Edinburgh International Festival

The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are invited to join the festival. Visual art exhibitions, talks and workshops are also hosted.

For the alternative festival occurring at the same time, see Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh International Festival

2024: 5–28 August (exact dates vary each year)

Annual

Edinburgh, Scotland

1947

Queen Elizabeth (1947–1952)
Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2017)
Prince Edward (2017–present)

www.eif.co.uk

The first 'International Festival of Music and Drama' took place between 22 August and 11 September 1947. Under the first festival director, the distinguished Austrian-born impresario Rudolf Bing, it had a broadly-based programme, covering orchestral, choral and chamber music, Lieder and song, opera, ballet, drama, film, and Scottish 'piping and dancing' on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, a structure that was followed in subsequent years.^[1]

The Festival has taken place every year since 1947, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] A scaled-back version of the festival was held in 2021.

1947–1949: Sir , Austrian-born opera impresario who became General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera

Rudolf Bing

1950–1955: , British impresario of classical music

Sir Ian Hunter

1956–1960: , British music administrator and BBC programmer^[3]

Robert Ponsonby

1961–1965: , British opera administrator, who worked for the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Opera North

George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood

1966–1978: , Berlin-born arts administrator

Peter Diamand

1979–1983: , British arts administrator and BBC Radio 3 Controller

Sir John Drummond

1984–1991: , British theatre director

Frank Dunlop

1992–2006: Sir , British arts administrator who worked at the Welsh National Opera

Brian McMaster

October 2006–2014: , Australian composer and arts administrator

Sir Jonathan Mills

October 2014–2022: Fergus Linehan, Irish theatre producer and music administrator

October 2022–: , Scottish-Italian violinist

Nicola Benedetti

(capacity approximately 2,200), concert hall, built in 1914, used by the festival since 1947.

Usher Hall

(1,300), opened in 1906, used by the festival since 1947, notably for opera.

Kings Theatre

(658), opened in 1883, used by the festival since 1947, mainly for drama.

Royal Lyceum Theatre

(1,915), dating back to 1892, originally a variety, musical and opera house called the Empire Theatre. Used by the festival since 1947, at first for ballet. Remodelled in 1994 and now used for festival opera and ballet.

Festival Theatre

(920), converted chapel, opened as a concert hall in 1979, performance home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The Queen's Hall

(420), originally built as the Tollbooth Church (1842–44) to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This is on Castlehill, directly below Edinburgh Castle, with its tall Gothic spire, the highest point in central Edinburgh (outside of the Castle). Used since 1999 as the central box office and information centre for the festival, as well as a separate venue.

The Hub

(1000), a new concert hall, due to be opened in 2023-4.

The Dunard Centre

The principal venues of the Festival are:

Other venues that have sometimes been used in the past include:

List of Edinburgh festivals

List of opera festivals

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1947

Bartie, Angela (2013). The Edinburgh Festivals : Culture and Society in Postwar Britain. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 9780748670307.

ISBN

Bruce, George (1975). Festival in the north : the story of the Edinburgh Festival. London: Hale. 070915061X.

ISBN

Miller, Eileen (1996). The Edinburgh International Festival, 1947-1996. Aldershot, Hants, England: Scolar Press. 1-85928-153-2.

Edinburgh International Festival