From 5 – 28 August 2022, Edinburgh International Festival celebrates its 75th anniversary, and 75 years of bringing world cultures together, with a programme defined by international partnerships and bold collaborations that span continents, generations and genres. Returning to Edinburgh’s theatres and concert halls at a scale not seen since 2019, 14 venues host 87 events and over 160 performances from over 2,300 artists – once again turning Edinburgh into a global celebration of world-class music, opera, dance and theatre. This year is also Fergus Linehan’s last as Festival Director before Nicola Benedetti takes up the role in October 2022.
The 2022 International Festival also pilots a number of artistic residencies as part of ongoing work to make the event more sustainable by reducing the amount of travel required.
Highlights of the programme include:
- MACRO – a spectacular 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. Further details about this event will be announced on 27 June.
- 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 and special free afternoon concert to celebrate the Festival’s 75th anniversary.
- Internationaal Theater Amsterdam in residence at the Edinburgh International Festival with two epic shows from the company’s repertoire – 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’s residency comprising an orchestral concert 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.
- The most substantial programme of Australian artists in the International Festival’s 75-year history, as part of the UK/Australia Season. Performances include the Australian World Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta; Gravity & Other Myths in MACRO and The Pulse; the European premiere of You Know We Belong Together by Julia Hales; a tale of Sri Lanka post-independence and Australia as an immigrant nation in S. Shakthidharan’s Counting and Cracking; didgeridoo player William Barton with the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble; and violist Brett Dean performs alongside the Hebrides Ensemble.
- A new production of Dvořák’s best-loved opera, the dark fairy tale Rusalka, featuring Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw in the title role. It is also conducted by Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director of Garsington Opera and performed with one of the 2022 International Festival resident orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra.
- The world premiere of Scottish Ballet’s Coppélia, reinvented for the digital age by UK choreographers Jess and Morgs with a blend of location and real-time filming, projection and live performance. The original Delibes score is reimagined as part of a new composition by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
- A contemporary music programme featuring jazz legend Herbie Hancock in his International Festival debut; 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 compelling American singer songwriter Ezra Furman.
- A contemporary dance programme featuring Akram Khan’s new Jungle Book Reimagined which reinvents the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a climate refugee; the UK premiere of Kyle Abraham’s An Untitled Love set to the music of R&B legend D’Angelo; and Aakash Odedra Company’s Samsara, which draws from Western, Indian and Chinese dance traditions.
- Muster Station: Leith – a new immersive, promenade performance created by multi-award-winning theatre company Grid Iron to mark the culmination of the International Festival’s four-year residency at Leith Academy.
- Leading European orchestras return to Edinburgh’s Usher Hall including: the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Les Siècles, Hespèrion XXI, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra with the world premiere of Daniel Kidane’s Precipice Dances.
- Intimate morning recitals at The Queen’s Hall featuring piano maestros Bruce Liu, Ronald Brautigam, Malcolm Martineau and Steven Osborne; vocal recitals from singers including Anne Sofie von Otter, Golda Schultz and Florian Boesch; and chamber music from Chineke! Chamber Ensemble, Takács Quartet and more.
- The National Theatre of Scotland’s return 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 and directed by Michael Boyd.
- Refuge, a season of contemporary theatre, dance, visual art, film and conversation, created in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council to explore themes of refugeehood, migration, identity and inclusion.
- Dreamachine, part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, is a powerful immersive experience using light and sound to explore the potential of the human mind, which takes place at Murrayfield Ice Rink, Edinburgh. Created by Collective Act, it brings together Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, Grammy and Mercury nominated composer Jon Hopkins, and a team of leading technologists, scientists and philosophers.
As part of the International Festival’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, the 2022 programme includes audio described, captioned and British Sign Language interpreted performances, touch tours, relaxed performances and free tickets to classical music concerts for over 250 young people.
Supported by global investment brand abrdn, the International Festival’s digital programme, At Home, will feature behind-the-scenes interviews, exclusive music sessions and performances filmed in iconic locations around Edinburgh. Full details will be announced in the summer.
General booking for the 2022 International Festival opens on Friday 8 April.
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director, 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.”
Culture Minister Neil Gray said:
“We’re delighted to support the Edinburgh International Festival as it celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Set up after the Second World War to unite people from different cultures through the arts, the festival’s raison d’etre is just as relevant today as it was in 1947.
“As Minister for Refugees from Ukraine I’m pleased to see the themes of refugeehood, migration and inclusion in this year’s programme. In particular, I’m looking forward to Grid Iron theatre’s exploration of human displacement and migration in their immersive production of Muster Station: Leith which received funding through our Festivals Expo Fund.
“This will also be director Fergus Linehan’s final festival, and I’d like to pay tribute to his wide-ranging and inspiring programmes over the last eight years.”
Councillor Donald Wilson, Edinburgh’s Culture and Communities Convener, said:
“The city’s International Festival returns in full force with an exciting celebration of artists and companies from Scotland and all over the world.
“This is a very special year for the festival, not only does it see a full programme of delights and thrilling encounters, it will also be marking its 75th year and Fergus Linehan’s final contribution as Festival Director. Over the last seven years, Mr Linehan has worked through an exceptional era of both social liberty and challenge to stage a festival programme both intimate and international reaching partners all over the globe bringing exceptional talent to Edinburgh, alongside showcasing Scottish companies and artists. I am certain 2022 will see his crowning accomplishment in delivering a renewed festival to Edinburgh and the world.”
Ian Munro, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, said:
“Congratulations to Fergus and the Edinburgh International Festival team for an outstanding programme in his final festival. Spanning continents, generations and genres, the 75th anniversary programme represents an important moment, bringing people together to celebrate creativity through an inspirational line-up of world-class music, opera, dance and theatre. 75 years on from the Festival’s founding in the shadow of the Second World War, we find ourselves again turning to culture to lift spirits and provide inspiration in uncertain and challenging times. We also welcome Nicola Benedetti as incoming Festival Director and look forward to working with her in the coming years on the continued success of the Festival.”
Further programme information by genre:
Classical Music
The world’s finest orchestras and musicians make a long-awaited return to Edinburgh with 21 concerts in the Usher Hall and 19 intimate recitals at The Queen’s Hall.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles opens the 2022 orchestral series with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, NYCOS National Girls Choir and three international soloists (Meechot Marrero, Sunnyboy Dladla and Thomas Lehman) in Orff’s Carmina Burana and Respighi’s Pines of Rome.
The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is in residence at the International Festival for four concerts, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Angel Blue, Karen Cargill and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Florence Price’s First Symphony, violinist Lisa Batiashvili performing Szymanowski and a chamber recital of Mozart works featuring Yannick Nézet-Séguin as a piano soloist. The Philadelphia Orchestra also performs in a special free afternoon concert to celebrate the Festival’s 75th anniversary. The concert is in honour of all those whose hard work, encouragement and friendship, supported the festival community through the worst of the pandemic. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s residency is supported by the Dunard Fund, and James and Morag Anderson.
The Philharmonia Orchestra’s residency at the 2022 Edinburgh International Festival comprises an orchestral concert conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and featuring South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, a concert staging of Fidelio under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles, and a chamber recital showcasing the orchestra’s exceptional musicians. The Philharmonia Orchestra also gives three performances of Dvořák’s Rusalka from Garsington Opera.
The first of the Czech Philharmonic’s two concerts, both conducted by Semyon Bychkov, features pianist sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque in the jazz-infused Concerto for Two Pianos and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. In the second of their two concerts, the orchestra performs Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, which was composed for the orchestra and premiered in Prague in 1908. The Czech Philharmonic concerts are supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra performs Chinese-born composer Tan Dun’s theatrical The Tears of Nature under the baton of Elim Chan, Mahler’s Third Symphony conducted by Thomas Søndergård and closes the Festival in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus under conductor Sir Andrew Davis.
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner, performs Schumann’s Piano Concerto with Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. Period orchestra Les Siècles perform Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène under the baton of founding conductor François-Xavier Roth.
Musical pioneer Jordi Savall assembles musicians from Europe and the Middle East, India, China and North Africa – alongside his own Hespèrion XXI early music ensemble – to recreate the music that Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta encountered when travelling the four corners of the known world in the 14th century. A second concert, Istanbul 1710, is Savall’s response to the ancient musical world of the Turkish capital,
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard covers three centuries of music in a wide-ranging solo recital, while Wayne Marshall is joined by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for an evening of American classics including Gershwin and Bernstein. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra also performs alongside Nicola Benedetti in Bruch’s Violin Concerto and selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty.
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a powerful concert that includes Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony. Appearing as part of the UK/Australia Season, the Australian World Orchestra is conducted by Zubin Mehta and features Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg. The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra performs with conductor Susanna Mälkki and pianist Andreas Haefliger.
The Queen’s Hall hosts a series of intimate mid-morning recitals featuring some of the world’s leading soloists and chamber musicians. This year’s programme features Malcolm Martineau and Steven Osborne in highly anticipated duet performance, as well as Chopin Piano Competition winner Bruce Liu and period piano master Ronald Brautigam. Vocal recitals include Anne Sofie von Otter with American string quartet Brooklyn Rider, Golda Schultz accompanied by pianist Jonathan Ware in a programme that explores her favourite female composers, the BBC Singers conducted by Sofi Jeannin, baritone Florian Boesch with Malcolm Martineau, and Magdalena Kožená accompanied by Yefim Bronfman. Israeli-German clarinettist Sharon Kam makes her International Festival debut with Enrico Pace, British conductor and harpsichordist Richard Egarr performs in two Baroque ensemble recitals, while Jordi Savall and his ensemble Hespèrion XXI explore the sounds and rhythms of Istanbul. Additional ensemble performances include Chineke! Chamber Ensemble with five works by Black and Indigenous composers, the Takács Quartet, Dunedin Consort, Hebrides Ensemble with Australian violist Brett Dean and the Pavel Haas Quartet.
See www.eif.co.uk/classicalmusic for information on individual performances.
Theatre
Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, one of Europe’s most important theatre companies, takes up residence at the 2022 International Festival with two epic shows from their repertoire, A Little Life and The Magic Mountain, as well as presenting a new adaption of The End of Eddy by Toneelschuur Producties. Acclaimed director Ivo van Hove adapts Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life for the theatre into a deeply moving performance of epic proportions, featuring Dutch actor Ramsey Nasr who won the Louis d’Or (Best Male Performance) for his portrayal of central character Jude. Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, widely considered one of the most influential works of twentieth-century German literature, is adapted by radical theatre makers Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck (FC Bergman), into an epic work for contemporary audiences. Norwegian director Eline Arbo adapts The End of Eddy, Édouard Louis’ autobiographical novel about growing up gay and poor in rural France, into a dazzling, unpredictable show mixing text, choreography and music. Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s residency is supported by James and Morag Anderson.
Former Scots Makar Liz Lochhead makes her International Festival debut with her modern adaptation of Medea, in a contemporary re-telling packed with lyrical intensity and poetic flair. In this new production from the National Theatre of Scotland, the title role is played by award-winning performer Adura Onashile, with the production directed by Michael Boyd, former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Lochhead’s Medea was first staged in Glasgow in 2000 by Theatre Babel, before going on to tour nationally, as well as visiting the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in both 2000 and 2001, where it played to critical and audience acclaim.
Burn is a creative collaboration between Scottish artist Alan Cumming and the Olivier award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). Co-produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and New York City’s The Joyce Theater, this powerful new piece of dance theatre challenges the traditional ‘biscuit tin’ image of Scotland’s national bard and explores his personal struggles and spectacular successes. Performed by Alan Cumming in his solo dance theatre debut, Burn features the music of acclaimed contemporary musician and composer Anna Meredith, with visually arresting set and video design by Ana Inés Jabares Pita and Lewis den Hertog. Burn is supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown.
Following his sell-out 2016 show The Toad Knew, James Thierrée returns to the International Festival with ROOM, a new show that blends live music, dance, mime and curiosities into a hallucinatory spectacle that defiantly rejects categorisation. One of Europe’s most extraordinary and versatile artists, Thierrée uses his talents to create magical dream-like performances that captivate, charm and inspire. ROOM is supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown.
Featuring 19 different performers hailing from six different countries, Counting and Cracking follows the journey of one Sri Lankan-Australian family over four generations, from 1956 to 2004. Written by S. Shakthidharan, a Sri Lankan-Australian who researched and developed the work over the course of ten years, the play tells the tale of two countries: Sri Lanka post-independence and Australia as an immigrant nation. It is directed by award-winning Eamon Flack, Artistic Director of Belvoir, one of Australia’s most celebrated theatre companies.
Muster Station: Leith is a new immersive, promenade performance created by multi-award-winning theatre company Grid Iron. Commissioned to mark the culmination of the International Festival’s four-year residency at Leith Academy, Muster Station: Leith takes audiences on a journey through the school as they shelter from an unknown external crisis. Students from Leith Academy will have the opportunity to contribute to the production creatively, as well as gain qualifications through participation in technical theatre and front of house skills development workshops, supported by the International Festival’s Learning & Engagement Partner Baillie Gifford Investment Managers.
Rwandan artist and activist Odile Gakire Katese, in collaboration with award-winning theatre group Volcano Canada and her own Woman Cultural Centre, Rwanda, crafts The Book of Life, a theatre work exploring resilience, reconciliation and healing 25 years after the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The Ingoma Nshya, the internationally acclaimed Women Drummers of Rwanda, shatter the cultural norms that forbade women from taking part in this art form, performing onstage alongside Katese and a backdrop of live shadow puppetry.
Australian actor and presenter Julia Hales has watched every single episode of Home and Away, but she’s never seen another person with Down Syndrome in the cast. In You Know We Belong Together, Julia and a cast of six actors put their own lives on stage, sharing their experiences through monologues, sketches, video, dance and song to call for greater inclusivity for a community rarely represented on stage or screen.
When You Walk Over My Grave recounts the last days of Franco-Uruguayan playwright Sergio Blanco, in a piece of contemporary theatre that is comedic, moving, visceral and intellectual.
Zimbabwean writer, performer and curator mandla rae asks powerful questions about belonging, trauma and forgiveness in as british as a watermelon, while Detention Dialogues, from ice&fire Actors for Human Rights and Scottish Detainee Visitors, features a series of verbatim scripts featuring the voices of refugees from different countries.
See www.eif.co.uk/theatre for information on individual productions.
Opera
A new production of Dvořák’s best-loved opera, the dark fairy tale Rusalka, features award-winning Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw in the title role with direction from Jack Furness. One of the 2022 International Festival’s resident orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra, performs with Garsington Opera under the baton of Douglas Boyd. Designer Tom Piper is most famous for his Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation of poppies at the Tower of London.
The Philharmonia Orchestra also performs in a concert staging of Beethoven’s Fidelio under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles with Clay Hilley as Florestan and Jennifer Davis as Leonore.
Celebrated Swedish soprano Malin Byström takes the title role in a concert performance of Strauss’s Salome, with baritone Johan Reuter as the doomed John the Baptist, performed by conductor Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in their highly anticipated return to the Usher Hall.
Neal Davies takes the title role in Handel’s Saul, joining Iestyn Davies and period instrument orchestra The English Concert under conductor Bernard Labadie for one of the true masterpieces of Baroque vocal music.
Les Siècles performs Lili Boulanger’s Debussy-influenced cantata Faust et Hélène under founding conductor François-Xavier Roth.
See www.eif.co.uk/opera for information on individual performances.
Dance
Following the success of The Crucible in 2019, Scottish Ballet returns to the International Festival for the world premiere of Coppélia, reinvented for the digital age by UK choreographers Jess and Morgs. This distinctive new version of the classic ballet tests the boundaries of dance, theatre and film with its blend of location and real-time filming, projection and live performance. The original Delibes score is reimagined as part of a new composition by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
Internationally celebrated choreographer Akram Khan returns to the Festival with Jungle Book Reimagined, a magical dance retelling of Kipling’s family classic which reinvents the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a climate refugee. Jungle Book Reimagined brings together a creative team from all over the world, with a script by Tariq Jordan, dramaturgy by Sharon Clark and original score by Jocelyn Pook.
Choreographer Kyle Abraham’s latest full-length work, An Untitled Love, receives its UK premiere at the International Festival. An Untitled Love draws from Grammy Award-winning D’Angelo’s rich catalogue of R&B and soul music, which captivated the young Abraham during his university days. This new work pays homage to the complexities of self-love and Black love in the form of an unforgettable party, told with Abraham’s trademark poetic clarity.
Critically acclaimed circus and physical theatre company Gravity & Other Myths is joined by First Nations dance company Djuki Mala, the National Youth Choir of Scotland and Scottish musicians including Aidan O’Rourke, Brìghde Chaimbeul and Kathleen MacInnes for MACRO – a spectacular free opening event at BT Murrayfield BT supported by EventScotland. MACRO is presented as part of the UK / Australia Season, supported by the Australian Government, the British Council and the Australian Cultural Fund. Gravity & Other Myths also brings together all three of its core ensembles, plus a choir of thirty voices, for The Pulse.
In Aakesh Odedra Company’s Samsara, UK/Indian dancer Aakash Odedra and Chinese dancer Hu Shenyuan draw on the dance traditions of their respective countries to explore the notion of samsara: the wheel of life, of birth, existence and re-birth.
A Wee Journey, a choreographed musical journey about migration created by choreographer Farah Saleh and composer Oğuz Kaplangi, receives its world premiere as part of the Refuge season. Akeim Toussaint Buck’s Windows of Displacement is a dance theatre piece drawing on his own journey of migration from Jamaica to the UK, while Wang Ramirez’s dance show for young audiences We Are Monchichi explores cultural stereotypes and identities.
See www.eif.co.uk/dance for information on individual performances.
Contemporary Music
14-time Grammy Award winner Herbie Hancock returns to Scotland for the first time in over 17 years for a special one-off performance at the Edinburgh Playhouse. His genre-transcending set of jazz, rock and funk fusion, accompanied by a jazz ensemble of new generation artists, showcases his rich back catalogue from a six-decade long career.
Cultural icon Princess Nokia makes her Scottish debut following a triumphant double album release in 2020 and her latest single No Effort. Heralded for her brazen lyricism that promotes individuality and identity, American singer-songwriter Ezra Furman performs tracks from her latest release Point Me Toward The Real. Member of all-girl supergroup boygenius, indie rock singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus makes her International Festival debut, featuring tracks from her 2021 studio album Home Video.
Mercury Prize shortlisted artist Kae Tempest returns to Leith Theatre for the first time since their debut in 2019, with a set featuring track from their fourth album The Line Is A Curve in April. Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, who appeared in the 2021 Festival with The Comet is Coming, returns to Edinburgh with Mercury Prize nominees Sons of Kemet.
French-Cuban duo Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz of Ibeyi craft a fusion of R&B and art pop deeply rooted in the traditions of Cuba, performing tracks from their upcoming third studio album Spell 31. The programme also includes 2022 double Grammy Award nominee Arooj Aftab, a rising star who combines traditional Sufi poetry with genre blending musical soundscapes.
After sell-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House, The Cinematic Orchestra announce their first live performance of 2022 at the iconic Leith Theatre. Scottish indie rock duo Arab Strap also make their International Festival debut with intimate, confessional songs from their first release in sixteen years As Days Get Dark.
Veteran multi-instrumentalist and genre-bending electronic producer Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) performs a special live show on the 25th anniversary year of pioneering dance album Hard Normal Daddy. His set includes the first Scottish performance of tracks from 2020 release Be Up A Hello. Fellow electronic musician and composer Jeff Mills makes his International Festival debut, showcasing a musical career which has crossed artistic boundaries from sci-fi inspired techno to classical collaboration.
Traditional music returns to the International Festival with performances in Leith Theatre, including Romanian folk supergroup Taraf de Caliu and traditional-electronic crossover artists Niteworks.
Fiddler Aidan O’Rourke returns to the International Festival for the first film screening of The Ballad of a Great Disordered Heart, in which he investigates the past, present and future of his home in Edinburgh’s Little Ireland.
A full line-up can be found at www.eif.co.uk/contemporarymusic.
Refuge
Refuge is a season of contemporary theatre, dance, visual art, film and conversation created in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council to explore themes of refugeehood, migration, identity and inclusion. Seventy-five years after Rudolf Bing, himself a refugee, co-founded the Edinburgh International Festival, this season reflects upon the profound impact that migration has had on arts and culture in Scotland and around the world.
A Wee Journey, a choreographed musical journey about migration created by choreographer Farah Saleh and composer Oğuz Kaplangi, receives its world premiere as part of the Refuge season. Akeim Toussaint Buck’s Windows of Displacement is a dance theatre piece drawing on his own journey of migration from Jamaica to the UK, while Wang Ramirez’s dance show for young audiences We Are Monchichi explores cultural stereotypes and identities.
Zimbabwean writer, performer and curator mandla rae asks powerful questions about belonging, trauma and forgiveness in as british as a watermelon, while Detention Dialogues, from ice&fire Actors for Human Rights and Scottish Detainee Visitors, features a series of verbatim scripts featuring the voices of refugees from different countries.
Artists Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse host Oh Europa, a deep listening experience featuring love songs recorded across Europe by over a thousand voices, in 49 different languages. Amber is an interactive performance documenting artists Paria Moazemi Goodarzi and Francisco Llinas Casas and their encounters on a 23-mile walk from Dungavel Detention Centre to the Home Office in Glasgow. Aref Ghorbani intersperses Persian classical and folk music with conversation around music censorship in Vocal, while artist Leema Nammari’s visual art installation It Will Live is inspired by a house in Ramallah that she has photographed for 35 years.
The programme is complemented by a series of online conversations addressing internationalism, climate change, belonging, and a podcast series, I Am An Immigrant, which launches in July.
See www.eif.co.uk/profile/refuge for information on individual performances.
Edinburgh International Culture Summit
The Edinburgh International Culture Summit is a biennial series of discussions, performances and events for culture ministers from around the world. They are joined by artists, thinkers and cultural influencers to consider creative solutions to the challenges facing society. Taking place 26 – 28 August, the 2022 Summit focuses on the importance of culture when considering education and sustainability, and tackles unique challenges across the cultural, linguistic, political and environmental contexts represented by each of the Ministerial delegations attending the Summit.
– ENDS –
For the 2022 International Festival trailer – see here
For a digital version of the Programme Brochure – see here
For information about the Edinburgh International Festival’s 2022 partnerships – see here
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About Edinburgh International Festival
Every August, the International Festival brings world-class music, opera, dance and theatre performances to Edinburgh.
Created in 1947 following WWII, the festival inspired artists and audiences to heal through international cultural collaboration. This year the International Festival celebrates 75 years of bringing world cultures together and will take place from 5-28 August 2022.
Year-round the Edinburgh International Festival connects with local communities through education projects, access programmes, and initiatives that introduce new audiences to live performance.
For more information visit www.eif.co.uk
2022 International Festival supporters
The core investment that the Edinburgh International Festival receives from the City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland plays a critical role in ensuring our stability and success.
Crucial support from other public sector bodies, charitable funds, the corporate sector, international partners and agencies, trusts and foundations and our individual benefactors, patrons and friends is also vitally important in enabling us to present a Festival of scale and quality in 2022.
The UK/Australia Season is a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to strengthen and build cultural connections between the two countries.
Muster Station: Leith is supported through the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund. Refuge is the centrepiece of our season of work funded through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government – through Creative Scotland – the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals. This year’s opening event MACRO is supported by EventScotland.
Full details of all 2022 supporters can be found at https://www.eif.co.uk/support-us.
Edinburgh International Festival’s Learning and Engagement Programme
The International Festival connects annually with thousands of people through its year-round Learning and Engagement programmes.
Working across four key pillars of activity – children and families, young people, communities and talent development – the International Festival aims to reach as many people as possible of all ages both locally and internationally, and is committed to ensuring the annual global celebration of culture is accessed by all through a year-round bespoke programme of projects and opportunities. This summer will see the International Festival partnering with a range of companies and organisations to support this work including Akram Khan Company, Grid Iron, Imaginate, Mahogany Opera, the National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Ballet, Screen Educational Edinburgh, Starcatchers and Vox Liminis, as well as a range of local and international artists. See www.eif.co.uk/learning-and-engagement for more information.