Tag: Nicola Benedetti

2025 Edinburgh International Festival sees fullest theatres and concert halls in more than a decade

‘SUCCESS REAFFIRMS EDINBURGH’S PLACE AS THE WORLD’S LEADING FESTIVAL CITY’

  • The 2025 Edinburgh International Festival programme was received with record enthusiasm this year, as 88% of all the tickets were sold, filling theatres and concert halls to the highest percentage in over a decade. More than half the performances across the programme sold out and the programme received critical acclaim with 81% 4* and 5* reviews.
  • The most international audience in recent years – from 91 countries – flocked to the International Festival this summer. Drawn by more than 2,000 artists and participants from across 41 countries, audiences experienced the world’s greatest theatre, dance, music and opera, often in unconventional settings.
  • The Festival was more inclusive and affordable than ever, with its sold-out first-ever dementia-friendly concert, the highest number of discount tickets issued to D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent audience members and record subscriptions to the Festival’s free ‘Access Pass’, and half of all tickets priced at £30 or less.

The 2025 Edinburgh International Festival concluded yesterday after an extraordinary three-week celebration of opera, dance, music and theatre in Scotland’s capital.

The third under the leadership of Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, this year’s Festival was distinguished by a bold programme that both challenged and rewarded audiences. Over 2,000 artists from across 41 nations shared a range of perspectives, taking to stages in unconventional formats and settings across the city.  

Over 111,000 audience members attended from 91 countries to enjoy the finest and most exciting performers from across the globe, including 7 world premieres, 8 UK and Scottish premieres, and 2 European premieres.

Kicking off with the world premiere of blockbuster play Make It Happen, which alone was attended by over 22,000 people, other highlights included the eight-hour choral epic The Veil of The Temple; an Australian circus reimagining of opera Orpheus and Eurydice; and Nederlands Dans Theater’s extraordinary Figures in Extinction.

The overall quality of the programme was recognised by audiences and critics alike, with 81% of starred reviews receiving 4 or 5 star ratings from critics and exceptional sales across the programme, with 66 sell out performances, and 88% of the total tickets available were issued.   

Maintaining its industry-leading concessions, the International Festival prioritised affordability, with targeted pricing initiatives for those who need it most. Half of all tickets were priced £30 or under, including over 5,000 £10 tickets which were offered across every performance in the programme. In partnership with Tickets for Good, over 1,000 tickets were also donated to NHS staff, charity workers and low-income benefit recipients. 

Expanding the Festival’s offering to the broadest possible audience, this year saw the first-ever dementia-friendly concert sell out as well as 18 performances and workshops in healthcare and community settings across the city.

Exceeding 2024 totals, 7,271 free and heavily discounted tickets were issued to D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and 763 new audience members signed up for the free Access Pass, bringing total membership to a new high of over 2,000. 

This year the International Festival also championed youth and emerging talent, creating pathways into transformative cultural experiences. A record-breaking 2,695 tickets were issued to young people from across Scotland to attend performances for free through the Young Musician’s Pass, as well as hundreds of Edinburgh’s secondary school pupils who deepened their engagement with the arts through performances and workshops.

24 Rising Star artists collaborated with International Festival mentors and performers on stage this year, contributing to a cohort of 45 early career classical musicians who have been supported with professional development opportunities since 2023.  

In 2025, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus celebrated 60 years as the beating heart of the International Festival. Each year, non-professional singers from across Scotland come together to perform cornerstone works with some of the world’s greatest soloists, conductors and orchestras.

This year, the 160 volunteer chorus members performed for 10,000 attendees in a range of events including the monumental Opening Concert The Veil of the Temple, two performances as part of the London Symphony Orchestra residency, and the Closing Concert, Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Inspired by their dedication, the 2025 programme offered an open invitation for people from all walks of life to come and sing: The Big Singalong in Princes St Gardens welcomed thousands to join Scottish legend Dougie MacLean in a rousing rendition of Caledonia, and 750 amateur singers enjoyed a full-day workshop taking on highlights from Mendelssohn’s epic Elijah. 

Festival Director, Nicola Benedetti said: “This year’s International Festival has been one of extraordinary contrasts, from grandeur and scale to intimacy and informality. Through the theme The Truth We Seek, we were determined to challenge as well as entertain.

“In presenting innovative and risk-taking work we were able to spark debate, dialogue, and a healthy friction that audiences responded to in unprecedented numbers. I’ve seen this year how art can build bridges, change minds and find connection in a world that so desperately needs it.

“This Festival reminded us why we gather, why we create, and why we believe.”  

Chief Executive, Francesca Hegyi said: “This year’s International Festival has been a remarkable celebration of ideas, welcoming audiences from across Scotland and 91 other countries.

“Its success reaffirms Edinburgh’s place as the world’s leading Festival City, and the International Festival itself as a global cultural beacon each August.

“Our commitment to accessibility, youth engagement and artistic excellence has never been stronger, from our sell-out first-ever dementia-friendly concert to record-breaking take-up of the Young Musician’s Pass.

“The International Festival is not only a showcase of world-class performance, but also a vital meeting place for cultures, ideas and audiences worldwide. It’s this collection of talent and annual exchange of ideas that sets it apart on the global stage.” 

Edinburgh International Festival announces free Immersive Philharmonia Orchestra VR experience at Space @ Broomhouse

The Edinburgh International Festival announces the opening of the Philharmonia VR Experience at Space @ Broomhouse Hub, which will be available for four days of music and discovery from 20th – 24th August.

This 360° experience, which is free to attend and unticketed, brings the classical music experience to Broomhouse with the opportunity to see the UK premiere of the Philharmonia VR Experience’s performance of Vaughan Williams’s iconic piece, The Lark Ascending, performed by Festival Director Nicola Benedetti with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Attendees will wear a VR headset which will allow them to sit right in the heart of the orchestra and experience this profoundly moving performance in astonishing detail. This VR experience will be staffed by graduates and members of Space Station, an entry level skills development course designed to support local people into the hospitality sector.

The Philharmonia VR Experience marks the first Edinburgh International Festival event held at Space @ The Broomhouse Hub which was named as the Edinburgh International Festival’s inaugural Community Connections Hub earlier this year. Which is an 18-month partnership exploring opportunities for creative collaboration and connection between the Festival and the local community.

Neil Hay, CEO, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “This is a wonderful thing to be able to bring to Broomhouse. Despite being in Edinburgh, it can often feel as though big cultural activities are set very far apart from communities like those in Southwest Edinburgh.

“This partnership will allow people to experience things they never have before or take part in things that they simply would never have considered. This is the first event as part of our link with Edinburgh International Festival and we are excited to see what the next 18 months might bring.”

This event is free and unticketed. Each slot is 20 minutes long. Listed below are the times the VR Experience is open.

Wed 21 Aug 11.30-13.45, 15.00-16.00, 17.00-18.40

Fri 23 Aug 11.30-13.45, 15.00-16.40

Sat 24 Aug 10.30-11.45, 13.15-14.00, 15.00-16.40

More information on the Edinburgh International Festival’s Discovery and Participation programme, which runs year-round, can be found here: https://www.eif.co.uk/social-impact.

Nicola Benedetti delivers successful first Edinburgh International Festival

The 2023 Edinburgh International Festival has ended on a high, after 24 packed days of events from 2,500 remarkable and diverse artists representing 50 nations.

The programme was characterised by a high quality of art, presenting work from 130 Grammy nominated artists, 33 Grammy Award-winners, 14 Brit Award-winners, 6 Olivier Award-winners and 3 Venice Golden Lions awards. Artists also attracted significant worldwide media attention and positive reviews, with two-thirds of International Festival performances receiving four and five-star reviews.

With an unprecedented emphasis on a deepened audience experience, the 2023 International Festival reimagined how we interact with and appreciate live performance, through audio introductions, contextual demonstrations and discussions before and during performances, and bringing audiences and artists closer together through more informal, intimate performance environments. 

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director at Edinburgh International Festival said: ““I dreamt of a festival that felt truly open and welcoming, creating a shared ownership and pride over the future of our Festival and its profound contribution to Scotland’s culture and conversation. The response from artists and audiences has been resoundingly uplifting, filled with a tangible energy pulling us closer together.

“We asked, ‘where do we go from here?’ – and we heard from thousands of people, sharing different perspectives from around the world. Now, we are confident in forging our path and deepening next year’s conversation together.” 

In the 2023 International Festival 120,000 audience members found an in-depth and high-quality live experience across Edinburgh’s theatres, concert halls and venues. It was once again an unmissable destination for Edinburgh visitors looking to experience the highest quality arts and culture, with 13% of bookers being international, an increase of 3% on last year.

The International Festival also saw steady attendance from local audiences, with 69% of bookers coming from Scotland. 

As part of the vision to broaden audiences, over 21,000 tickets were discounted to people eligible for concessions, including D/deaf and disabled people, arts workers, students and audiences aged under 26.

Over 11,000 free tickets were issued, including over 500 tickets for NHS workers and 631 tickets through the Young Music Pass scheme, which gives free tickets to young people to experience the best classical music from around the world.

The £10 on the Day ticket, available to people eligible for concessions, saw a pick-up of over 4,000 tickets, a 46% increase on last year. 

The International Festival continued its year-round community engagement work during August, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds to experience world-leading artists in locations across the city.

Culture Clubs returned to communities across Edinburgh, with intergenerational groups invited to enjoy a shared meal and attend a performance, including the first ever BSL Culture Club hosted by Deaf Action.

Pop-up performances brought music to audiences who otherwise might not have been able to attend, featuring the likes of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, award-winning bassist and composer Endea Owens, and the London Symphony Orchestra, who performed for around 1,000 patients, hospital staff and visitors in NHS settings. 

Thousands of people attended the Opening Fanfare weekend, an incredible feat of mass music-making, which assembled a diverse community of 500 amateur and professional musicians travelling from across Scotland to participate across two days in Princes Street Gardens.

The International Festival also reached more people than ever through digital channels, with content viewed 4.8 million times over the course of the 2023 Festival, an increase of 63% from 2022. In addition, 19 concerts were recorded live for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.  

The Hub – the International Festival’s home at the top of the Royal Mile – was reimagined as a ‘festival green room, open to all’. The Hub welcomed thousands of visitors and invited them to collectively respond to the central question: ‘where do we go from here?’

An expansive programme of free talks and debates, participatory events and intimate concerts from incredible musicians spanning Scottish traditional music, jazz and classical ensembles brought artists and audiences closer than ever before. 

An audience of 600 sat in beanbags surrounded by the Budapest Festival Orchestra – a format inviting audiences to experience both the music and the orchestra from the inside out, with conductor Ivan Fischer offering conversational explanations of Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony. 

30 audio introductions were recorded by Nicola Benedetti with broadcaster Tom Service and artists from across the programme who gave insight and more context into specific performances and experiences. These reached 25,000 people, who listened as they were delivered by text message two hours before a performance. Over 32,000 people read blog articles which added further context. 

To help audiences gain a greater appreciation of visiting companies and reduce the amount of travel required for international artists, high-profile artistic residencies included the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of departing conductor Sir Simon Rattle, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivan Fischer, and the world-renowned Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela reunited with their Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. 

This year also saw a focus on opportunities for talent development and professional exchange. Twenty-two emerging dancers aged 18-25 from across Scotland had the chance of a lifetime to train with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and perform in Memoria at the Festival Theatre.

Five pre-professional musicians were also invited to join the Mendelssohn Octet at the Hub, in an audition judged by Festival Director Nicola Benedetti. Plus, twelve Scotland-based dancers participated in a week-long collaboration with international peers performing in Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring that brought together 34 dancers from 14 African countries. 

Francesca Hegyi, Chief Executive at Edinburgh International Festival, said: “August in Edinburgh is the time when the world’s spotlight turns to the Festival City, where residents can mix with their international counterparts and see artists they wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to.

“There has been a new warmth and spirit of inquiry to the Edinburgh International Festival this year and the feedback from audiences, artists and visitors has been nothing short of exceptional.” 

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, said: “This was a bumper year for Edinburgh’s summer festivals, distinguished by a strong contribution from home grown talent, and increased access to events through an expanded programme of community activities.

“Edinburgh’s festivals underline how important culture is to our way of life as well as underlining Scotland’s reputation on the international stage. I’d like to thank everyone involved for putting on such a fantastic line-up of performances and events this year.”