The Edinburgh International Festival has launched its programme of events that will take place between the 5th-28th of August 2022. 14 venues will host 87 events and feature 160 performances from over 2,300 artists. Fergus Linehan, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival said: “2022 is a special year for the Festival. We hope that it will mark a turning point in the pandemic that has changed all our lives over the past two years. It is our 75th Anniversary and an opportunity to pay tribute to our first Artistic Director, Rudolph Bing, a refugee of war in Europe. And it is my final year as Festival Director as we hand the reigns over to a new generation. Edinburgh is more than a collection of performances, it is the great annual meeting point for artists and all those who love music, theatre, dance, and literature. We hope you will join us as once again for this unmissable celebration.”
Highlights of the programme include:
MACRO
A free opening event at BT Murrayfield featuring Australian contemporary circus powerhouse Gravity & Other Myths, First Nations dance company Djuki Mala, the National Youth Choir of Scotland and Scottish musicians including Aidan O’Rourke, Brìghde Chaimbeul and Kathleen MacInnes.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Led by conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in residence at the International Festival across four concerts: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Angel Blue, Karen Cargill and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Florence Price’s First Symphony, chamber works by Mozart
Internationaal Theater Amsterdam
The UK premiere of A Little Life based on the novel by Hanya Yanagihara and an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain. These sit alongside a new adaptation of Édouard Louis’ The End of Eddy by Toneelschuur Producties.
The Philharmonia Orchestra
Featuring South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, a concert performance of Fidelio conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles, a chamber recital and three performances of Dvořák’s Rusalka from Garsington Opera.
Herbie Hancock
Making his International Festival debut alongside boundary-pushing electronic artist Squarepusher; New York-born Afro-Puerto Rican rapper Princess Nokia; spoken word artist Kae Tempest; Detroit techno icon Jeff Mills; Scottish duo Arab Strap; Romanian folk supergroup Taraf De Caliu; and American singer songwriter Ezra Furman.
The National Theatre of Scotland
Returning to the International Festival with Alan Cumming in his solo dance theatre debut Burn, inspired by the life of Robert Burns, and Liz Lochhead’s powerful adaptation of Medea featuring Adura Onashile in the title role.
The Edinburgh International Festival is on from 5- 28 August. https://www.eif.co.uk/whats-on
