Aberdeen International Youth Festival

Aberdeen International Youth Festival

The first festival of its kind was held in the 1960’s when Lionel Bryer and Blyth Major saw the creation of a festival as a way to promote music by getting local and international youth orchestras to join forces. Their initiative grew into such a success over the years that what eventually became known as the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, now attracts more than a thousand participants from all corners of the globe and this year will be no different.

The Aberdeen International Youth Festival has become one of the most important and popular artistic events in Scotland. It now not only boasts a program filled with music, but has theatrical shows, contemporary dance, ballet and performing arts performances, which take place in various venues across Aberdeen. Establishments such as churches, The Music Hall, The Lemon Tree, His Majesty’s Theatre and many more, open their doors to welcome the festival goers, which reach numbers of approximately thirty thousand each year.

Between the 30th of July and the 9th of August 2008, Aberdeen will come alive with educational and artistic programs of which visitors will have eighty different events to attend in the space of two weeks. The lineup of music for the festival includes performances by Fused, Joel Sebunjo, Grampian Youth Orchestra, Petra Paskova, National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra, Alan Benzie Quintet, Homestead High School Choir, RSAMD Opera Students and Mary Garden Opera. In the dance category, visitors can look forward to participants such as YDance, African Showtime Dancers, Georgia Dance Theatre Legacy, Aike Raes, Shenzhen City Dancing Team and Cie Ph/f/ase.

In the theatre program, theatrical performances by West Lothian Youth Theatre, Kinetic, Space 3, YMT: UK, Mitchell School of Drama, Afro Reggae and the Scottish Youth Theatre will keep audiences spellbound. With productions such as WLYT: Monsters, a glimpse into life in Livingston in the year 2022 and the hilarious Teechers, the festival is gearing up to be something spectacular!!

The Aberdeen International Youth Festival is a magnificent event filled the talent of the youth. It is definitely a festival that will keep visitors entertained throughout.