WORLD PREMIEREA world exclusive collaboration between classical superstar pianist Yuja Wang and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.An Edinburgh International Festival commission, this is a unique opportunity to experience star pianist Yuja Wang performing with these titans of jazz. Discover a programme of pieces selected by Wang and Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director and founder of JLCO. These pieces have been specially arranged for Wang’s charismatic artistry to combine with the jazz orchestra’s infectious spontaneity and flair.  Please note: the 6pm performance is now on limited availability. There is still good availability for tickets for 9pm performance.Selection of works to be announced

Experience a relaxed atmosphere and lively music with our Scottish Rising Stars of Jazz.Join our Scottish Rising Stars of Jazz and presenter Lucy Drever for two Dementia-Friendly concerts. Revisit well-known jazz standards and explore new sounds, coupled with conversation, tea and cake.  These relaxed performances are designed especially for people living with dementia and their caregivers, family and friends to enjoy familiar music in a comfortable environment.  You are welcome to move around the auditorium, arrive early and take breaks. Don't feel the need to rush off, as you will be welcome to use the cafe area for 30 mins after the performance, so you can collect yourself before heading outside. Supported by Elizabeth Lornie's Charitable Trust The Rising Stars of Jazz are supported by

PART OF THE ANDERSON OPERA SERIESGreek tragedy meets modern psychology in Richard Strauss’s audacious opera. Elektra is determined to avenge the murder of her father Agamemnon by her mother Klytämnestra – but will Klytämnestra destroy her first?Strauss evokes his characters’ larger-than-life emotions through massive orchestral forces and daring harmonies. Wild, violent episodes such as the epic confrontation between Elektra and her mother contrast with moments of exquisite tenderness, as when Agamemnon’s son Orest returns to this most dysfunctional of family homes. Karina Canellakis – noted for her impressive ‘command of large-scale musical architecture’ (The Guardian) – conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and an outstanding cast. Leading dramatic sopranos Ingela Brimberg and Nina Stemme perform the virtuoso roles of Elektra and Klytämnestra.  The Anderson Opera Series, made possible by James and Morag Anderson, allows the Festival to bring internationally acclaimed opera to Edinburgh and ensures these unmissable performances remain accessible to the widest possible audience with additional support from the Embassy of Sweden in LondonSung in German with English surtitles

Rediscover Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, alongside new vocal works paying tribute to Canada’s Indigenous peoples and work by Gabriela Ortiz.In the second concert of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), Rafael Payare invites audiences to a conversation across time with a powerful programme of music culminating in Richard Strauss’s sumptuous tone poem Ein Heldenleben. With a stirring battle episode, ardent love music and playful quotations from the composer’s earlier works, it is a musical self-portrait both mischievous and deeply moving that takes full advantage of the possibilities of a large orchestra.This monumental staple of the late Romantic period is paired with carefully selected contemporary pieces. Indigenous Canadian sopranos Emma Pennell and Elisabeth St-Gelais join the orchestra for two powerful new vocal works confronting history, memory and the lived experience of Indigenous communities in Canada today.Alongside these, Gabriela Ortiz’s cello concerto Dzonot summons an evocation of the subterranean rivers, caves and stunning wildlife of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. Ortiz, also featured in the LA Phil’s programme, described it as a ‘form of protest’ responding to our neglect of these valuable ecosystems. It was written for cello soloist Alisa Weilerstein, who plays with ‘directness and insight… technical prowess and depth of feeling’ (The Guardian).Together, they encourage audiences to approach Strauss anew, inviting questions on voice, identity, and our relationship to the natural world.Supported by Léan Scully Endowed Fund with additional support from The Québec Government Office in London

Join the LA Phil, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and singers from the Los Angeles Master Chorale for a feast of sonic beauty. The Grammy Award-winning partnership of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil and singers from the ‘perennially superb’ (New Yorker) Los Angeles Master Chorale for the first concert of their International Festival residency, filled with rhythmic vitality and sonic beauty.Ludwig van Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is irresistible, from the dignified and passionate theme of the second movement (a beloved choice for film soundtracks including The King’s Speech) to the sweep-you-off-your-feet melody of the finale.Dudamel has stated: ‘Gabriela Ortiz’s music speaks to both the body and the spirit, full of visceral primal rhythms and mysterious, soul-searching melodies’. Her glittering ballet score Revolución diamantina (Glitter Revolution) – inspired by Mexican feminist protests against state violence towards women – is a powerful and celebratory work. Ortiz, also featured in Voices of Canada, plays on repetition to evoke the tenacity and relentless pursuit needed to enact change. The LA Phil performs the Scottish premiere of this piece, which they premiered in 2023.This is Dudamel’s 17th year as the LA Phil’s Music and Artistic Director – don’t miss the chance to experience their legendary partnership live.Supported by Dunard Fundwith additional support for this concert from Edinburgh Napier UniversitySung in Spanish with English surtitles 

Join us for a day of shared music-making, where you’ll learn and perform chorales from JS Bach's St Matthew & St John Passions.Experience the power of singing and performing as a group, in the second year of our Come and Sing events. Together, you’ll learn and perform chorales from Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew & St John Passions, with organ accompaniment from Michael Bawtree.In the morning workshop, Edinburgh Festival Chorus Director James Grossmith will guide you through the score, which you’ll receive in advance. In the afternoon, you’ll perform in a sharing for family and friends, filling the hall with the sound of your collective voices.This free workshop is for those who can read music. Please note: we have reached capacity for soprano, alto and bass voices. You are still encouraged to complete the application form and will be placed on a waiting list and contacted if a space becomes available.Supported by Scobie Dickinson WardChorales from Bach's St Matthew & St John Passions. Sung in German with English surtitles. We'll provide printed music booklets on the day.Please arrive from 9:30am at Usher Hall for registration.

Celebrate the power of collaboration through joyful, community-led performances in Princes Street Gardens.Stroll through Princes Street Gardens in the heart of the city and delight in pop-up performances from the likes of Oi Musica and Phoenix Choir.Experience vibrant music and dance from across Scotland and the US in this collaborative event inspired by our 2026 Festival theme, All Rise. Over 300 performers gather to fill the park with sound and movement – from a brass band to a gospel choir, from Highland dance to African drumming.We gather together for the finale, bringing together the sounds of Scotland and New Orleans. Expect a heart-expanding, jaw dropping moment of collective expression inspired by the final, soulful movement of Wynton Marsalis’s All Rise.In collaboration with Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Join brass players from across Scotland in tribute to inspirational trumpeter, composer and educator John Wallace.Brass players from three of Scotland’s top orchestras join forces with The Wallace Collection ensemble, as well as young players from RCS Junior Conservatoire and StAMP, in tribute to late Scottish trumpeter John Wallace.  Dedicating his life to music education, Wallace was principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for 12 years. He advocated for free instrumental tuition across Scotland, while continuing to perform in The Wallace Collection, which he founded in 1986.The concert includes two movements from his Symphony for Brass Band. In this large-scale work – fifty years in the making – Wallace pays tribute to the landscape and history of his native Fife and some of the memorable characters he encountered there.  Also on the programme is Elgar Howarth’s brilliant 1977 arrangement for brass and percussion of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Mussorgsky based each movement on an artwork by his friend Viktor Hartmann, vividly depicting both real and fairytale subjects from a bustling French market to the imposing Great Gate of Kyiv.Supported by Brenda RennieEnjoy a pre-performance from young brass players from the RCS Junior Conservatoire. 4.30pm outside the Usher Hall.

Join the acclaimed Jason Max Ferdinand Singers in a lively gospel workshop.The American ‘uber-talented choir’ (Rolling Stone), led by Jason Max Ferdinand, invites you to join a gospel singing workshop. The workshops are ideal for enthusiastic singers who want to find out more about gospel singing – perhaps you’re already in a choir or can read music.Jason Max Ferdinand leads the workshop with John Stoddart on piano. Together, you’ll learn songs from the origins of gospel music to the present day.The choir’s versatility has brought them to perform at a wide scope of events, from showcasing their ‘bold, impassioned sound’ (The Guardian) at their BBC Proms gospel concert, to performing on Saturday Night Live alongside Coldplay and Jacob Collier.You can also experience their talents in our Opening Concert: All Rise, as well as at The Queen’s Hall.  Please note: We have reached capacity for soprano and alto singers for both workshop times. If you would still like to register, you will be added to the wait list and contacted if a place becomes available.Doors open 15 minutes before each workshop. At the end of each workshop there will be a 10 minute Q&A. The workshop will be led by Jason Max Ferdinand, John Stoddart, and singers from the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.

Journey through music from Europe, Africa and the Americas, from the Baroque period and beyond.Jordi Savall has dedicated decades to the rediscovery and appreciation of early music, and his many accolades now include the 2026 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (often called the Nobel Prize of Music), recognising a lifetime of outstanding contributions.  He returns to the Festival after previous performances with his versatile Hespèrion XXI ensemble.Hespèrion XXI is known for pioneering interpretations of repertoire from the medieval to the Baroque periods. They join Jordi Savall’s Catalan singers, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Mexican trio, Tembembe Ensamble Continuo, to connect musical languages and influences across Europe, Africa and the Americas.  The ‘sea of music’ honours the millions of victims of the global slave trade and speaks to the cultural legacy of migration and diaspora that shapes our world today. The programme explores Mexican and Spanish repertoire from the Baroque period and expands outwards to embrace music from the 15th to 19th centuries.Supported by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and the Embassy of Spain

British sculptor Anne Hardy transforms Talbot Rice Gallery into a sentient, immersive space.British artist Anne Hardy’s sculptures are an accumulation of cast elements, found materials and earth drawings. She creates a synthesis between the fragility and resilience of human bodies, evolving technologies and the remnants of everyday objects.Hardy’s pioneering approach to the technology of exhibition-making brings each space of the gallery to life. She uses light, sound, data and scenography to extend the influence of sculpture into the very fabric of the rooms.Grafting seemingly incompatible contexts one into the other – a colossal monument into an interior gallery; an archaeological dig into an historic building – she studies how our bodies respond to space and sensory stimuli, creating an atmosphere that will cast spells over the room.Talbot Rice Gallery is the public art gallery of Edinburgh College of Art / The University of EdinburghPlease note that the venue does not currently have level access due to major refurbishment of the liftThis exhibition runs from Sat 27 June – Sun 27 Sep. Opening times are Tue – Sat 10am – 5pm. During the 7–30 August, the exhibition is open Mon – Sun.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s choral masterpiece is performed for the first time at the Festival, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and conductor Rafael Payare.Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's monumental cantata trilogy, The Song of Hiawatha (1899), became a sensation in the early 20th century, regularly selling out the Royal Albert Hall. Inspired by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem about an Ojibwe warrior, the now rarely performed piece is one of Coleridge-Taylor's greatest achievements.  With colourful orchestration and imaginative choral writing, the work explores themes of celebration (Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast), mourning (The Death of Minnehaha) and transcendence (Hiawatha’s Departure). Among the memorable solo numbers are the tenor’s romantic ‘Onaway! Awake, beloved!’ and the baritone’s impassioned ‘Farewell, said he, Minnehaha’. Join the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conductor Rafael Payare, a trio of star soloists including Scottish tenor Nicky Spence, and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus for the first Festival performance of this choral masterpiece. We have invited Uchenna Ngwe, a specialist in Black British classical music, to introduce its fascinating history.  She will be joined by Anton Treuer, an Ojibwe author, professor, and public speaker.The orchestra’s second concert, Voices of Canada, features Canadian Indigenous voices and contemporary compositions – their two concerts truly in conversation with each other. with additional support from The Québec Government Office in London Sung in English with surtitlesColeridge-Taylor The Song of Hiawatha