The Edinburgh International Festival has unveiled its 75th anniversary season, the first to mark a return to normality following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, and the last under Fergus Linehan before Nicola Benedetti takes over as Festival Director. 

Running from August 5 to 28, a total of 14 venues will hold 87 events featuring more than 2,300 artists. As always, the season spans art forms, but classical music highlights include a residency by Gramophone's 2020 Orchestra of the Year, the Philadelphia Orchestra. Conducted by its Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, programmes will include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Florence Price’s First Symphony, and chamber works by Mozart, plus a free afternoon concert to celebrate the Festival’s anniversary.

Scottish Ballet Principal dancer Jerome Anthony Barnes helps launch the 2022 Edinburgh International Festival (photo: Mihaela Bodlovic)

Travelling from even further, artists from Australia also form a festival focus, with the Australian World Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta appearing, didgeridoo player William Barton joining the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble, and violist Brett Dean performing alongside the Hebrides Ensemble.

From less far afield, London’s Philharmonia will head north for a residency, with programmes including a concert performance of Beethoven's Fidelio conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles, and three performances of Dvořák’s Rusalka from Garsington Opera. That latter production will feature former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year (also from our 2020 Awards) soprano Natalya Romaniw in the title role, and be conducted by Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director of Garsington Opera.

Orchestras visiting from Europe include the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, Les Siècles, Hespèrion XXI, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Meanwhile, morning recitals at The Queen’s Hall will feature pianists Bruce Liu, Ronald Brautigam, Malcolm Martineau and Steven Osborne, singers Anne Sofie von Otter, Golda Schultz and Florian Boesch, and chamber ensembles Chineke! Chamber Ensemble and the Takács Quartet.

A further theme of the festival, one being embraced by contemporary theatre, dance, visual art, film and discussion events, will be ‘Refuge’, created in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council to explore themes of refugeehood, migration, identity and inclusion. While this strand was planned prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Festival said it is looking for ways to include the experience of those displaced by the conflict in its events.

Booking opens on Friday April 8. For full details visit Edinburgh International Festival's website.

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