Edinburgh International Festival launches 2021 programme
Lucy Thraves
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
The festival, which will pioneer the return of live performance in Scotland, runs from 7-29 August 2021.
Edinburgh will welcome audiences back to the city this August, for a programme of live and online performances.
Events will take place across Edinburgh, in specially chosen outdoor venues including Edinburgh Academy Junior School and Parabola’s Edinburgh Park development, and indoor venues including the Festival Theatre and Traverse Theatre.
Highlights of the programme include:
- Two operas-in-concert starring Dorothea Röschmann and Golda Schultz.
- Nicola Benedetti in residence across two weeks
- Scottish Opera return with a new production of Falstaff
- Leading orchestra including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra
- A series of recitals at the Old College Quad including performances from piano masters Elisabeth Leonskaja, Mariam Batsashvili, Ronald Brautigam and the Scottish pianist Malcolm Martineau celebrating the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival said:
'The programme we are announcing today represents a carefully organised return to live performance. It is a collaborative effort between those who live in our city, our artists, the team at the festival, our donors and stakeholders and all who will be coming along to our performances.
'While so much has been written and said about the challenges of the past 15 months, it is now time to look to the future and to the brilliant musicians, actors, dancers and poets who are getting ready to perform in Edinburgh this August.
'I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved in the Festival who has worked tirelessly in extraordinary circumstances and to thank our many partner organisations and stakeholders who have contributed to this programme. None of us can be certain of what the coming months will bring but we are committed to working together on returning to the joy of live performance.'
General booking for the 2021 International Festival opens on Friday 11 June.
Watch a trailer for the festival below.
