There is no fee to apply or audition for Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship.

Yes, everyone receives the same amount of tax-free bursary, which in 2023/24 is £10,000. We aim to increase this each year and will confirm the exact amount before you begin.

Please note, our Organ Fellowship position involves a different level of activity (around half the amount of the orchestral Fellowship) – this is reflected in the bursary amount.

On average, the Fellowship is three days a week (Tuesday – Thursday). We do, however, have several concerts, workshops, and opportunities, that arise on other days.

We do expect you to commit to the whole programme (October – August). However, we always strive to accommodate other work opportunities/ auditions you are offered.

Owing to the intense programme of activity, it is not practical to be part of Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship whilst studying. We recommend you apply for the year following graduation or wait to apply once you have graduated.

There is no age limit. We are here to help people in the first few years of their career, so most members are usually in their twenties. Some have just graduated or completed equivalent training, but others have already been working for a few years.

Each year we welcome many players who have studied abroad and/or who have taken an alternative route to music outside of formal education.

If you are not a British national and do not have existing permission to settle in the UK under the EU settlement scheme or other valid leave to remain in the UK, you will need to acquire a visa to be able to undertake Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship. We have authorisation from the UK Home Office to assist a limited number of musicians to gain a visa to move to the UK for the duration of the Fellowship programme via the ‘Temporary Work – Creative worker’ UK visa route. We encourage applicants to arrange their own visas wherever this is possible (for example via the Youth Mobility Visa Scheme). If you are not able to arrange a visa which enables you to live and work in the UK for the period of the Fellowship programme, we will do all we can to arrange a visa on your behalf within the limits permitted to us by the UK Visa & Immigration service, however we are unable to guarantee that we will be able take your application forward if the limitations do not allow. You are welcome to contact us at auditions@sinfoniasmithsquare.org.uk to discuss this in more detail if you are not sure of what is required.

All our rehearsals and projects will be in English, so it is vital you have very good use and understanding of the language.

Yes. If you have applied before but feel you have made good progress since then and would like to try again, we encourage you to do so! When applying, tell us what you have done musically since we last saw you, and how you have progressed since your last application.

This is rare but we are happy to have a conversation about it. It may be that we can help you decide which would be the best instrument to apply on based on your experience so far, or – in exceptional circumstances – we may be able to accept two applications from one person. If you would like to talk about this, please contact us at auditions@sinfoniasmithsquare.org.uk and we can chat further.

The Fellowship is based at Smith Square Hall (formerly St John’s Smith Square) in Westminster, London. Many of our rehearsals and concerts will take place here. However, throughout the course of the Fellowship, the orchestra will also perform across London, the UK, and beyond.

Players are expected to find their own accommodation for the year. We strongly recommend you find somewhere within Greater London, so you do not have to travel excessively; this is especially important on occasions when we have concerts at venues around the UK and return to London late at night. Often, players live with friends or other young people in flats or house shares; others rent rooms from families or individuals who are happy to accommodate young artists. If you have difficulty finding somewhere to stay, we can usually help make some connections for you.

Team spirit is crucial to the Fellowship. Our friendly and welcoming atmosphere is not just among the orchestra, but also with the staff, and our family of supporters whose generosity and belief in your potential helps make Sinfonia Smith Square happen every year.

Being a professional orchestral musician is demanding work. The programme is therefore action-packed and features some long days and late nights, but every year players build up the energy needed to thrive, standing them in good stead for a career in music.