Edinburgh International Festival's Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams Announces Opportunities for Scotland's Youth

By: Jun. 08, 2018
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Edinburgh International Festival's Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams Announces Opportunities for Scotland's Youth

Today the Edinburgh International Festival issued a call to Scotland's young people to lend their voice in realising its spectacular opening event.

The Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams is a free, outdoor performance comprising large-scale illuminations and projections on the Usher Hall and a new work for orchestra and chorus which opens the International Festival on the 3 August 2018.

The Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams marks both 100 years since the end of the First World War and celebrates Scotland's Year of Young People, and will be co-designed by young people, providing a poignant reflection on the thousands of young lives lost in the First World War.

Young performers are invited to participate in bringing to life the artistic vision of event creators Anna Meredith, one of the country's most exciting contemporary composers, and Tony Award winning artists 59 Productions. 250 young people from across Scotland are being sought to form a youth chorus which will perform live during the event. This incredible opportunity is open to young people aged 16 - 26 who would enjoy singing with their peers and would like to take part in the International Festival in front of an audience of thousands, as part of this unique event. The youth chorus will be led by Stephen Deazley, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Love Music Community Choir. No previous singing experience is required as participants will be guided through the rehearsal and performance process. All participants will also receive a Year of Young People Participation Certificate signed by the First Minister.

A range of job opportunities specifically for young people are also announced today which will see them take on active roles across every aspect of the event. Roles available include Camera Operators and Filming Coordinators to assist in capturing the event, and Event Assistants who will work directly alongside International Festival staff to ensure the successful promotion and delivery of the Opening Event.

The International Festival is also working in partnership with the University of Edinburgh as second year and third year students from Edinburgh College of Art's Performance Costume course work to create designs and costumes which will feature as part of the event. The 35 students involved in the project have co-designed a creative brief centred on Five Telegram's core themes and have collaborated with 59 Productions and Anna Meredith directly throughout their creative process.

Kathryn Weaving, an Edinburgh College of Art 3rd Year Performance Costume Student, and Wardrobe Assistant for the Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event said, "It's really exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of the opening event at the International Festival as a wardrobe assistant. Already I've learnt a lot from working with the rest of the team, and it'll be really interesting to see what's involved in producing an event of this size. As a student, having a paid opportunity to work on such a high profile event with experienced professionals really is invaluable, and the skills I'm gaining will be incredibly useful in my career."

Working in partnership with Scotland's Year of Young People 2018, the involvement of young people in the opening event has been specifically designed to offer empowering, educational and professional development opportunities alongside access to training and skills based work experience. It will connect the vibrant voices and talent of today's young people with stories of those who gave or lost their youth to the First World War.

To apply to be a youth chorus participant of Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams, please complete the online application form - www.eif.co.uk/about/creative-learning/young-people

If you do not have access to a computer, or are having issues with the application form, please call Julian Almeida on 0131 473 2035 or email Julian.Almeida@eif.co.uk

Further details on the range of job opportunities and how to get involved can be found via www.eif.co.uk/jobs

Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event: Five Telegrams will be ticketed but free to attend. Full event and ticketing will be announced on 25 June. Five Telegrams also marks an historic partnership with The BBC Proms that will see two great festivals working closely together. The project will open both the International Festival outside the Usher Hall on 3 August and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on 13 July. This joint production marks the first time the International Festival and the Proms have worked together in this way. Events at both locations are rooted in the same creative content but have distinguishing elements.

The Edinburgh International Festival is an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for peoples of all nations. Committed to virtuosity and originality, the International Festival presents some of the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre for three weeks each August

The International Festival continues to attract people both locally and from across the globe

In 2017 the International Festival celebrated its 70th anniversary. The International Festival was established in 1947 to 'provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit' through a shared celebration of artistic excellence and cultural exchange

Standard Life Aberdeen is a leading global investment company. It is a FTSE 100 company headquartered in Scotland, with a presence in 50 locations worldwide.

Its purpose is to invest for a better future and it strives to make a positive long-term impact. This means delivering world-class investment solutions; as well as operating ethically, encouraging good practices among companies they invest in, and providing support and expertise for the benefit of the communities in which they operate.

Creating a culture of inclusion and respect, one that fosters collaboration and innovation, is something the company considers vital too. Standard Life Aberdeen is actively supporting the Year of Young People in Scotland and is recognised for the success of its many innovative partnerships and regular programmes of work which are helping young people to build resilience, develop skills and start on a career path.

Standard Life Aberdeen Opening Event Five Telegrams is supported by EventScotland, part of the VisitScotland Events Directorate. EventScotland is working with the events and festivals sector to develop an exciting portfolio of Year of Young People 2018 public-facing events which have been co-designed by young people and provide opportunities for young people to express themselves through a wide range of activity. Full details on all events can be found by visiting www.visitscotland.com/yoyp2018



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