Edinburgh International Festival announces paid opportunity for pre-professional string players

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The Edinburgh International Festival is inviting auditions for five string players to take part in a performance of Mendelssohn Octet at this year’s festival on 10 August.

Three violinists, one violist and one cellist will be selected by Edinburgh International Festival director, Nicola Benedetti, to work with Stefan Jackiw, Jessica Bodner and Sterling Elliott, culminating in an onstage performance in the Festival’s home on the Royal Mile, The Hub.

Aimed at pre-professional string players, the opportunity is paid, with travel and accommodation paid for to remove financial barriers to participation. To be considered applicants must be of conservatoire-level standard and not be part of a recognised existing chamber group playing professionally. Candidates must submit a video recording performance of the first movement of a Classical or early-Romantic concerto or sonata.

The deadline for applications is 9 June 2023. Applicants must be available for rehearsals on 7 to 9 August, with the performance on 10 August 2023. More information can be found here.

The Edinburgh International Festival will take place from 4 to 27 August 2023 and is the first from festival director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti. This year’s festival is based around the question ‘Where do we go from here?’

The International Festival’s impact also extends beyond the annual programme, with community learning, engagement and professional development programmes running throughout the year, contributing to the cultural and social life of Edinburgh and Scotland. 

This summer will see flagship projects such as Culture Clubs for community groups and our Opera Project for secondary school pupils return to the city. This year the International Festival is partnering with a range of companies and organisations to support this work including Alvin Ailey Company, the London Symphony Orchestra, Imaginate, Punchdrunk Enrichment and a range of local and international artists.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

This year’s calendar celebrates the top instruments played by members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Australian String Quartet and some of the country’s greatest soloists.