via the phone should this be easier for you.

Means-tested fee and bursary bands for 2025-26:

If there are any other factors about your circumstances that you would like us to consider, there will be space in the form to give us more details.

If you have any questions about our fees or financial support, please get in touch with Hannah Mears-Young, (Programme Manager) on [email protected].

Bursaries for NYFE are supported by The Postlethwaite Music Foundation.

If you have any questions please contact the Programme Manager for the National Youth Folk Ensemble: [email protected]