The Closing Concert

The Closing Concert

Join Sir Andrew Davis and the RSNO for the finale of the 2022 International Festival with music to exhilarate, invigorate, calm and console. 

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

Catch the dazzling concert marking the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s Festival debut with Chief Conductor Susanna Mälkki and soloist Andreas Haefliger. 

The Philadelphia Orchestra Plays Florence Price

The Philadelphia Orchestra Plays Florence Price

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin join brilliant violinist Lisa Batiashvili for a concert of dazzling colours and intoxicating rhythms. 

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Join the Philadelphia Orchestra and their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin for the launch of their residency with Beethoven’s beloved Fifth Symphony. 

Members Event: An Introduction to Saul

Members Event: An Introduction to Saul

An exclusive event for members of the Edinburgh International Festival, as members of the cast of ‘Saul’ introduce one of the true masterpieces of Baroque vocal music. 

Saul

Saul

Soloists Neal Davies and Iestyn Davies join period-instrument orchestra The English Concert for a concert performance of Handel’s masterpiece of Baroque vocal music. 

Mahler's Third Symphony

Mahler's Third Symphony

Thomas Søndegård conducts the RSNO, RSNO Youth Chorus and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in Mahler’s massive Third Symphony. 

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti returns to Edinburgh for Bruch’s sumptuous Concerto alongside the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Maxim Emelyanychev. 

Czech Philharmonic 2

Czech Philharmonic 2

Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic appear together at the International Festival to play the symphonic masterpiece, Mahler’s Seventh Symphony. 

Czech Philharmonic 1

Czech Philharmonic 1

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. 

Australian World Orchestra

Australian World Orchestra

Multi-award-winning Australian World Orchestra make their Festival debut with maestro Zubin Mehta, who returns for the first time in over 40 years. 

London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Orchestra

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. 

Ibn Battuta: The Traveller of Time

Ibn Battuta: The Traveller of Time

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. 

Members Event: Open Rehearsal with Les Siècles

Members Event: Open Rehearsal with Les Siècles

An exclusive event for members of the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Les Siècles

Les Siècles

Trailblazing period orchestra Les Siècles search for new light in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène. 

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

The Bergen Philharmonic and conductor Edward Gardner bring captivating emotions to this performance featuring Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in his Festival debut. 

Salome

Salome

Celebrated Swedish soprano Malin Byström takes the title role in Strauss’ one-act opera, alongside the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardner. 

Wayne Marshall Plays Gershwin

Wayne Marshall Plays Gershwin

Wayne Marshall joins Scottish Chamber Orchestra for an evening of rip-roaring tunes and joyful American classics, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. 

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

One of the world’s greatest pianists covers three centuries of music in this wide-ranging solo recital. 

Fidelio

Fidelio

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. 

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Elim Chan join forces with Czech pianist Lukáš Vondráček to take on works by Dukas, Liszt and Bartók. 

Members Event: Open Rehearsal with the Philharmonia Orchestra

Members Event: Open Rehearsal with the Philharmonia Orchestra

An exclusive event for members of the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Philharmonia Orchestra

Philharmonia Orchestra

Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads the Philharmonia in a mighty first concert, with outstanding pianist Seong-Jin Cho performing in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. 

The Opening Concert

The Opening Concert

Sir Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra launch the 2022 Festival with the spectacular Carmina Burana. 

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

A historic free concert presented as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, in partnership with the Scottish Government. 

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

A historic free concert presented as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, in partnership with the Scottish Government. 

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles with Big Noise Raploch

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles with Big Noise Raploch

RehearsingTraditional (arr. 

Mahler's Eighth Symphony

Mahler's Eighth Symphony

Swedish Radio Symphony OrchestraDaniel Harding Conductor Edinburgh Festival ChorusNYCoS National Girls ChoirChristopher Bell Chorus Director  Tamara Wilson SopranoIda Falk Winland… 

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 2

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 2

Baltimore Symphony OrchestraMarin Alsop Conductor Nicola Benedetti Violin Berio, John Corigliano, Toru Takemitsu, & John Williams Bernstein Birthday BouquetBernstein SerenadeBe… 

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 1

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 1

Baltimore Symphony OrchestraMarin Alsop Conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet Piano Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919)Gershwin Piano ConcertoSchumann Symphony No 2 Driven, demanding, bri… 

Eurovision Young Musicians 2018: Competition Final

Eurovision Young Musicians 2018: Competition Final

BBC Scottish Symphony OrchestraThomas Dausgaard Conductor Experience the classical music stars of tomorrow – the most exciting young performers from right across Europe. 

Des canyons aux étoiles...

Des canyons aux étoiles...

Scottish Chamber OrchestraMatthias Pintscher Conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard Piano Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles … An epic hymn to the wonders of the natural world. 

Dvořák's Requiem

Dvořák's Requiem

Bamberger SymphonikerJakub Hrůša Conductor Edinburgh Festival ChorusChristopher Bell Chorus Director Eva Hornyaková SopranoVáclava Krejčí Housková Mezzo sopranoPavel Černoc… 

Colburn Orchestra

Colburn Orchestra

Colburn OrchestraStéphane Denève Conductor  Simone Porter Violin Esa-Pekka Salonen NyxBarber Violin ConcertoRachmaninov Symphonic Dances Exceptional emerging musicians from e… 

Scottish Chamber Orchestra 2

Scottish Chamber Orchestra 2

Scottish Chamber OrchestraRobin Ticciati Conductor  Brahms Symphony No 2Brahms Symphony No 4 Mercurial, magical, constantly surprising. 

Scottish Chamber Orchestra 1

Scottish Chamber Orchestra 1

Scottish Chamber OrchestraRobin Ticciati Conductor Brahms Symphony No 1Brahms Symphony No 3 Revelatory performances, teeming with telling detail, inviting you to experience well-lo… 

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

City of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraLudovic Morlot Conductor Edinburgh Festival ChorusChristopher Bell Chorus Director Sheku Kanneh-Mason Cello Stravinsky Funeral SongElgar Cell… 

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Oslo PhilharmonicVasily Petrenko Conductor Lise Davidsen Soprano Richard Strauss Don JuanRichard Strauss SongsProkofiev Symphony No 6  Deeply moving and profoundly cathartic: the … 

Hansel & Gretel

Hansel & Gretel

The greatest operatic fairy tale of them all - magical, dark and bewitching – on the perils of growing up. 

National Youth Orchestra of Canada

National Youth Orchestra of Canada

National Youth Orchestra of CanadaJonathan Darlington ConductorMarjorie Maltais Mezzo-Soprano (Symphony No 3) John Estacio MoontidesCopland Appalachian SpringVaughan Williams Symp… 

Handel's Samson

Handel's Samson

Dunedin ConsortJohn Butt Director / Harpsichord CastPaul Appleby SamsonSophie Bevan DalilaAlice Coote MicahMatthew Brook ManoahDavid Soar HaraphaHugo Hymas Israelite/Philistine Ma… 

London Symphony Orchestra 2

London Symphony Orchestra 2

London Symphony Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle Conductor Mahler Symphony No 9 Rattle has long been revered for the searing intensity and insight of his Mahler performances. 

London Symphony Orchestra 1

London Symphony Orchestra 1

London Symphony OrchestraSir Simon Rattle Conductor Krystian Zimerman Piano  Bernstein Symphony No 2 ‘The Age of Anxiety’Dvořák Slavonic DancesJanáček Sinfonietta Sir Simo… 

Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony

Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony

BBC Scottish Symphony OrchestraMartyn Brabbins Conductor Edinburgh Festival ChorusChristopher Bell Chorus Director Elizabeth Watts SopranoChristopher Maltman Baritone Thea Musgrave… 

National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

National Youth Orchestra of ScotlandPaul Daniel Conductor Debussy IbériaLili Boulanger D’un matin de printempsColes Behind the LinesDebussy La mer The International Festival’s… 

Siegfried

Siegfried

A hero who knows no fear. 

The Orchestra of the Americas

The Orchestra of the Americas

The Orchestra of the AmericasCarlos Miguel Prieto Conductor Gabriela Montero Piano Chávez Symphony No 2 ‘Sinfonia india’Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1Copland Symphony No 3  … 

National Youth Choir of Scotland

National Youth Choir of Scotland

National Youth Choir of ScotlandChristopher Bell Conductor Andrew McTaggart Baritone Michael Bawtree Organ Vaughan Williams Five Mystical SongsTippett Five Spirituals (Child of Ou… 

NYO-USA Jazz

NYO-USA Jazz

NYO JazzSean Jones Trumpet/BandleaderDianne Reeves Vocalist  Showcasing American music for big band from Basie and Ellington to today’s jazz  greats The International Festival’s … 

Opening Concert

Opening Concert

Scottish Chamber OrchestraEdward Gardner Conductor National Youth Choir of ScotlandChristopher Bell Chorus Director Sarah Tynan SopranoRobert Murray TenorNeal Davies Bass Haydn The… 

70th Anniversary Celebration Concert

70th Anniversary Celebration Concert

The 2017 International Festival’s Usher Hall concerts come to a resplendent conclusion in a very special concert celebrating 70 years of the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Filarmonica della Scala 2

Filarmonica della Scala 2

The sumptuous splendours and vivid colours of Italian music bring the two-concert residency from the Orchestra of Milan’s famed La Scala opera house to a dazzling close, under vi… 

Filarmonica della Scala 1

Filarmonica della Scala 1

The Filarmonica della Scala, the orchestra of Milan’s world-renowned opera house La Scala, has been lauded as Italy’s finest symphony orchestra. 

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Two muscular celebrations of America launch a powerful programme from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under its inspirational Music Director Louis Langrée. 

Joshua Bell Plays Bruch

Joshua Bell Plays Bruch

Superstar US violinist Joshua Bell has brought fresh new vigour to the already accomplished Academy of St Martin in the Fields since taking the reins as Music Director in 2011, the… 

Mariinsky & RSNO

Mariinsky & RSNO

Only at the International Festival could you experience two of the world’s finest orchestras in a single concert. 

Verdi's Requiem

Verdi's Requiem

From pounding drums and blazing trumpets predicting the final judgement, to serene prayers begging for release: Verdi’s Requiem is a choral blockbuster of staggering power, bring… 

Mitsuko Uchida in recital

Mitsuko Uchida in recital

One of the most inspirational, perceptive pianists performing today, Mitsuko Uchida is revered as much for her elegance and poise as for her boundless virtuosity. 

La Damnation de Faust

La Damnation de Faust

Dancing skeletons, drunken rats and a wild, reckless ride to damnation: just some of the unforgettable evocations in Berlioz’s visionary and epic musical retelling of the Faust l… 

Festival Firsts

Festival Firsts

Sir James MacMillan has a long and fruitful relationship with both the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh International Festival. 

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Canadian Marc-André Hamelin is a true piano virtuoso in the mould of historical greats Liszt or Rachmaninov, combining astonishing power with a miraculous, impeccable technique … 

L'incoronazione di Poppea

L'incoronazione di Poppea

Power corrupts – but love corrupts absolutely. 

Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar

Queen of the sitar Anoushka Shankar is a global musical star – performing to worldwide adulation for her breathtaking sitar virtuosity, and releasing numerous critically acclaime… 

Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria

Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria

After two brutal decades of war, the weary Ulysses is washed up on the rocky shore of his home island of Ithaca. 

L'Orfeo

L'Orfeo

Period performance pioneer Sir John Eliot Gardiner is revered worldwide, not just for his searching scholarly insights into early music, but also for the astonishing intensity and … 

Peter Grimes

Peter Grimes

What really happened to the young apprentice of surly fisherman Peter Grimes? Suspicion turns to violence when villagers mob together to uncover the unsettling truth. 

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Teeming with unforgettable melody, shot through with the unmistakable tang of Nordic folk music, Grieg’s Piano Concerto is deservedly one of classical music’s most cherished wo… 

Elgar's King Olaf

Elgar's King Olaf

World-renowned Elgarian Sir Andrew Davis conducts a rarely heard masterpiece: Elgar’s Viking cantata Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf. 

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Powerful, poetic, effortlessly charismatic, Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti is one of today’s most admired and cherished performers. 

Bryn Terfel & Malcolm Martineau

Bryn Terfel & Malcolm Martineau

Superstar of the opera and concert stage, Bryn Terfel has a voice that can fill the world’s greatest opera houses, and a musical personality just as warm and charismatic. 

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

They open with the surging emotions and poignant melodies of Schubert’s much-loved ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. 

Die Walküre

Die Walküre

Following last year’s Das Rheingold from Mariinsky Opera, the epic Die Walküre takes us deeper into Wagner’s vast mythological world in the second part of the International F… 

The Opening Concert

The Opening Concert

A jolt of surprise and a joyful choral celebration launch the 2017 International Festival Usher Hall concerts with an evening of wit and warmth. 

National Youth Orchestra of the USA

National Youth Orchestra of the USA

Davis Delicate TensionBerlioz Les nuits d’été Prokofiev Symphony No 5 Opening the concert is Delicate Tension by Tyson J. 

Götterdämmerung

Götterdämmerung

Following their spectacular Die Walküre in 2017, Sir Andrew Davis and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra reunite with a sensational international cast of soloists for the overw… 

Marcel Khalife & Rami Khalife

Marcel Khalife & Rami Khalife

Dubbed the Bob Dylan of the Arabic world, legendary singer, composer, oud player and folk hero Marcel Khalife is a musical freedom fighter, a global ambassador for his Lebanese her… 

Amadou & Mariam + Blind Boys of Alabama

Amadou & Mariam + Blind Boys of Alabama

American gospel voyages back to its African roots in this compelling collaboration between two of today’s greatest world music groups. 

Orfeo ed Euridice

Orfeo ed Euridice

With his velvety, exquisitely expressive voice and his penetrating sense of drama, world-renowned British countertenor Iestyn Davies is at the height of his powers. 

Orchestre de Paris 2

Orchestre de Paris 2

A passionate outcry against man’s inhumanity to man, Britten’s War Requiem is a profoundly moving plea for peace, contrasting shattering anti-war poetry by Wilfred Owen with th… 

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

James MacMillan Quickening Strauss Ein Heldenleben Birth, life, struggles and triumphs: two immensely powerful reflections on our existence, performed by a celebrated Internatio… 

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Sir James MacMillan Symphony No2Symphony No 5: ‘Le grand Inconnu’ (World Premiere) The International Festival’s major five-concert celebration of Sir James MacMillan’s 60th bi… 

Los Angeles Philharmonic 2

Los Angeles Philharmonic 2

Barber AdagioJohn Adams Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? (European Premiere)Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4 The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel bring us right up t… 

Peer Gynt & Glorious Percussion

Peer Gynt & Glorious Percussion

Sofia Gubaidulina Glorious Percussion (UK Premiere)Grieg Peer Gynt (selections) Gripping drama, high adventure, quirky Nordic enchantment: Grieg’s exuberant music for Ibsen’s… 

BBC Symphony Orchestra

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2 Mahler Symphony No 4 From a dance with the devil to a child’s awestruck view of heaven – Mahler’s Fourth is his shortest, sunniest symphon… 

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

Qigang Wu Xing ‘The Five Elements’Dvořák Cello Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 5 The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is China’s premier classical ensemble – and an orchestr… 

London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Orchestra

John Adams HarmonielehreRachmaninov Symphony No 2 One of the world’s most electrifying musical partnerships, Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra return following… 

Orchestre de Paris 1

Orchestre de Paris 1

Beethoven Symphony No 6Berlioz Harold in Italy  Intellectual rigour and shattering passion: British conductor Daniel Harding is a remarkable force in European music. 

Los Angeles Philharmonic 1

Los Angeles Philharmonic 1

The exceptional players of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, in the second of their special three-concert residency at International Festival 2019, launch the 201… 

West Side Story

West Side Story

A timeless love story; an electrifying spectacle. 

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Sir James MacMillan A Scotch BestiaryWoman of the Apocalypse Not only one of the world’s most revered and exceptional composers, Sir James MacMillan is also an immensely popular… 

Angela Hewitt 1

Angela Hewitt 1

Remarkable Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt has received global acclaim in a broad range of music – from Mozart and Beethoven through to Liszt, Debussy and Messiaen. 

Elgar's The Kingdom

Elgar's The Kingdom

After a remarkable Siegfried in 2018 and an equally astonishing La damnation de Faust the previous year, Manchester’s Hallé is an orchestra of extraordinary power. 

Angela Hewitt 2

Angela Hewitt 2

Remarkable Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is revered above all for her performances of Bach, digging deep into his gloriously complex works with spontaneity and dance-like grace. 

Manon Lescaut

Manon Lescaut

Love, conflict, greed and desire.