The Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti has been appointed Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival, and will assumed the role of Festival Director on October 1, 2022. She will not only be the first woman to head the Festival in its 75-year history, but the first Scottish Director.

In a statement accompanying the news of her appointment, Benedetti said that 'I am deeply honoured to contribute to the long and rich history of the Edinburgh International Festival and the cultural landscape of Scotland. This festival was founded on principles of reconciliation and the ideals of art transcending political and cultural fracture. Following in the footsteps of the wonderful achievements of Fergus Linehan and his predecessors, I will uphold these values and greatly look forward to serving this festival, its mission of cultural exchanges, and the people of Scotland.'

Born in Irvine in Scotland, Benedetti studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and has long been a passionate advocate for music education. In December 2020 she formed the Benedetti Baroque Orchestra and regularly champions new works, including the recent violin concertos by Mark Simpson and Wynton Marsalis. Benedetti was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, the youngest ever recipient.

Her most recent release, of Baroque concertos and featuring her Benedetti Baroque Orchestras, was reviewed last September, in which it was described as 'a vibrant set of performances with all the energy of "Italia" but now with an unmistakably period sound, her crack ensemble providing crisply attentive support...a distinctly impressive album, whether or not you’re a diehard Benedetti fan.'

Last summer Nicola Benedetti joined Editor Martin Cullingford for the Gramophone podcast, in which she talked about her residency at that year's Edinburgh Festival, which might hint at what her approach to directing the whole event could be...

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