Calling all volunteers!

Every year at AIYF, we are lucky enough to be supported by a team of volunteer staff. As AIYF 2010 approaches, we are looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks from now until the end of the Festival (7 August).

Jobs include helping distribute our promotional material far and wide (within Aberdeen City and surrounding region), helping out in the AIYF office with administrative tasks, and helping out front of house at performances and outside events.

As a small token of our appreciation, all volunteers receive free tickets to a Festival show of choice and transport expenses will be covered.

Are you available for even a few hours to help out? Just get in touch at volunteer@aiyf.org

Thanks very much!

Festival Update

Another week draws to a close, and we are officially past the longest day of the year, and for us at AIYF that means two things: Loads of work and a new office! Monday was a flurry of activity as we said goodbye to Regent Quay for the next wee while, moving to larger accomodation at the University of Aberdeen which will be our base right on through the festival.

The longest day of the year, Monday, was our moving day. Into the van went our remaining brochures, (yes, we still have plenty for those who would like any!), computer/ office equipment, and enough juice and water to satisfy a mini marathon. (You don't need my help to draw a comparison).

The University staff have been doing all they can to help us, and they are a major reason for a relatively smooth transition. We would like to thank the University for its continued support. Also instrumental in our big move were Capital Solutions, and we also pay tribute to them for their part in getting the new office up and running as quickly as possible.

So, right on into August, we are to be found at the New Kings building in the heart of the University of Aberdeen, Kings' College Campus. Our main office is located in room NK11 (left door as you face the building, up one flight of stairs, on the right). It will be our thriving hive of activity. One feature of our time here is that we all have direct lines:



Reception - 01224 273740 (All numbers preceeded by Aberdeen code 01224)

Stewart Aitken (Chief Executive) - 274339

Ruth Fisher (Festival Manager) - 274336

Flora Cook (Festival Administrator) - 274335

Andrew Youngson (Manager, Marketing and Communications) - 274333

Alisdair McLeod (Administration, Marketing and Communications) - 274338

HotDesk - 274334



Fast forward a few days and everything is up and running. Final preparation is beginning to take shape. There is now little more than a month until the start of the festival, and we are gearing up for more than a hundred shows, each with different groups, acts performers - and audiences. Because Festival Staff, busy as they are, work with the intended outcome of yet another successful festival, which means an extensive list of shows that are well worth seeing. You can find details about every single one at http://www.aiyf-listings.org.uk/. (Promise kept!) Our efforts for the whole year shall, ultimately, be judged between 28th July and 7th of August. But this is your festival as much as it is ours. So to ensure the Aberdeen International Youth Festival 2010 is every bit as good as you deserve it to be, make sure you are there to see as much of it as possible!

SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMME LAUNCH AT UNION SQUARE

Aberdeen International Youth Festival officially launched its programme for 2010 with a 5-hour variety performance at Union Square. The launch began at Cineworld with a welcome to an audience predominantly comprising of friends, supporters and sponsors. The general public were then treated to a variety display in the main atrium.
The place was packed as dancers from Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company took to the floor with a visually enthralling set of pieces including a dance from Travis and Jamie Tuft. The company, from Utah, America were here in Aberdeen as part of their tour and we are so glad they could join us for this curtain raiser.
The show continued with a rendition of songs from Chalmers Mackay School of Music, including their band Celtallica. This was just a small preview of what Chalmers Mackay will be bringing to the festival this year. If their performance at Union Square was anything to go by, they will be well worth seeing.
And so it continued, right on up until closing time, with acts that had everything from more music to street dance. If this is just a small glimpse of what will happen when the festival is actually underway, Aberdeen will be the only place to be come the 28th of July.
The event could not have gone as it did without the tremendous response we received from our team of volunteers, as well as present members of our office staff, who were on hand to give out as many brochures as the public demanded. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who gave their time to ensure the event ran smoothly.
We would also like to thank Cameron Presentations for staging the show. Their technical display and sound expertise were vital in making the show the best it could be. They were great to work with and the fact they are now in Aberdeen is very good news.
The press were also in attendance. In particular, coverage of the event can be seen on the front page of This Morning's Press and Journal. A video of the event is also available online from the Evening Express. We would like to thank them for their support.
So, full steam ahead for the festival, from 28th July - 7th August. Yesterday was just the beginning. Our full and varied programme will have something for everyone, and details are available in our brochure, and we have plenty! Alternatively, visit www.aiyf-listings.org.uk for a guide to all the shows.

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME LAUNCH 2010

This year's Programme Launch will be at Aberdeen's Union Square on Thursday 10th June. The Launch of the programme will start at Cineworld on the Upper (First) floor, and will continue in the main atrium with a show performance from as yet un-named groups. (So watch this space). However, a launch event of this scale does not happen all by itself. If you are, or can be in Aberdeen that day, why not get involved? Our Festival Manager can find something suited to your individual expertise.
If you want to help, get involved by contacting Ruth. You can get in touch by comment on this site, on Facebook, or any of our other sites. (Link for our website in title link) Direct emails should be sent to: ruth@aiyf.org; our office telephone number is (01224) 213800.

Free orchestral concert!

Hello all,

Just blogging to let you all know about a unique concert that's coming up at the Music Hall on Thursday 27th May.

The Music Hall will play host to a live streamed concert straight from The Royal Festival Hall in London. The real-time broadcast will feature the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, led by Ivan Fischer, and featuring Julia Fischer on Violin. Here's the programme:

Rossini Overture - The Italian Girl in Algiers
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto
Rossini - Variazioni a piu istrumenti obbligati
Schubert - Symphony No.5 in B Flat

And, oh yeah, wait a minute. It's totally FREE! This is courtesy of Shell who are doing this as part of their 2009/10 International Concert Series.

If you're interested (and you should be - it's International-quality culture for FREE!) just follow this link that will take you to the Aberdeen Box Office page when yu can book tickets.

See you there!

AIYF

Tickets go on sale for youth arts festival.

Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF), one of the world’s leading celebrations of youth arts, has announced that tickets for performances in Aberdeen’s main venues have been released for general sale today (Monday 19 April).

Following a ten day priority booking period for members of the AIYF Friends, a total of eleven performances that will be hosted in His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree are now on sale to the general public.

Performances include many of the musical, dramatic and dance highlights of AIYF 2010 such as the Festival Dance Gala on Thursday 5 August and the ever-popular International Variety Gala on Saturday 7 August that will take place at HMT. Music Hall performances now on sale include the Welcome Ceremony on Thursday 29 July, an evening with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra featuring Soprano Lisa Milne on Friday 30 July, and A Serenade to Music on Sunday 1 August – a choral recital featuring the works of Vaughan Williams. Performances by the Scottish contemporary dance group, Project Y, and the Mitchell School of Drama are now on sale at the Lemon Tree Studio.

Aberdeen International Youth Festival has long been one of the world’s leading participatory youth festivals and 2010 will see musicians, dancers and theatre acts showcase their talents over a 10 day period running from 28 July to 7 August.

AIYF Chief Executive, Stewart Aitken, said: “I am delighted to make some of our key shows available sooner than we have been able to in the past. With more than 70 unique acts from across the world now signed up, AIYF promises to be one of the Festival’s most exciting and diverse years.”

The Aberdeen International Youth Festival 2010 runs from July 28 until August 7.
Tickets for AIYF are available from Aberdeen Box Office on 01224 641122 or online at www.boxofficeaberdeen.com

For the most up to date programme information visit www.aiyf.org

AIYF 2010 Residency Courses Now Open!

Hi everyone,

We are pleased to announce that the residency opportunities for AIYF 2010 are now available. They will give participants the chance to improve your talents and work with some of the best artists from around the world.

Balmoral Splore Traditional Music School: 2 - 6 August 2010

Splore is aimed at musicians between the ages of 12 – 16. It gives young musicians the chance to explore and develop their skills in traditional music. All participants must be grade 2 or above. Classes will be taught in fiddle, whistle, guitar, accordion, piano, clarsach and percussion along with other instruments depending of Splore numbers and time.

For more information or to apply please click here.

Ceol Mor Trad Music Big Band: 30 Jul – 7 Aug 2010

Ceol Mor is AIYF’s trad big music band. It consists of some of the most promising musicians from Scotland and North America. They perform unique arrangements of trad Scottish music by mixing it with different, exciting, musical styles.

The band will have a 9 day residency at the 2010 AIYF, including a week of rehearsals and gigs in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, including a performance at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Ceol Mor is open to musicians aged 16 – 26, grade 5 and above.

For more information or to apply please click here.

Dance Lab: 27 Jul – 5 Aug 2010

Dance Lab gives young dancers of varying levels the chance to explore dance styles indepth with leading tutors from Scotland and across the globe. It consists of three master classes and a youth option listed below:

• Master Class 1: 27 – 29 Jul 2010 with Robert Lori
• Master Class 2: 30 Jul – 1 Aug 2010 with Scottish Ballet
• Master Class 3: 2 – 5 Aug 2010 with Andy Howitt Artistic Director of Y-Dance
• Young Dance Lab, is open to dancers aged 8 - 14 and gives younger dancers the chance to learn different dance styles and stimulate their imaginations.

For more information on either Dance Lab or to apply please click here.

Chamber Music Project: 2 – 6 Aug 2010

The AIYF Chamber Music Project is new to 2010 and gives musicians the chance to work with The Hebrides Ensemble (www.hebridesensemble.org.uk) and Director Will Conway. There are 20 places available in the Chamber Music Project with no accommodation or tuition fees.

For more information or to apply please click here.

London 2012 opportunity for disadvantaged Aberdonian Youths

We would like to let you know about an opportunity for disadvantaged youths in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen City Council is developing its partnership with London 2012 to improve outcomes for eight disadvantaged youths within Aberdeen. There are only four places in the whole of the UK offering this opportunity, which is supported by AIYF Gold Festival Sponsor BP.

Young people will be selected in teams of five from a handful of local authorities based around proximity to BPs four hub locations of;

• Hull

• Aberdeen

• Canary Wharf

• Spelthorne and Hounslow

London 2012 have made a commitment to deliver a Young Leaders Programme (YLP) to 100 Youths to give them the chance of a life time to take part in a intensive personal development programme. The programme offers training and coaching with the chance to lead volunteering opportunities, which will run between April 2010 and September 2012.

YLP is designed to develop youth’s inter-personal, communication and leadership skills to enable them to play a significant role in the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games.

100 BP employees will be providing individual leadership coaching to young leaders to help them along their way including additional support from a number of athlete mentors and delivery organisations.

This is a very exciting opportunity as it is the only group of young people in the UK to be offered such a high profile role during games time.

Participants must have turned 16 before 1/1/2010 and have a home address in Aberdeen. It is open for youths who have experienced a disadvantage in line with the criteria in the Young Leaders Programme.

For full details on the National programme click here

For a copy of the Nominations Form, please contact the AIYF office on info@aiyf.org. NB Filled in forms must be returned by 17 March.

Auditions for Euroasia Symphony Orchestra extended!

Applications for the Euroasia Symphony Orchestra have just been extended until Monday 19 April.

The next orchestra session will take place from the 5th to the 14th of August, 2010 in Seoul (South Korea), potentially followed by a concert tour up to 8 days.

The Orchestra gives highly talented youths in the European Union and most Asian countries the opportunity to work with master musicians. They aim to bring people together to bridge their cultural, linguistic and social differences through the enthusiasm they share for making music. The project is set to see over 100 musicians from 40-45 different countries join after an audition process.

Applications close this coming Monday 1 March. Places are open to young musicians over 18 years of age who are registered as students in a recognised music institution.

For full details, please visit the Jeunesses Musicales International website here.

Alternatively, download our form from the AIYF Taking Part Page.

Singing Group now on a Thursday

Quick announcement:

The AIYF Singing Group, for P5 to Secondary 3 year olds of all abilities, will now meet every Thursday night at Northfield Community Centre, Byron Square, from 6pm - 7pm.

The group, which formerly met on a Wednesday evening, invites enthusuatic youths to come along and work with the AIYF Music Team to write their own music, sing in groups and as soloists.

The group has proved very popular students across the region, so why not give it a try?

For more information just click here and follow the link to the 'AIYF Singing Group' info and application form.

Happy singing!

YMT UK Auditions 2010

Hey everyone,

We would like to let you know that our long term partners, the Youth Music Theatre, are holding auditions for their 2010 shows.

They are looking for talented young performers, musicians and stage managers from around the country to join their national company and take part in performances such as The Watchers/New Dawn, Peter Pan, an Urban (street) Opera and The Savage.

This sounds really exciting and we want to let you know they are coming to Aberdeen to hold auditions at The Lemon Tree on Saturday 13th February to search for new talent.

Here is some information on the show that will be taking place as part of AIYF 2010:

Vampires haunt the backstreets of a small fishing seaside town as the Watchers (a pack of human dogs in hoodies) and the Pavilion gang (ordinary church going kids) seeks them out. New Dawn is the sequel to 2009’s production of The Watchers. Eat your heart out – Stephanie Meyer!

Make sure you head along as it is a great opportunity to get involved!

For a full list of auditions dates and cities, please visit www.youthmusictheatreuk.org to find out where you can take part!

Applications now closed!

Stop the press!

Aberdeen International Youth Festival are closing their applications for 2010, meaning that the festival is closer than we think!

So if you apply now, your application will be received for the 2011 festival.

Over 30 unique acts have been invited from across the world to join and express their diverse talents throughout Scotland. The Festival is bringing back some favourite acts, but also introducing new talents to bring an exceptional variety of performances, with some groups who have never been to Scotland before!

A few of the acts that will be performing are: African storytelling, Hungarian dancing, modern Ballet from Canada, Russian orchestras, with many more unique acts to make this one of the best festivals yet!

AIYF runs from 28th July until August 7th. Make sure to keep checking our website for the most up to date information to provide you with everything you need to know to get the most out of this year’s festival!