Please see below for some of the most frequently asked questions. If you still have further questions after reading this page, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team who will be happy to assist you.
What happens once I have submitted my online application form and paid my deposit?
You should receive an email confirming safe receipt for both, please do check your spam email just in case it has fallen in there.
I’m having trouble accessing my online account, what should I do?
Please email hello@nsso.org explaining the issue you are encountering, along with details of the web browser and type of device you are using. It may also help to include screenshots.
I have missed the closing date for applications – can I still apply?
Please contact us in the first instance. We may have spaces for certain instruments in each orchestra and therefore you may still be able to apply.
If I decide to cancel my place will I get any money back?
If the course is cancelled for any reason, your deposit and any fees paid will be refunded in full.
When is the final payment due?
All payments are due in full by 10th June 2022
How do I make payments to NSSO?
All payments must be paid via your online account and we will notify you when your payment is due.
When should I apply for a bursary?
Our bursary application form is available online and you can either complete this and submit with your application or wait until nearer the deadline. If you indicate that you will need to apply for a bursary when you apply, we can remind you to complete and return this to us before the deadline – please refer to: https://www.nsso.org/take-part/bursaries/
Our bursary application deadline is 1st June 2022.
When will I hear about my audition date?
All auditions are to be videoed and submitted as per our auditions page
What do I need to prepare for my audition?
Two contrasting pieces lasting no longer than 8 minutes and talking afterwards, for no more than 2 minutes, about your involvement in music and why you want to join the National Schools Symphony Orchestra.
When will I find out if I have been successful?
We aim to let everybody know within two weeks of receiving your audition. At that point, you will be offered a place in the orchestra where we think you will contribute most effectively and happily to the success of the course and the final performances.
Is my deposit refundable if I don’t pass the audition?
Yes, your deposit is refundable.
If I pass my audition but decide not to attend do I get my deposit money back?
No, if we have offered you a place but you decide not to take this up then your deposit is not refundable.
Philharmonic / Sinfonia / Academy Residential Only…………………£795.00
Philharmonic / Sinfonia / Academy Non-Residential Only…………………£595.00
All new applicants to NSSO will need to go through the audition process. This will be by a video audition and submitted to us – please review instructions and guidance here. Video auditions are free of charge.
If you have an enquiry about any aspect of NSSO please feel free to get in touch:
NSSO, Malvern College, College Road, Malvern, WR14 3DF
T: 01684 581695
When Malvern College approached me to take over from the wonderful John Madden as artistic director for NSSO, I was thrilled to bits! Music courses were the highlight of my childhood. I lived from course to course with an actual count down on my wall to see how many sleeps until the next time I […]
Dear NSSO Sinfonia 2021. I’m absolutely delighted that we will finally be able to meet in person this summer at Malvern College. It will be an amazing course! We have all missed playing together in orchestras (one thing that Zoom can never offer us!) so it will be a pleasure to see you all again […]
Hello NSSO Philharmonic members 2021. I’m thrilled that this year we can, after all, meet in person to make music at Malvern College. It will be a pleasure to see again those of you who have been on the course in previous years, and it will also be a great pleasure meeting the many new […]