Reading Youth Orchestra

A small, friendly community of young musicians based in Reading, Berkshire. One of the oldest youth orchestras in the UK, we're proud to be continuing a long history of providing local students with a place to play great music in a supportive environment every Friday night.

Image shows an orchestra on stage playing a piece

RYO playing the world premiere of Bob Good’s Sinfonietta No. 1 ‘Silver’ in October 2022

Considering joining?

Why our members love RYO

  • Supportive environment – we build each other up
  • Friendly and relaxed – we’re a mini community
  • Exciting repertoire – from Beethoven to James Bond
  • Musical development – improve your skills
  • Creative opportunities – play solos, compositions and arrangements
Find out more

Latest news

Songs from the African-American Railroad

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March 30, 2022

Jennifer writes about her arrangement of Songs from the African-American Railroad

Composer Caitlin Harrison, who will compose a piece for us as part of the Adopt a Music Creator project.

We’ve been selected for the Adopt a Music Creator project!

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January 20, 2022

RYO and Reading's Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra were selected to take part in Making Music's Adopt a Music Creator project 2022.

Part of the orchestra playing in front of a Christmas tree

Christmas Concert 2021

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January 20, 2022

RYO performed their Christmas Concert at St Joseph's College, as the PACT Christmas Concert was cancelled. They played three pieces which were recorded for the charity PACT to share with their supporters.

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Year end performance Sept 2021 at St Joseph's College

End of year performance 2021

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September 29, 2021

Two of our members are here to tell you about our year-end performance in September 2021. Elsa reflects on this as the …

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What our members say about us

Of all the ensembles I have ever been a part of, RYO truly stands out from the pack and is a constant reminder to me of why I love music. The enthusiasm of its leaders, the quality of its music, and the friendliness of its members provides nothing short of an extraordinary setting for not just growth as a musician, but also growth as a person.
Daniel, French Horn
RYO is such an amazing community of like-minded musical people that is inclusive of everyone, and the end of term social, with activities ranging from quizzes to film nights to ice skating, really reflects this. My favourite part of RYO is the concerts because of all the hard work we put into it, and because you can see how far the orchestra has come when the piece comes together.
Pippa, Clarinet
Since joining RYO last year, Friday evenings have been the highlight of my week. Even on Zoom it was clear to tell how enthusiastic everyone was about their instrument, which means that as well as creating some amazing videos, I've made great friends too!
Jennifer, Clarinet

Photo Gallery

Photo of orchestra members lined up holding their instruments, pulling silly poses