RSNO announce Yoyo & The Little Auk live performance dates Posted Thu 14 April 2022
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) announce Yoyo & The Little Auk live performance dates, touring some of Scotland’s best festivals and concert venues this summer and autumn.
The live concert experience is accompanied by a brand-new animated film, created in partnership with Visible Fictions, introducing children to classical music in a fun and interactive way. The Orchestra will be performing at the Wee Write Festival in Glasgow, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Haddo Arts Festival in Aberdeenshire and the Discovery Film Festival, Dundee. The project and live concert tour is supported by EventScotland in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.
Written by Stewart Ennis, Yoyo & The Little Auk tells the story of a little auk who loses its way during migration and lands with a plop in the charming town of Inverkithkin. The lost bird is found by Yoyo, a little girl who is getting ready for her favourite night of the year – the night of the Inverkithkin Ceilidh. The story of Yoyo & The Little Auk tells of the adventures of Yoyo and her new friend as the pair, together with the help of Yoyo’s grandparents, make party costumes, unveiling treasures from across the world along the way.
The brand-new story has been brought to life by Visible Fictions with an animated film and original music composed by Euan Stevenson, to be performed by the RSNO live in concert. The world premiere performance will be at the Wee Write Festival in Glasgow on Sunday 19 June. The festival dates follow a successful tour of Gaspard’s Foxtrot, this year’s National Schools Concert Programme, which saw over 8,000 school children attend live performances across the country.
The Yoyo & The Little Auk orchestral concerts will last for approximately 45mins and feature engaging activities led from the stage. The accessible family events are the perfect introduction to orchestral music and storytelling for early years learners aged 3-6.
Before June, families and nurseries will be able to watch the concert film Yoyo & The Little Auk for free when the film premieres on Friday 22 April, coinciding with World Earth Day. It will be available to watch on the RSNO’s website until December 2022. The film will be available in English with British Sign Language and also in Gaelic, thanks to the support of Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Families, nurseries and early years centres can sign up now to receive a specially created suite of teaching resources and continuing professional development opportunities based on the story of Yoyo.
Yoyo & The Little Auk is part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 events programme, supported by EventScotland. The project is also kindly supported by the Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Nancie Massey Charitable Trust, Northwood Charitable Trust, Leach Family Charitable Trust, Russell Trust, Verden Sykes Trust, Leisure & Culture Dundee and Glasgow City Council.
Andy Stevenson, RSNO Director of Learning and Engagement, said: “We are thrilled to be taking Yoyo & The Little Auk on the road, sharing this special story with young audiences across Scotland. I’m grateful to our festival partners for helping us to bring the Orchestra to new audiences and I hope that they love the story and music as much as we do! The concert tour gives us an opportunity to celebrate the diverse cultures, languages and landscapes that we are so lucky to have in Scotland.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events said: “We are delighted to be supporting Yoyo & The Little Auk as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. From icons of literature to local tales, Scotland’s Year of Stories encourages locals and visitors to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of our stories, past and present. Yoyo & The Little Auk will be at the heart of an engaging, celebratory nationwide events programme with their live concert experience, allowing younger audiences to experience classical music and enjoy this newly created story through the animated film when it tours across four of festivals over the coming months showcasing Scotland as the Perfect Stage for events.”
