Curtain up: 16 photos from the Aberdeen International Youth Festival
1990 - Gordon Highlander Kenny Moir was at Aberdeen Airport to welcome the Swiss National Youth Wind Ensemble, including the Felice brothers, Elio, 23, who played the French horn, and saxophone player Ernesto, 21.
The Aberdeen International Youth Festival was one of the most popular artistic events in Scotland, boasting a program filled to the brim with music, dance and theatre performances.
The event arrived in Aberdeen for the first time in 1973 with the goal of encouraging international collaboration among the world’s youngsters.
It was initially known as the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and Performing Arts, but after finding a permanent home in the Granite City it became the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
The festival played a large role in the city’s entertainment scene for decades, before it was eventually wound up in 2018.
We’ve scoured our archives for photographs of the festival through the years. Do you recognise anyone in these photos? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article!
1981 – Some of the festival musicians taking part in the parade in the city.
1983 – Conductor Kenneth Jean leads Aberdeen Schools Senior Band at their performance in the Music Hall.
1984- Gordon Ross, of the Gordon Highlanders Pipe Band, offers Wilma Tercio and Elvira Santos, from the Philippines, a turn on his bagpipes.
1983 – Conductor Janos Sandor puts the Festival Orchestra through its paces.
1984 – Bryan Donald and his wife Elma try out a drum during a visit to their Holburn Street home by the Sri Lankan group at AIYF, organised by their daughter Lisa, back, second right, who was hostess to the group.
1984 – Gordon Wilhelm, of Calgary Youth Orchestra, trumpets the arrival in Aberdeen of musicians who were to take part in the youth festival.
1992 – Helping with the AIYF box office opening are Steve Robertson, left, and Buff Hardie, of Scotland The What? with Elaine Henderson, back, and Margaret Preston.
1992 – John Jackson, 15, on violin, Megan Burns, 18, on cello and Karen Smith, 20, on clarinet play for Sheena Anderson, courier for the Kitchener-Waterloo Orchestra.
1989 – Lois Fairclough and Ian Darrington of the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra thumb a lift from car enthusiast Hugh Oliver in his 1939 Rover.
1986 – The Doering siblings – identical twins Michael, left, and Mark, 25, and sister Susan, 27 – were all string players with the San Diego Youth Symphony Orchestra.
1981 – Aberdeen Chamber Orchestra’s cellists at the Beach Ballroom for last-minute briefings from promenade conductors the Marchioness of Aberdeen and Janos Sandor, front right.
1986 – Chris Griffiths, John Grant and Lawrence Gill play Happy Birthday for festival music school administrator Sheena Anderson.
1985 – North of the border with the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra are, from left, Paul Mitchell Davidson and three members of the Haimes family – Christopher, Philippa and Paul.
1990 – Trinidad steel band members, from left, Maureen Orsosco, 16, Hayden Ramnarine, 21, and his sister Chezelle, 17, rehearsing at Linksfield Academy.
1983 – Arbroath sisters Pamela and Sally Menmuir were both taking part in the festival – Pamela, 18, on violin, and Sally, 17, as a dancer.
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Curtain up: 16 photos from the Aberdeen International Youth Festival
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