Entry is by audition and every year approximately 500 [clarification needed] young musicians are selected to play in the orchestras.
Price, a violin teacher, had set up a number of local orchestras for children in Surrey but was acutely aware of the lack of national opportunities for younger musicians.
[3] Each national orchestra[clarification needed] meets twice a year at residential courses around the UK, where they receive training from leading music tutors and conductors.
The NCO has commissioned, premiered and played new pieces by contemporary composers such as Matthew Curtis and Stephen Frost.
They also played a concert to a packed audience in the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.
The BBC Young Musician of the Year 2010 competition featured 25 category finalists, 13 of whom had progressed through the NCO.
As well as those who build successful careers as professional musicians, many other NCO alumni go on to excel in other fields – medicine, law and engineering among others.