RSNO hits the road with beloved animated film Yoyo & The Little Auk Posted Tue 9 September 2025
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) is taking its beloved animated film Yoyo & The Little Auk to over 1,500 primary children with a series of live performances across Scotland.
The RSNO’s Schools Tour began today with performances in Oban and Forres. Gaelic Medium Education pupils in Oban enjoyed Yoyo & a’ Cholcach Bheag, the Gaelic language version of the film narrated by singer Kathleen MacInnes. Over the next two weeks, the RSNO goes on to visit Prestonpans, Inverness, Greenock, Stirling, Bo’ness and Stranraer.
Presented by RSNO musicians Liam Lynch and Lisa Rourke, primary pupils are introduced to the instruments and musicians before watching the film with live accompaniment from the Orchestra. Brought to life by the specially commissioned score by Euan Stevenson and narrated by Scottish actor Jo Cameron Brown, Yoyo & The Little Auk introduces children to classical music through Stewart Ennis’ original story. Exploring themes of multiculturalism, migration and Scotland’s natural world, the short, animated film tells the tale of a little auk who lands in Inverkithkin – a fictional town in the middle of Scotland – after a terrible storm. The lost bird is found by Yoyo, a little girl who is getting ready for the Inverkithkin Ceilidh with the help of her grandparents.
Launched in 2022, Yoyo & The Little Auk is the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s flagship early years project. To date, over 23,000 children from every local authority in Scotland have engaged with this project which forms part of the RSNO’s Schools Programme. The RSNO’s Schools Programme aims to connect every Scottish child with their National Orchestra and, since 2016, has reached more than 220,000 young people across the country.
For more information about Yoyo & The Little Auk, head to rsno.org.uk/project/yoyo-the-little-auk/.