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The Edinburgh International Festival was the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, then the General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera, Henry Harvey Wood, the Head of the British Council in Scotland, and leaders from the City of Edinburgh. It was established in 1947 as a world class cultural event to bring together audiences and artists from around the world, and over 70 years has gone from strength to strength.
For three weeks in August, Scotland’s capital becomes an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations. The International Festival presents a programme featuring the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre.
Our impact extends beyond the annual programme: our community learning and engagement and professional development programmes run throughout the year, reaching the widest possible audiences and contributing to the cultural and social life of Edinburgh and Scotland.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Edinburgh International Festival are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.
This intimate ensemble explores richly imagined music as part of the orchestra's residency at the International Festival.
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A new production of Dvořák's opera featuring Natalya Romaniw comes to the International Festival, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Douglas Boyd and Garsington Opera.
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Sir Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra launch the 2022 Festival with the spectacular Carmina Burana.
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Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads the Philharmonia in a mighty first concert, with outstanding pianist Seong-Jin Cho performing in Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.
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Jazz legend Herbie Hancock makes his International Festival debut with a stunning performance of music spanning his 60 year career.
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Discover the story of one family's journey through love, heartbreak, civil war and migration to Australia in this epic multigenerational tale.
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Enjoy astonishing acrobatics combine with a live choir in this jaw-dropping, pulsating performance at Edinburgh Playhouse on 8th and 9th August.
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Revered period keyboardist Ronald Brautigam is joined by violinist Esther Hoppe and cellist Christian Poltéra for three Romantic classics of the chamber repertoire.
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The BBC Singers and Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin join violinist Laura Samuel for a mystical reimagining of Vaughan Williams' 'The Lark Ascending'.
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Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Elim Chan celebrate the natural world with the stunning The Tears of Nature by Chinese-born composer Tan Dun.
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Sir Donald Runnicles conducts this concert performance of Beethoven's only opera, telling a moving story of a wife's devotion and the resilience of human nature.
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The Romany folk supergroup showcase music from a tradition dating back hundreds of years.
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National Theatre of Scotland brings Liz Lochhead's acclaimed adaptation of the classical Greek tragedy to Edinburgh.
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The Swedish mezzo soprano joins the vibrant string quartet for a concert that blends music by Schubert and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.
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Award-winning clarinettist Sharon Kam and pianist Enrico Pace explore riveting music from the clarinet's history.
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Witness a hugely versatile, forward-looking, space-obsessed, electronic pioneer give one of his iconic performances.
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One of the world’s greatest pianists covers three centuries of music in this wide-ranging solo recital.
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Chineke! Chamber Ensemble returns with a concert including the European premiere of a new work by composer and digeridoo virtuoso William Barton.
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Connecting dance, spoken word and song, Windows of Displacement explores the human lives entangled in politics of power and oppression.
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Swiss artist James Thierrée returns to the International Festival with an unmissable spectacle from his physical theatre company.
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Enjoy a performance of Persian classical and folk music hosted by Zozan Yasar and featuring Aref Ghorbani, interspersed with conversation around the censorship of music and cultural expression.
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Wayne Marshall joins Scottish Chamber Orchestra for an evening of rip-roaring tunes and joyful American classics, including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
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Two Edinburgh pianists combine their superb abilities for the first time in a performance of visionary richness and exuberance.
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The genre-defying electronic artist fuses hypnotic dance music with futuristic sounds to create an ecstatic, fast-paced performance.
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Rwandan writer & activist Kiki Katese takes to the stage with her all-female drumming group to share the powerful stories of those affected by the Rwandan genocide, in a performance filled with hope.
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Beloved classical ballet Coppélia is reimagined for the digital age in Scottish Ballet's darkly comic new production.
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An interactive performance documenting a 23-mile walk from Dungavel Detention Centre to the Home Office in Glasgow.
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A supergroup of British jazz talents, Sons of Kemet are famed for their incendiary live sets and complex, genre-bending sound.
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Celebrated Swedish soprano Malin Byström takes the title role in Strauss' one-act opera, alongside the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardner.
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Experience this immersive performance exploring themes of crisis and exile, marking the culmination of the Festival's four-year residency at Leith Academy.
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Regular visitors to the International Festival, the Takács Quartet brings music to stir and delight in a vivid and passionate performance.
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Discover Edinburgh's Little Ireland in this filmic exploration of the community through traditional music at Filmhouse on 15th August!
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The Bergen Philharmonic and conductor Edward Gardner bring captivating emotions to this performance featuring Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in his Festival debut.
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Live music, choreography and storytelling combine to create a compelling exploration of migration experiences.
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Edinburgh's own Dunedin Consort is joined by tenor Nicholas Mulroy for a compelling performance, with John Butt conducting.
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Trailblazing period orchestra Les Siècles search for new light in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Lili Boulanger's Faust et Hélène.
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One of Ireland's most significant and accomplished fiddlers brings a Celtic element to the Leith Theatre stage.
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Soprano Golda Schultz and regular pianist partner Jonathan Ware perform This be her verse, a revelatory collection of songs by often-overlooked women composers.
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Journey into the unknown with musical pioneer Jordi Savall, his Hespèrion XXI ensemble and guests, in a concert inspired by the 14th-century Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta.
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Following the biggest year of her career so far, the New York rapper brings one of her searingly honest and energetic performances to Leith.
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The LSO and Sir Simon Rattle return for a concert including the world premiere of Daniel Kidane's new piece, co-commissioned by the International Festival.
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Mythological storytelling brings East and West together in this moving contemporary dance duet.
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Twin sisters weave musical influences from across the globe together with multilingual lyrics and hypnotic harmonies.
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Pioneering early-music performer Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI shine a searching new light on 18th-century music from Istanbul's Islamic, Sephardic and Armenian traditions.
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Exploring the complexities and intersections of family, poverty, politics and sexuality, this adaptation brings all the urgency and relevance of Édouard Louis's novel to the stage
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Multi-award-winning Australian World Orchestra make their Festival debut with maestro Zubin Mehta, who returns for the first time in over 40 years.
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This dance show for young audiences explores how we connect across cultures and languages.
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Join baritone Florian Boesch and pianist Malcolm Martineau for a performance of Schubert's song cycle Winterreise, charged with forceful intensity and subtle theatricality.
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The much-loved cult indie rock duo of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton return with their first new album in 16 years.
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Acclaimed director Ivo van Hove adapts Hanya Yanagihara’s novel for the theatre, crafting a deeply moving performance of epic proportions.
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Acclaimed choreographer Kyle Abraham's newest full-length work tells stories of love, solidarity and friendship against a rich score of R&B and soul music by D'Angelo.
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Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov are joined by dazzling pianist sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque for a powerful evening of music by Martinů and Janáček.
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The Hebrides Ensemble, one of Scotland's finest chamber music groups, collaborates with Australian violist and composer Brett Dean.
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Kae Tempest has been nominated twice for the Mercury Prize and won the Ted Hughes Award for poetry. Their new album is The Line Is A Curve.
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The composer and singer blends ancient Eastern music with contemporary American influences to create a transcendent sound.
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A series of verbatim scripts featuring the voices and powerful stories of refugees from around the world.
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Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic appear together at the International Festival to play the symphonic masterpiece, Mahler's Seventh Symphony.
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The winner of the 2021 Chopin Piano Competition, pianist Bruce Liu, makes his International Festival debut with a recital of music to astound and captivate.
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Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti returns to Edinburgh for Bruch's sumptuous Concerto alongside the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Maxim Emelyanychev.
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The Czech Pavel Haas Quartet is revered for its infectious passion and intuitive rapport. Come join them for a performance of music by Haydn, Martinů and Schubert.
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Join queer Zimbabwean performer mandla rae for this colourful and personal exploration of childhood migration memories.
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Thomas Søndegård conducts the RSNO, RSNO Junior Chorus and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in Mahler's massive Third Symphony.
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Exploring themes of identity, religion, political angst, love and anxiety, Furman has become an icon for the misunderstood and the oppressed.
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A cast of actors use music, dance and video to tell their stories in this uplifting exploration of living with Down syndrome.
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The British harpsichordist and conductor joins brilliant Baroque performers for a journey through the riches of European 17th-century chamber music.
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Soloists Neal Davies and Iestyn Davies join period-instrument orchestra The English Concert for Handel's masterpiece of Baroque vocal music.
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The indie singer-songwriter blends poetic lyrics with captivating melodies to create moving, spellbinding performances.
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Playwright Sergio Blanco explores his relationship with death in this moving, autobiographical work.
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Join the Philadelphia Orchestra and their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin for the launch of their residency with Beethoven's visionary Ninth Symphony.
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Musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra gather for an intimate chamber concert of two iconic works by Mozart.
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Discover a new retelling of Kipling’s classic as the Akram Khan company transplant Mowgli’s journey into the modern world.
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The British nu-jazz group bring their signature combination of jazz improvisation and electronica to Leith Theatre.
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Radical theatremakers Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck transform Thomas Mann's magnum opus into an epic work that speaks to us today.
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The long-time artistic partners explore songs of love, longing and innocence by Bartók, Mussorgsky and Brahms.
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The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin join brilliant violinist Lisa Batiashvili for a concert of dazzling colours and intoxicating rhythms.
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Harpsichordist and conductor Richard Egarr brings together a hand-picked ensemble of outstanding musicians to perform Bach's iconic compositions.
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Catch the dazzling concert marking the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra's Festival debut with Chief Conductor Susanna Mälkki and soloist Andreas Haefliger.
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Oh Europa is a labour of love; an act of collective listening that spans a continent and cuts straight to the heart.
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Join Sir Andrew Davis and the RSNO for the finale of the 2022 International Festival with music to exhilarate, invigorate, calm and console.
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Expect furiously fast-paced piping and entrancing beats as this Skye four-piece seamlessly fuses traditional Scottish folk music with electronica.
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The Edinburgh Festival Fringe returns in 2022 to celebrate its 75 anniversary!
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Join us for a multi-art festival of visual and performing arts, including photography, art installations, painting, theatre, short films, live music and dance!
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The Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and is now a key event in the August Festival season and returns in August 2022.
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Luminate: Scotland's creative ageing festival celebrating creativity as we age.
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Edinburgh's Christmas is a spectacular, six-week season of festive entertainment in the heart of the city.
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The Saltire Festival returns for 2021 celebrating St. Andrew's Day in the Home of the Flag!
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The Edinburgh Festival Fringe returns in 2022 to celebrate its 75 anniversary!
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The Edinburgh Iranian Festival is a non-political showcase for world-class Iranian culture.
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Edinburgh International Children's Festival of performing arts for children and young people.
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We are delighted to announce that we will return from 28th July to 28th August this year, following an exceptionally challenging period for the creative sector.
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Rare Books Edinburgh is a festival dedicated to rare, collectable and important books and the history of the book.
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