Now in its third edition, Recruiting Classical is back and it’s more ambitious than ever. With 100 auditions and eight of the UK’s leading orchestras involved, the 2025 programme is set to make an even deeper impact on the classical music landscape.
We have just wrapped up our first round of auditions in Manchester, and the talent has been nothing short of extraordinary. Up next: the second audition round, taking place on 28th & 29th July in London. And as the programme grows, it’s becoming something bigger than its original blueprint. This is not just a development scheme it is a cultural reset.
Creating space for global majority excellence
Recruiting Classical exists to reimagining how talent is discovered, nurtured, and celebrated. By creating real opportunities for global majority string players to be seen, heard, and hired at the highest levels, we are challenging long-standing barriers and expanding what is possible in UK orchestras.
Every audition is more than a performance, it’s a statement of belonging, excellence, and the urgent need for change in an industry that has historically excluded so many. We are proud to be working alongside forward-thinking orchestras who share this commitment, and who understand that diversity is a necessity.
What’s next?
In the coming weeks, we will be sharing powerful stories from inside the audition rooms, highlighting the journeys, voices, and artistry of the musicians redefining classical music from the inside out.
This programme is not just building careers, it is reshaping the future of orchestral music in the UK and beyond.
Stay tuned. The movement is growing.
Recruiting Classical is led by Black Lives in Music in partnership with:
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The Hallé
Ulster Orchestra