Edinburgh International Festival 2022
We will check for seats that still can be taken
Edinburgh International Festival 2022
This was a very special year, marking the 75th anniversary, the first full-scale Festival since 2019, and the Festival Director Fergus Linehan’s final Festival after eight years. Hosting familiar friends of the Festival alongside many artists making their debuts, it was wonderful to welcome the world to Edinburgh once more.
MACRO
In a continuation of the tradition introduced by Fergus Linehan, Edinburgh international festival kicked off the Festival with a spectacular, free opening event! This year started with MACRO: an incredible collaboration between circus company Gravity & Other Myths, Australian dance group Djuki Mala, the National Youth Choir of Scotland and traditional Celtic musicians, with Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery kicking things off with a spoken word performance. Around 15,000 people came to the iconic BT Murrayfield Stadium to celebrate both the start of the 75th Festival and the beginning of our UK/Australia Season.
Classical Music & Opera
The opera programme opened with the beautifully staged Rusalka, followed by acclaimed, star-studded concert performances of Fidelio and Salome. The symphonic series filled the Usher Hall to the rafters with world-class orchestras, including residencies from the Philharmonia Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra, the return of the very own Royal Scottish National Orchestra and a debut concert from the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. The Queen’s Hall provided a stage for sparkling solos and enchanting ensembles including Golda Schultz, the Takács Quartet and the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble and William Barton.
Theatre
The theatre programme traversed the globe with plays of all shapes and sizes; from solo pieces by icons of stage and screen Gabriel Byrne and Alan Cumming, to sweeping epics Counting and Cracking and A Little Life. The Church Hill Theatre hosted compactly choreographed ensemble pieces The End of Eddy and When You Walk Over My Grave, as well as Kiki Katese and the Women Drummers of Rwanda’s deeply moving exploration of forgiveness and reconciliation, The Book of Life.
Dance
Classic tales such as Coppélia and The Jungle Book were transformed into dynamic explorations of modern social issues by Scottish Ballet and the Akram Khan Company respectively, while other choreographers drew inspiration from everything from ancient Buddhist philosophy to their parents’ house parties.
Contemporary Music
Jazz legend Herbie Hancock opened the contemporary music programme, bringing an electrifying atmosphere to the Edinburgh Playhouse. After that, we headed over to Leith Theatre to see singer-songwriters such as Ezra Furman and Lucy Dacus, genre-defying artists including Ibeyi and Arooj Aftab, and virtuoso fiddlers Taraf de Caliu and Martin Hayes light up the stage.
Refuge
The Refuge series, created in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council, featured artists who have moved to the UK from abroad and explored lived experiences of migration. Spanning theatre, dance, music, conversation and even an art installation, the programme provided a series of moving and thought-provoking moments.
Learning & Engagement
This year, the residency at Leith Academy culminated in Muster Station: Leith, an immersive theatre piece that took over the school. Students were trained in theatre skills with many then taking on paid roles as part of the Front of House team, while others made a quilt which was used in the performance. They even received a visit from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
About the Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival exists to bring world-leading artists together with audiences. For three weeks in August, Scotland’s capital becomes an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations. The International Festival presents a program featuring the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music, and theatre.
The Edinburgh International Festival was the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, then the General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera, Henry Harvey Wood, the Head of the British Council in Scotland, and leaders from the City of Edinburgh. It was established in 1947 as a world-class cultural event to bring together audiences and artists from around the world, and over 70 years have gone from strength to strength.
The impact extends beyond the annual program: the community learning and engagement and professional development programs run throughout the year, reaching the widest possible audiences and contributing to the cultural and social life of Edinburgh and Scotland.
What makes it special?
The Edinburgh International Festival brings Edinburgh’s theatre venues to life with the very best music, theatre, opera, and dance from around the globe. During a normal festival year, exciting performances take place over Edinburgh’s six major theatres and concert halls, a few smaller venues, and often some unconventional ones too.
Founded in 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival is an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations. Committed to virtuosity and originality, the International Festival normally presents some of the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music, and theatre for three weeks in August.
Over the course of any normal year, the International Festival team scours the world in search of the most exciting and creative artists working today. Together, it brings unique collaborations, world premieres, new takes on classic works, critically acclaimed productions, and more to captivate, thrill and entertain audiences from around the world. All in one place, right here in Scotland.
