The first festival of its kind in the country, this exciting new project, run entirely by local volunteers, is taking place in Dundee this September. Comprised of various performances from professionals and community musicians alike, masterclasses and educational workshops, there is something for everyone in the debut programme and the festival are eager for community members to both participate and enjoy.
The largest and most unique event of the festival is the Young Artists Singing Competition. With the hopes of reaching the final to perform with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the competition received over one-hundred applications from around the UK. With four finalists selected and ready to perform in front of audiences and a high-profiling panel of judges, this certainly is an exciting opportunity coming from Dundee.
Verdi's grand opera Aida will be making a return to Dundee after almost twenty years! The ensemble is comprised of collaborations with Tayside Opera, National Youth Choir of Scotland and Stonehaven Chorus, along with other talented individuals from the community. This large mixture of professional, semi-professional and community singers take on the challenge of grand opera, while also celebrating the learning that comes from working with such a diverse group. The festival are incredibly proud to provide an opportunity for locals to perform a piece of music they love and in one of Scotland's most beautiful concert halls.
What takes this Aida performance further is it is closely linked to festival education workshops, which focuses on the dramatic side of opera. High school students from across Dundee have been invited to take part in this workshop, which will focus on the various themes present in Aida, for example, love, war, feminism, slavery, which highlights how relevant opera can be in a modern-day context. The students will then have an opportunity to attend the opera itself.
