Industry Connections

Think of the International Festival as the place where the arts leaders of tomorrow can gather and flourish. Through mentorship led by world-renowned artists and career-defining performance opportunities, we foster a mutually supportive environment to nurture emerging talent – both on and off stage.

Our work in Industry Connections covers three pathways:

  • Emerging Talent
  • Established Talent
  • Educators

Emerging Talent

We are building on the success of 2023’s emerging talent initiatives by expanding our professional development opportunities in 2024 and 2025. The Emerging Talent strand is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists.

Via an open, digital audition process, international early-career musicians (aged between 18 and 25, with varying levels of experience) are supported to take the next steps in their professional careers.

Five talented students perform alongside professional musicians Stefan Jackiw, Jessica Bodner and Sterling Elliott in the Hub.

© 2023 Andrew Perry

Over the course of one week in the lead up to August, the selected artists take part in a mentorship scheme led by established, world-leading artists. This involves rehearsing alongside their peers and mentors as they establish connections within the performing arts industry. This mentorship scheme culminates in a public, ticketed performance within our programme, where the emerging artists benefit profoundly from the status of one of the world’s most preeminent performing arts festivals. Cost is eliminated as a potential barrier to participation as emerging artists are paid a fee. Travel and accommodation are also paid for and arranged by the International Festival.

Through mentorship and performance opportunities, we are creating a supportive environment for emerging talent to become the next generation of arts leaders – both on and off the stage. This year, you can see rising stars from our international callout performing in concerts at The Queen’s Hall and The Hub.

Related Events

Established

We create opportunities for established Scottish artists and arts professionals to connect with one another, and their international counterparts, at networking events and workshops to share practice.

In 2023, in partnership with Imaginate and Puppet Animation Scotland, we offered Scotland-based artists who work in visual and physical theatre and/or make work for children and young people the opportunity to come together to see a performance of Dimanche ( Focus Company / Chaliwaté Company). Following this performance they participated in a practice-enriching workshop with the company.

Educators

We believe to be inspiring, you need to be inspired. We create opportunities for teachers and educators to connect with the festival and the artists we present. We have run CPD workshops, talks, and hosted networking events for teachers and have more in the planning stages for 2024 and beyond.

Previous Project Highlights

Curious to learn more or interested in working with us? Speak to Caroline Donald, Head of Discovery and Participation, by emailing [email protected].

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