Every other year, the NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF CHINA mobilizes over one hundred of China’s finest young musicians for a month-long summer festival and concert tour. Students are selected through a competitive audition process open to all Chinese citizens aged 14 to 21 years old. The best, who represent leading conservatories from all across China and abroad, assemble for a residency with faculty drawn from the principal players of leading international orchestras. Following an intensive regimen of rehearsals and lessons, students are sent to premier venues around the world to perform alongside some of classical music’s most distinguished artists. In doing so, these promising young musicians are able to serve as ambassadors for both their country and their generation on a truly global stage. So as to recruit and matriculate the strongest applicants from all across China, the entire program is provided at no cost to students.