
Our Work with Young People
Learning and EngagementOur Work with Young People
Year-round and during August, we work with a number of young people on projects that range from explorations of the artforms and international artists we present on stage through to opportunities to participate and perform at the International Festival, connecting at all times to relevant curriculum learnings.
Young Music Pass

The National Youth Orchestra of the USA outside the Usher Hall
© 2019 Ryan BuchananDiscover a world of classical music for free.
Every year some of the world’s finest musicians, orchestras and ensembles come to perform in Edinburgh at the International Festival. With a Young Music Pass, you can see them for free!
From world-class orchestras at the Usher Hall, to breathtaking soloists, singers and instrumentalists at The Queens Hall, the International Festival’s classical music programme has something for everyone. Every year we give away hundreds of free concert tickets to local young people, so why not take up the opportunity to experience the best classical music from around the world on your doorstep?
Opera Project
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2021 Opera Project Team
© 2021 Credit : Jess Shurte
Tenor Seumas Begg performing an aria as part of the 2021 Opera Project
© 2021 Credit : Jess Shurte
Soprano Emma Morwood sings an aria as part of the 2021 Opera Project
© 2021 Credit : Jess ShurteThe performances were all very interesting. The workshop was extremely engaging. It was a very creative and unique way to show us different opera styles.
A pupil from The Royal High School
Made me want to go and see an opera.
A pupil from The Royal High School
The International Festival’s Opera Project is an annual initiative that seeks to make the artform of opera accessible to young people, breaking down barriers and perceptions. After a brief hiatus, Opera Project returned this year in a new format which looked at opera across the ages and how the artform has evolved. Covering a wide array of musical concepts and techniques, this year’s project was designed to sit alongside the secondary music curriculum and is suitable for S3 and above.
We are looking to present our next Opera Project in September 2022. If you would like to know more or participate in a future workshop, please email learn@eif.co.uk
This project was made possible through the generous support of the Stevenson Charitable Trust.
Lament for Sheku Bayoh

Lament for Sheku Bayoh
© 2020 Mihaela BodlovicFollowing inclusion in the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival programme, we have teamed up with the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh to bring schools across Scotland access to Hannah Lavery’s Lament for Sheku Bayoh.
Suitable for upper secondary school, Lament for Sheku Bayoh is a poetic reflection on grief for the human behind the headlines and a non-apologetic reflection on racism in Scotland today. Available via the National Theatre of Scotland’s new education portal, teachers can get access to a film of the full production of the play as well as an in-depth teachers’ resource that explores the themes of the play and how to tackle them in the classroom, as well as a creative writing workshop from Hannah Lavery.
Young Musician's Passport
Every
year some of the world’s finest musicians, orchestras and ensembles
come to perform in Edinburgh at the International Festival. With a
Young Musician’s Passport we offer our younger audiences the chance
to see them for free!
This year, with Covid-19 restrictions and smaller venue capacities, we worked on a special ballot system to allow over 150 young people the opportunity to attend classical music events in the Festival for free. This was made possible through the generous support of the Turtleton Charitable Trust and The Pirie Rankin Charitable Trust.
Previous Projects
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Edinburgh’s “Sugar Army”, local dancers performing at the Lyceum Theatre as part of Hard To Be Soft at the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival
© Credit : Gaelle Beri
Kadamati, 2018, Palace of Holyroodhouse
© 2018 Credit : Ryan Buchanan
Kadamati, 2018, Palace of Holyroodhouse
© 2018 Credit : Ryan Buchanan
Winner of 2019’s Wee Cherub Award, Olivia Campanile, as part of our Herald Young Critics project
© 2019 Credit : Gordon Terris
Edinburgh’s “Sugar Army”, local dancers who all performed as part of Oona Doherty’s 'Hard To Be Soft' at the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival
© 2019 Credit : Gaelle Beri
Edinburgh’s “Sugar Army” in rehearsals for Hard To Be Soft which was performed as part of the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival
© 2019 Credit : Gaelle Beri
Students attending our Technical Theatre Day at Leith Theatre in 2019 where they were introduced to a range of professional lighting, sound and FX equipment
© 2019 Credit : Gaelle Beri
Students from the Edinburgh College of Art displaying cloaks they designed for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Opening Night: Five Telegrams
© Credit : Ian Georgeson
Pupils from Tynecastle High School attending the Heart of Hollywood Family Film Night, an event designed by the pupils of the school to connect with the Aberdeen Standard Investments Opening Night: La Phil at Tynecastle
© 2019 Credit : Ryan Buchanan
A young dancer rehearsing for Kadamati, presented at the 2018 Edinburgh International Festival
© 2018 Credit : Ryan Buchanan© 2019 Gaelle Beri