A group of 80 talented young musicians from schools across Europe and the Middle East have arrived in Aberdeen to perform as part of an international music festival.
Vocalists from 13 international schools are gathering at the International School Aberdeen (ISA), to take part in the AMIS (The Association for Music in International Schools) High School Choir Festival 2022.
The event marks the first time the festival has been held anywhere in the world since 2019.
Organised in conjunction with AMIS, ISA will welcome student musicians from Frankfurt International School, International School of Dusseldorf, American International School of Vienna, International School of Brussels, American School of Madrid, American School of Paris, John F Kennedy School of Berlin, Zurich International School, American School of Barcelona, American School of Milan, Saudi Aramco Expatriate School, Dhahran and the American School of London.
This year’s High School Choir Festival will culminate with a Gala Concert tomorrow (Saturday, March 19) in the ISA’s impressive Queen Elizabeth Theatre when the AMIS High School Choir musicians will showcase their exceptional accomplishments livestreamed to a virtual audience.
ISA joined AMIS in 2000 and has since hosted six festivals in conjunction with the organisation, which has over 100 member schools on five continents and provides a network of support for music programmes in international schools all over the world.
Kent Walter, Fine Arts Co-ordinator at ISA, said the school is delighted that travel restrictions have eased enough to be able to hold the festival once again: “We are honoured to be the first school to host an AMIS festival since the pandemic began. ISA is a huge supporter of nurturing talent and uniting the next generation of accomplished performers and we are privileged to be able to reintroduce AMIS to the world.”
The students, including ISA High School vocalist Flora Sawyer, will perform a repertoire of traditional and modern works including ‘Sing We and Chant It’ by Thomas Morley, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, as well as traditional Scottish folksong ‘Loch Lomond’.
The choir will be led by Guest Conductor Kathy Heedles with Margaret Dickson on piano. Kathy has taught at the American International School of Vienna since 1986 and has worked with the famed Vienna Boys Choir. Margaret has taught at ISA for the past 25 years and has been instrumental in ensuring the success of collaborative events between ISA and AMIS.
Nick Little, Head of School, ISA, said: “It is a pleasure to bring this fantastic festival of musical talent to Aberdeen.
“As champions of diverse learning using best practices in education from around the world, ISA is thrilled to be hosting this gifted group of performers. We look forward to facilitating and attending many more events with AMIS in future to ensure we continue to support and inspire the next generation of composers and musicians.”
The Gala Concert will be livestreamed and can be viewed here from 7pm on Saturday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_2ulW3W7A&list=PLe851o-8MHPGbREhAeY2pKvQmsvuX51MW&index=15
For more information on ISA, visit www.isa.aberdeen.sch.uk