Hazlehead Academy becomes Aberdeen's first school to be awarded the LGBT Charter
Community
Hazlehead Academy becomes Aberdeen's first school to be awarded the LGBT Charter
By Kevin Mitchell
The LGBT Charter, run by LGBT Youth Scotland, is a programme that enables an organisation or school to proactively include LGBTI people in every aspect and provide a high-quality service to students, clients and service users.
After a series of projects within the school for LGBT History Month with artists ‘Outlines Collective‘, a mural wall was designed and painted on the wall by artists Kirsty Lawie, Naomi Christie and Hazlehead pupils to celebrate the school’s creative positivity and awareness and proactive inclusion.
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Our man Grant chats with the cast of Mamma Mia at HMT!
Mamma Mia is in Aberdeen and POST sent the lovely Grant Martin along to HMT to give them a warm welcome! As usual, Grant went one step further! This time trying to blag a spot as the fourth Dynamo!
Watch the video above, tell us what you think on YouTube and if you want to share your own story or if there a show you are looking forward to in the future? Let us know!
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But just before you continue reading, please consider signing up to our monthly newsletter. It’s a great round up of what's happening in the city.
No spam, just a collection of stories and images from the heart of Aberdeen. We use your email address solely for the purpose of administering the email newsletter. By subscribing, you agree with Revue’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Aberdeen Jazz Festival Returns and Here's This Years Programme!
Good news, Aberdeen! After last year’s successful online events and October hybrid programme, Scotland's second-largest jazz event 'The Aberdeen Jazz Festival' is back for 2022, from March 17th - 27th with a full 10-day programme of exciting live events across the city!
This year the Aberdeen Jazz Festival will be featured in an expanded range of venues and even some stunning and unexpected settings! With favourite Festival places like The Blue Lamp, Lemon Tree, Spin, and Queen’s Cross Church on the schedule, but also the first-ever chance to hear top-quality acoustic artists in the afternoon at the Cowdray Hall; to step inside the magnificent, wood-panelled Society of Advocates plus check out a series of specially-commissioned performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths.
Aberdeen Jazz Festival – Venues and artists
The wide variety of venues is matched by the diverse range of music on offer from swing to funk; gypsy jazz to blues-rock; classy jazz vocals to late-night grooves. Highlights include ‘Jazz the Day!’ - a chance to mix and match 8 great events, across 3 venues, all with 1 ticket on Saturday 26th March - the perfect option when there are simply too many great events to choose from.
Included in the afternoon are well-established names alongside newcomers and new collaborations plus the chance for the audience to get in amongst the action by singing, dancing or playing with Ali Affleck’s all-star band.
SoundBath - a series of site-specific performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths
Another of the festival’s more unusual events is SoundBath - a series of site-specific performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths. Closed to the public since 2008, the vast, light-drenched, atmospheric cathedral-like space will inspire new music by Victoria Fifield and others. Not only a visual spectacle, but the acoustics of the cavernous Art Deco building will also create an amazing aural experience, with sound reverberating around the tiled walls and pool floor. A great unique opportunity to step inside and immerse yourself in this hugely atmospheric space filled with memories.
To further illustrate the diversity on offer, pianist Brian Kellock will take centre stage at Queen’s Cross Church to perform a sumptuous version of Gershwin’s classic Rhapsody in Blue, specially arranged for piano and a hand-picked 8-piece string orchestra. Meanwhile, at the other end of the musical spectrum, Young Pilgrims - an extraordinary 9-piece brass band brimming with jazz-rock energy - will be in residency for the festival’s final weekend. This is part of the festival’s drive to encourage sustainable practices, with travelling bands encouraged to contribute to the festival in several ways such as through collaborations and workshops.
Well-known names on the Scottish jazz scene abound with the Martin Kershaw Quartet; Latin jazz heroes, Son al Son, and pianist Alan Benzie’s Tribute to Herbie Hancock at the Blue Lamp; Rose Room and Ali Affleck’s Jazz Divas at the Cowdray Hall. Aberdeen musicians are also well represented, both those living here and star performers coming back home. Matthew Kilner will lead a two tenor sax band with Konrad Wiszniewski; Trombonist, Kieran McLeod, now a top name on the London jazz scene, will make his Festival debut as a leader, there will also be several performances by musicians from further afield including the genre-defying Shapes of Time Trio featuring Oone Van Geel and Mark Haanstra from the Netherlands plus Scotland’s very own Graeme Stephen. Blues-rock is well represented in the programme with the legendary King King and Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band performing at the Lemon Tree, plus Missouri-based blues power trio Hooten Hallers set to raise the rafters at the Blue Lamp.
First time national jazz organisation has been based in Aberdeen!
This will be the first Aberdeen Jazz Festival organised by a new team, as Festival promoter Jazz Scotland is delighted to announce the appointment of its new CEO Coralie Usmani. With a background in music education and community engagement as well as being a regular performer on the Aberdeen jazz scene, Coralie brings a wealth of experience and fresh ideas to the role.
Tickets and info
Ticket prices range from free to £25 and are available from www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com
The full line-up is available here: https://jazzscotland.com/collections/aberdeenjazzfestival
Featured image: AiiTee
2021: Our Year in Review!
Community
POST Aberdeen's 2021: Our Year in Review!
By Kevin Mitchell
2021 was quite a year and the good news is that this is not an article about that 2021. This is about POST Aberdeen’s 2021, our community, content, interests and gives a sign of where we can all go in 2022!
2021 was the year we continued to grow as a community, the year we launched a lot of new ideas, new stories and even our new website! We’ve continued to grow our online communities across social media, our new email newsletter and continue to be part of the biggest community in Aberdeen thanks to nearly 18k of you on Twitter!
So let’s take a look at our Year in Review!
New & Noteworthy
We launched our website!
After building our communities across social media, it was time for the next stage in POST's journey - a new website! This website expands our entire communities ability to share content and stories as we build postabdn.com to become a content hub of our city directly from it's community.
The Lounge
The Lounge compiles some of the very best local music into a regularly regularly playlist available directly to you on Spotify and Apple Music!
Our ‘Temp Check’ Stories
Our incredible ‘Temp Check’ series; interviews from people around Aberdeen, sharing interests, passions and their journey through the past year.
Temp Check – Louise Grant from Aberdeen Brewery Fierce Beer
Fierce Beer’s Louise Grant talks to us about building a brewery, running a business through the covid emergency and bouncing back with the help of community.
Temp Check: Mark McAulay from Singularity Sauce Co.
Singularity Sauce Co.'s Mark McAuley talks to us about his Aberdeenshire based craft hot sauce company, and launching in a pandemic.
Temp Check – Lauren Mitchell from Northsound Radio
We chat with Northsound 1 presenter Lauren Mitchell about her love of radio, how she got started and staying positive even in a global crisis.
Your Aberdeen – Email Newsletter
There’s so much happening on the surface and deep within our communities in your city of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire; so much that we now put together a monthly newsletter of all the highlights we have caught.
No spam, just a collection of stories and images from the heart of Aberdeen delivered to you each month.
BAS9 Ambassadors
We were proud to be Ambassadors of the British Art Show (BAS9) on display in Aberdeens Art Gallery. The British Art Show is a landmark touring exhibition that celebrates the vitality of recent art made in Britain and having this prestigious exhibition in Aberdeen was truly incredible.
Job Vacancies on Facebook
With recent changes to Facebook Jobs in the UK and the need to share opportunities within the community, we launched Job Vacancies on Facebook! This job focussed Page enables organisations to share a job posting FOR FREE!
Simply message Job Vacancies with your job details, any image, links to apply, etc. and we will get it listed and shared!
Aberdeen’s biggest online community and the beginning of POST Aberdeen, our Twitter account has continued to grow through 2021 as has our communities engagement!
17,828
Followers
+55%
Tweet ♥ year-on-year
Filming continues today on @jonsbaird’s #Tetris movie in a beautiful #Aberdeen. @TaronEgerton waves to onlooking fans as he prepares for his next shot. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/2fDNh0qL0A
— Post | Aberdeen News (@aberdeencity) February 21, 2021
You still want to go to this guy’s golf course?
— Post | Aberdeen News (@aberdeencity) January 6, 2021
A forest of masts stretched across Aberdeen Harbour...it’s a mere 30 years ago since the Tall Ships Race came to the Granite City. ⚓️ https://t.co/XdYQAVnLHo pic.twitter.com/kr6rS5kuoO
— Post | Aberdeen News (@aberdeencity) March 11, 2021
Our Facebook community is still young, but we’ve seen great reach and engagement in 2021 with plans to increase community content through 2022.
+25%
New Followers
+35%
Comments year-on-year
Our Instagram primarily shares the beauty of Aberdeen City and Shire through photographs and videos from you, our community. There’s no better place to enjoy the visual inspiration of Aberdeen!
+22%
New Followers
What Next?
Everything you have come to expect will continue in 2022! In addition, we are already working on two new series of content which we aim to bring in the coming weeks around food and drink in the city and activities. If you are in the food and drink industry, please reach out to us on social media!
This year we are also going to launch something we are extremely excited about; something for content creators and publishers that we feel can be a force of good for all – The POST Network. Keep an eye out for more on this soon or sign up to our email newsletter to know first!
We are also always looking to hear from you within our communities. If you have a story to share, please reach out!
We can’t thank you all enough for being part of our journey through 2021! We created POST to shine a light on our city and the people within it, and with your support over the past year, we have certainly achieved that!
Before we sign off, we’d just like to thank the following people and organisations who have helped us stay sane and achieve some special moments. You are awesome!
Angela Joss / Gary Kemp (Doric Skateboards) / Ica Headlam (Big Up The Deen) / Mark Stirton / Louise Grant (Fierce Beer) / Grant Martin / Lauren Mitchell (Northsound 1) / Mark McAulay (Singularity Sauce Co) / Chris Henderson / Ian Watt (Code The City) / Louis Seivwright / Chef / Vagrant Real Estate / Jim Ewan (Anatomy Rooms) / Kirsty Lawie and Naomi Christie (Leopard Arts) / Rachel Campbell (Aberdeen Performing Arts) / Moray Barber and Jill Simpson (TEDx Aberdeen) / Lesley Anne Rose (Open Road) / Charlotte Little / Neil Fachie MBE / Susan Strachan / Colin Farquhar (Belmont Cinema) / Rachel Jack / Stuart McPhee (Siberia Bar & Hotel) / Mary Louise Butterworth and Jon Reid (Kekun Studio) / Reema Shoaib / Look Again / Aberdeen Performing Arts / Aberdeen Lynx Ice Hockey Club / Aberdeen Art Gallery / Nuart Aberdeen / Aberdeen City Council / Aberdeen Inspired / our Instagram community and contributors / Brulafu, Jamsie and Matt / our patient families / … and you!
Here’s to 2022!!!
Kevin and Chris.
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But just before you continue reading, please consider signing up to our monthly newsletter. It’s a great round up of what's happening in the city.
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SPECTRA is returning to Aberdeen!
Festivals
SPECTRA is returning to Aberdeen!
By Kevin Mitchell
We are incredibly excited to share that SPECTRA will be returning to Aberdeen in 2022! Scotland’s festival of light creates a stunning lightscape across the city and brings with it four days of family-friendly fun to Aberdeenshire, taking inspiration from Scotland’s Year of Stories in 2022.
SPECTRA opens in Aberdeen from Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th February and will once again light up the winter nights in Aberdeen. This festival of light encourages you to get out and experience the interactive light sculptures, architectural projections and film to create new ways of exploring the city.
They will appear in Marischal College, Union Street, Broad Street, Upperkirkgate, Schoolhill, Marischal Square and also in Scotlands award-winning ‘Best Building‘, Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Having spent so much of our time tucked away indoors or navigating public spaces with care, SPECTRA presents itself as the perfect event suitable for friends and family alike to safely get together, and with both indoor and outdoor spaces it also sets up Aberdeen as the ideal destination for both visitors and staycationers to come join us in 2022.
SPECTRA is an event for all the family!
Free, family-friendly and interactive makes SPECTRA the perfect event for all the family. Our advice is to check the weather, dress appropriately and everyone gets ready to unlock their imagination!
Find out the latest information on the SPECTRA website.
www.spectrafestival.co.uk
“We’re truly excited to welcome audiences back to the city centre …“
– Cllr Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council Culture Spokesperson
Cllr Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council Culture Spokesperson said: “I can’t think of a better way to kick off Aberdeen’s 2022 cultural programme than with Spectra, Scotland’s festival of light. Cities are spaces that thrive when people are walking the streets together and enjoying events like Spectra, so we’re truly excited to welcome audiences back to the city centre after a very difficult couple of years dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
We can’t wait to attend SPECTRA, it’s up there as one of our favourite cultural events in the city and we love seeing the streets filled with people, couples, friends and families as they take it all in!
For now, check out our video from the last time SPECTRA visited us here in Aberdeen.
↓
SPECTRA 2020 was themed around the coasts and waters of Scotland, bringing light and giant artistic wonders to the city of Aberdeen. Check out our video!
SPECTRA
Scotland's Festival of Light
SPECTRA, the festival of light is a wonderfully visual experience for all to enjoy. Check out some of the photographs from previous events!
Join our newsletter!
But just before you continue reading, please consider signing up to our monthly newsletter. It’s a great round up of what's happening in the city.
No spam, just a collection of stories and images from the heart of Aberdeen. We use your email address solely for the purpose of administering the email newsletter. By subscribing, you agree with Revue’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
TEDx Aberdeen – Muckle ideas ti' spread aboot *UPDATED*
It's Saturday, 27th July 2021 and even though there's a threat of rain in the sky, the sun is shining bright on a city excited to experience its inaugural TEDx conference. What may once have seemed long overdue has arguably arrived just at a perfect time for Aberdeen!
Under the banner 'New ways of seeing old things', the TEDx Aberdeen conference presented 10 speakers, videos and Q&A's in the Aberdeen Arts Center to an audience of 100 attendees for a day of connection and big ideas. Even better for us – we were invited along!
TEDx Aberdeen
As I am sure many of you are, we are massive fans of TED and have been moved, energised and inspired by many a TED talk over the years. To see an independently organised event come to Aberdeen was hugely exciting, but how do you approach the topic of our city looking forward whilst still in the middle of a global pandemic?
You get an excellent list of speakers and topics, that's what you do!
Graeme Gordon
“Let's talk about the F word”
Tim Wigham
“Moodset for Excellence”
Chris Moule
“We can all be Recombinant Innovators”
Georgios Leontidis
“Our sustainable future through the lens of Data & AI"
Lorna Dawson
“Soil as a Silent Witness”
Jonathan Christie
“This is the Cabrach’s story”
Peter Tipler
“Learning, to make a positive impact”
Youssra Bennadji
“Should animals be in charge?”
Sam Stephen
“My Beautiful Trauma”
Bethany Galley
“How would you share your life in 27 photos?”
Truly inspiring
From the get-go, I found this truly inspiring. Challenging our individual language and mental health, our life experiences and their impact on those of others, our jobs, careers, our land, our neighbours; the ideas up for discussion and those little seeds of thought that remind us - we can each make a difference be that in our own little world, our city or even the lives of others.
I know I am getting pretty deep here (shocker), so I'll temper myself and just share this important note - The videos from TEDx Aberdeen will be available for all to see soon! Be assured that we'll update this post as soon as they do!
We want more!
I dearly hope this is the first of many such events from Moray Barber, this years TEDx licensee and co-host along with the team behind it all. Check out the website, their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and lets all encourage more events like this in future!
Thank you Team TEDx Aberdeen, lets keep the whole area talking about those #ideasworthspreading!
If you are looking for more stories from here in Aberdeen, check out our blog and don't forget to signup to our very own monthly newsletter!
Update – Watch TEDx Aberdeen on YouTube
The incredible talks from TEDx Aberdeen are now all available on YouTube! Hit play below and begin or head over to TEDx Aberdeen YouTube!