Sydney // Ages 11 to 19 // Established 2026
Australian Christian Youth Orchestra & Choir.
Music, friendship and faith for young instrumentalists and singers. A place to learn, rehearse and perform together in Sydney.
- RehearsalsThursdays 5:30 to 7:30 pm
- LevelGrade 6+ AMEB
- 2026 membership$1,499 per child
Your next step starts with a conversation.
Parents & guardians // Under 18
Help your young musician find their place.
Tell us what your child plays or sings, their experience and what they hope to gain. You’ll manage the enquiry, consent and payment, with the team explaining the audition process.
Young adults // Ages 18–19
Make the next step your own.
You can enquire, receive updates and manage your own membership. Tell us about your experience and goals. We’ll explain the youth programme and the pathway into the adult ensembles.
The interest form starts a conversation. It doesn’t confirm admission or reserve a place. Our team will explain the current intake, audition requirements and membership before you join.
Youth // At a glance
The practical details.
- Ages
Ages 11 to 19
Open to young instrumentalists and vocalists anywhere in Sydney.
- Rehearsal
Fortnightly Thursdays
5:30 to 7:30 pm, convenient for post-school arrival via train or bus.
- Venue
UTS Building 5, Haymarket
1 Quay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000, a 5 to 8 minute walk from Central Station.
- Level
Orchestra: Grade 6+ AMEB
Youth Choir requires a good ear and the ability to sing in tune. Tell us about your experience when you enquire.
- Concerts
2 major concerts
The 2026 mid-year concert took place on 29 August. The end-of-year concert is scheduled for 28 November.
- Pathway
Adult pathway
Support to continue with AChA as young members turn 18.
2026 pricing
A year of music. A clear cost.
Rehearsals, concert preparation and musical direction are included. Parents or guardians manage payment for under-18s; members aged 18–19 manage their own membership.
- Pay in full
- $1,499one child, per year
- 2026 membership
- Two childrenSibling saving
- $1,999for the year
- Saves $999
- Three children
- $2,599for the year
- Saves $1,898
- Pay in 4
- $374.75per monthly instalment, 4 instalments
- Same $1,499 total
- Family support
- Ask usSibling and hardship support may be available
- Our team can explain eligibility
80% attendance requirement
Under-18 members need to attend at least 80% of rehearsals in each concert cycle to perform on stage. This ensures every young musician feels confident and prepared. We understand life happens: ‘holds’ and ‘freezes’ are available for unavoidable or exceptional circumstances. If your child faces a significant challenge, please speak with our leadership team early. Members aged 18–19 manage their own membership; the team will explain the applicable attendance arrangements before joining.
Includes all rehearsals, concert preparation, and performances. 10% family concert ticket discount applies. Financial hardship sponsorships available, contact us to discuss.
Audition process
How to join.
2026 launch intake // Completed
Feb 2
Applications open
Apr 10
Submissions close
Apr 11 to 25
In-person auditions
Apr 28
Offers sent
These are the dates for the completed 2026 launch intake. Express interest and our team will explain the next intake and preparation requirements.
Express interest
Tell us the musician’s age, instrument or voice and experience. A parent or guardian enquires for under-18s; 18–19-year-olds enquire for themselves.
Prepare your audition
Our team explains the intake and audition stages. A video audition, if requested, costs $50. You’ll receive preparation details before any in-person audition.
Meet the musical team
Invited applicants attend an in-person audition. This is free after the video stage; a direct in-person audition without a prior video costs $50.
Receive your offer
After audition approval, complete membership payment and onboarding. Parents or guardians handle this for under-18s; young adults manage their own arrangements.
Grow with AChA
Begin rehearsing and preparing for concerts. Our team supports the next steps as young members turn 18, including the pathway into adult ensembles.
In-person audition requirements
Selected applicants will be invited to a live audition. Excerpts with detailed tempi and metronome marks will be provided in advance, along with audio material for preparation.
Strings
Dynamic control, intonation, tempo comprehension, stylistic awareness, bow control (legato/spiccato/vibrato), phrasing, rhythmic precision.
Woodwind
Breath control, pitch, articulation patterns, intonation, control in high and low register, stylistic awareness, phrasing, vibrato, ability to sustain lyrical phrases.
Brass
Breath control, clarity of tone, expressiveness, clean articulation, sound quality, soloistic flair, control in high register, rhythmic precision.
Percussion
Rhythmic precision, technical mastery of tambourine, triangle, snare drum, timpani, xylophone and glockenspiel, sight-reading of various time signatures.
Piano & Guitar
Ensemble skills, expressive phrasing, clear articulation, rhythmic precision, dynamic versatility, pedal control (piano), chord reading (guitar).
Harp
Clarity of tone, use of pedals, stylistic flair, articulation pulse.
Choir
Sight-singing test, aural (interval and chord singing), two contrasting pieces, pitch accuracy, musicality, tone quality, awareness of singing with others.
Sight-reading: AMEB Grade 4. Aural test: interval, chord singing and rhythm at AMEB Grade 4 level.
Interview questions at the live audition
The musical team may ask about your experience and what you hope to gain. Parents or guardians take part for under-18 applicants; 18–19-year-olds speak for themselves.
For parents
- What do you hope your child will achieve and experience through this program?
For students
- Why do you want to be part of this program?
- Have you been in a choir or orchestra before?
- How long have you been learning your instrument? Have you learnt any other instruments? What AMEB grades have you completed, including musicianship and theory?
The heart
Why we built the youth programs.
Young creatives are some of the most sensitive, thoughtful, spiritually open-hearted people in the world, yet they’re often the ones left without a place to belong.
Many churches don’t have room for a bassoonist, a violist, a young composer. So we built something different: a place where their gift isn’t ‘too much,’ where their faith isn’t separate from their art.
Under Natalia Raspopova’s leadership, the Australian Christian Youth Orchestra and Choir exists to give young musicians what they’ve been searching for: a place where they can grow into the artists, and the people, they were meant to become.
What makes this different
Not just another youth orchestra.
Faith and artistry, held together
Most youth ensembles ask young Christians to compartmentalise. Here, devotion opens every rehearsal and worship is woven through the music we play. Faith isn't an add-on, it's the foundation.
World-class musical direction
Led by Natalia Raspopova: Assistant Conductor with the Queensland Symphony, Concerto Soloist with the Sydney Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra. Professional standards in a nurturing environment.
No annual re-auditions
Audition once. Grow with us for years. Continuous development inside one stable ensemble, the way young musicians actually learn.
A pathway into the adult ensembles
Young members turning 18 can continue with AChA through the youth-to-adult pathway. Our team guides them through the next step.
Christian peers, real friendships
Make music with young people who share your faith and your commitment to the arts.
Comprehensive child safety
Every leader holds a current Working With Children Check. Youth and adult programs are completely separate. Full safety policies are public, read our child safety policy in full.
Commissioned compositions
Your child performs brand-new works written for our ensembles, fostering contemporary musical engagement and the thrill of premiering music no audience has heard before.
Ensemble training that transfers
Learning to listen, blend, and respond in real time. These are the skills private lessons alone cannot teach, and they translate directly into collaborative excellence in every area of life.
Accelerated musical development
A supportive yet challenging environment where young musicians grow faster than they would in isolation. Professional mentorship, peer accountability, and high-calibre repertoire do what weekly lessons cannot.
Future career preparation
Ensemble discipline, stage presence, collaborative problem-solving, and time management: skills highly valued in academic pathways, conservatorium auditions, and professional life beyond music.
All child safety details, leader checks, and incident-reporting procedures are public, read our full child safety policy. Additional needs and neurodivergent musicians are warmly welcomed, contact us early to arrange accommodations.
Child safety
Your child’s safety is non-negotiable.
Formation // Ages 11 to 19
Watch your youth discover who they were meant to become.
What it builds
Not just music training. Character formation.
Growing confidence
Young musicians rehearse together, take on challenging music and learn to perform with care and courage.
Lifelong friendships
Fortnightly rehearsals build deep bonds. Christian peers who share both faith and passion: friendships that outlast the concert season.
Musical excellence
Professional-standard training under Natalia Raspopova. Accelerated development through ensemble playing, leadership rotations, and mentorship.
Faith integration
Faith deepened through worship, theology, and artistry woven into every rehearsal. Not added on, but built in from the ground up.
A rhythm of commitment
Make space for practice and regular rehearsals. Preparation helps every member contribute to the group.
Stage-ready presence
Performing in world-class venues before hundreds builds resilience under pressure. Your young musician learns to deliver their best when it matters most.
Chief conductor
Natalia Raspopova
Russian-Australian Conductor & Concert Pianist
One of Australia’s most distinguished conductors. Natalia has worked as Assistant Conductor with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, performed as Concerto Soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and led productions with Queensland Opera, Opera Queensland, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Her focus: excellence, preparation, and developing the next generation. She brings professional orchestral standards into a nurturing youth environment, with a deep conviction that the best Christian music emerges from the best-trained musicians.
Instruments and voices.
Orchestra minimum: AMEB Grade 6. No annual re-auditions: audition once, grow together for years.
Strings
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Double Bass
- Harp
Woodwind
- Piccolo
- Flute
- Oboe
- Cor Anglais
- Clarinet
- Bass Clarinet
- Bassoon
Brass
- French Horn
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Bass Trombone
- Tuba
Percussion & Band
- Timpani
- Tuned Percussion
- Untuned Percussion
- Piano
- Drum Kit
- Bass Guitar
- Guitar
- Harp
Choir Voices
- Soprano
- Mezzo-Soprano
- Alto
- Tenor
- Baritone
- Bass
2026 calendar
Full rehearsal & concert schedule.
- May 7Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- May 21Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Jun 4Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Jun 18Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Jul 2Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Jul 16Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Jul 30Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Aug 6Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Aug 20Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Aug 27Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Aug 29Mid-Year ConcertCall 1:00 pm · Show 7:30 pm
- Sept 17Social: adults, youth & parents7:00 pm
- Oct 1Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Oct 8Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Oct 22Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Oct 29Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Nov 5Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Nov 19Rehearsal5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Nov 26Tech Run5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Nov 28Grand Finale ConcertCall 1:00 pm · Show 7:30 pm
Child Safety First
Youth ensembles are completely separate from adult programs. Every leader holds a current Working With Children Check. Rehearsals occur at different times to adult sessions. Comprehensive child safety guidelines available at our parent resources page.
Young people with additional needs, including neurodivergent musicians, are warmly welcomed. Contact us early so we can ensure the right accommodations are in place.
Concert day schedule
Each concert day follows the same structure. Please plan pick-up around the full dress rehearsal:
- 1:00 pmMusician call
- 1:30 to 3:30 pmRehearsal
- 4:00 pmFull dress rehearsal
- 7:30 pmConcert begins
Faith requirements
Young people don’t have to identify as Christian, but they must respect and support AChA’s Christian faith and statement of belief. Church membership is not required.
Looking ahead to 2027
Our team can explain future intake dates and membership arrangements when they are confirmed.
In concert
Location // Haymarket
UTS Building 5
1 Quay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000
Look for the yellow “UTS Building 05” signs on the brick building, glass doors.
Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for your first rehearsal. Bring your digital member pass with screen brightness up.
Public transport
- Paddy's Markets Light Rail (closest)
- Central Station (5 to 8 min walk)
- Chinatown bus stops
- Darling Square / Tumbalong precinct
Parking
- Market City Car Park (2 Quay Street), recommended, night rate
- 1 Dixon Street / Darling Harbour Car Park
- First Parking, Darling Square
Parent & young adult questions
For parents & young adults.
A place to be known. A part to play. Room to grow.
Young musicians learn repertoire, prepare for concerts and contribute to an ensemble. Music, friendship and Christian faith give that shared work its purpose.
11–19
Ages
2
Major concerts in 2026
1
Community to grow with
Fortnightly Thursdays // Sydney CBD // Ages 11 to 19
Sydney's premier Christian youth orchestra and choir.
Tell us about your instrument or voice and what you’re looking for. Parents enquire for under-18s; young adults aged 18–19 enquire for themselves. We’ll explain the next intake and audition steps.