Dates and Locations 2026 Expand Applications Tuesday 6th January 2026 - Applications open Thursday 26th February 2026 - Applications close Applications for 2026 have now closed. . Live Audition Dates Thursday 26 March 2026 - Live semi-final auditions at the Casals Forum, Kronberg, Germany. Monday 30 March 2026 - Live semi-final auditions at the Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom. Successful applicants need to be available on the day of audition, as well as the day following for a short spoken interview. . Thursday 7 May 2026 - Public Final Auditions at Wigmore Hall, London, UK. . Still have questions? See our Audition FAQs
Eligibility Expand Instrumental Categories YCAT auditions are open to the following instruments: Strings Woodwind, Brass & Percussion Voice Solo Piano / Keyboard (includes Accordion) Ensemble 2-6 members; groups comprising singers and instrumentalists, and piano duos (one piano) are eligible to apply. Instrumental duos with piano (e.g. violin/piano, cello/piano etc.) and two piano duos are not eligible. Age Limit On the date of the Final Auditions (7 May 2026), you must be: Instrumentalists - aged 28 or under Singers - aged 30 or under Ensembles - average age of 30 or under Management If you are currently, or have previously been, signed and received representation from local or international commercial management you are not eligible to apply. You cannot apply to both YCAT and the Concert Artists Guild (CAG) in the same year. Education You have completed (or are enrolled in) a recognised course of study for your instrument/voice. Visas Applicants must have the right to undertake regular paid performance work in the UK without needing individual work visas or permits, and you must be eligible to visit and undertake performances in the UK via the Permitted Paid Engagements route. You CAN apply if: You hold a UK/British passport You hold a passport from a non-visa-national country (e.g, EU/EEA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, USA, among others). You are currently on a UK student visa and already hold, or have received confirmed approval for, a UK Global Talent Visa or will be moving to the Graduate Route by 31st July 2026. You CANNOT apply if: You hold a passport from a visa-national country You are on a UK Student Visa that extends beyond 31 July 2026 AND you are not transitioning to the Graduate Route or UK Global Talent Visa in 2026. Still have questions? See our Audition FAQs
How do I Apply Expand All applications must be submitted via the Muvac portal. You will first need to create a free account and then select the correct application form (specific to your discipline) to apply. We are unable to accept any applications sent directly to YCAT. If you're considering applying to audition, we strongly recommend you download our Audition Form preparation pack as a guide, prior to commencing your online application. Still have questions? See our Audition FAQs Apply Now
Other information Expand Audition fee of £55 (inc. VAT) Applicants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. Soloists must provide their own pianists at every stage (including the public finals), make all rehearsal arrangements, and pay any fees Still have questions? See our Audition FAQs
Repertoire Requirements Expand Repertoire at all stages is free choice and should demonstrate a versatile, varied and curious musical personality. All applicants can repeat repertoire in each round. Please note, soloists must provide their own pianists at every stage (including the public finals), make all rehearsal arrangements, and pay any fees. . Preliminary Audition (video submission) 1 minute introductory video about why you are applying to YCAT 15 minutes of live, unedited performance/s You may upload up to four videos to the Muvac platform as part of your submission. The video(s) must have been recorded after 1 January 2025 and can include both live concert and/or specifically recorded materials . Semi-Final Audition (Live performance) Repertoire from the preliminary round may be repeated in the semifinal and final rounds. At the live audition, you will choose your opening work, after which the panel will request excerpts from the remainder of the submitted programme. You may be asked to verbally introduce some of this repertoire as you would in various concert settings. Those invited to the live semi-final auditions will be asked to submit a repertoire list for the audition which adheres to the following time limits: Instrumentalists - 100 minutes Vocalists - 60 minutes (including at least three languages) Ensembles - 120 minutes (complete works only) . Final Audition (Public performance) Prepare 25 minutes of repertoire to be performed in a live performance at Wigmore Hall, London. This programme will be discussed at the interview following selection of finalists. (Note that you are not required to submit this programme at the point of application). . Still have questions? See our Audition FAQs