Orkney International Science Festival is collaborating with the Kristin Linklater Voice Centre in Sandwick, Orkney,  to offer four young people the opportunity to train their voices.

Successful candidates would put their new skills into practice by chairing and introducing this year’s Science Festival events.

With funding support from EventScotland the workshop builds on the success of a previous course and will be residential at the Voice Centre from the evening of Tuesday March 17 to the morning of Saturday March 21.

Kristin Linklater is world-renowned for her teaching of voice production in a career of over fifty years in the theatre and academia in the US and Europe. She was Professor of Theatre Arts at Columbia University and has worked with name actors such as Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Donald Sutherland, Patrick Stewart and Kim Cattrall.

Kristin will be assisted on the course by senior Designated Linklater Teacher, Paula Langton, who is Associate Professor, Voice and Speech, at Boston University College of Fine Arts.

Howie Firth, Director of the Orkney International Science Festival explained  that the course is a unique opportunity.He said:

“Skills like these can be used throughout a lifetime, in all kinds of work and in all kinds of community activity and we are keen to open the opportunity across Orkney to young people in all walks of life.”

Heather Woodbridge took part in the first course in 2018 and has been chairing events at the Science Festival for the past two years:

“I highly recommend applying!Kristen is an exceptional teacher – her method and technique are second to none. If you choose to make the most of the course, it will help you for years to come. I can attribute getting my current position with the training I had in 2018!”

The four spaces for young people on the new course for the Science Festival are being allocated by competition. Entrants should be between 16 and 30 years old and are asked to write 100 words on how they would make use of voice training skills in community activity.

Responses, with name, address, age and occupation, should be sent to the Science Festival at orkneyscience@gmail.com with the heading Voice Training Competition by application deadline of Monday 9th March.

Kristin Linklater