Tag: opera

Scottish Opera announces 2024/25 season featuring 13 opera offerings

  • In its 62nd year, Scottish Opera presents eight emotionally powered operas; two composer collections; an animated opera; and a packed programme of touring, outreach, and education work
  • World premieres of Karen MacIver’s RED by Scottish Opera Young Company, Toby Hession’s A Matter of Misconduct! and animated opera Josefine by Samuel Bordoli
  • New productions of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury and Lehár’s The Merry Widow
  • Britten’s Albert Herring specially created forLammermuir Festival
  • Revival of 2014 production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale
  • Opera in Concert includes The Puccini and Strauss Collections

Scottish Opera has unveiled its 2024/25 Season, which features 13 opera offerings: Oedipus Rex, Albert Herring, Don Pasquale, The Makropulos Affair, The Merry Widow, Trial by Jury, A Matter of Misconduct!, RED, Josefine, The Puccini and Strauss Collections, Opera Highlights and Pop-up Opera.

This includes three world premieres, four new productions, two composer collections, a revival of a much-loved show, and a packed programme of concerts, touring, outreach, and education work.

This high-octane collection of operas, concerts and tours covers a wide range of composers, styles and stories, demonstrating the Company’s continuing commitment to keeping opera accessible, entertaining, and performed to the highest possible standards for audiences all across Scotland.

Alex Reedijk, Scottish Opera General Director, said: ‘Our commitment to presenting world-class opera across all of Scotland is once again evident in our 2024/25 Season, which we are delighted to announce today.

‘We have 13 exciting opera adventures ahead of us: Oedipus Rex, Albert Herring, Don Pasquale, The Makropulos Affair, The Merry Widow, Trial by Jury, A Matter of Misconduct!, RED, Josefine, The Puccini and Strauss Collections, Opera Highlights and Pop-up Opera. Audiences can experience the full spectrum of human responses and feelings that only opera can evoke, from belly laughs to tears, with this diverse collectionof works, themes and composers.

‘It is hugely heartening to see enthusiastic audience and critical response to our work; this loyal support makes our art possible. We are immensely grateful to everyone who buys a ticket or generously supports us, and we are as ever thankful to the Scottish Government for ongoing core funding. We invite everyone to be a part of Scottish Opera and look forward to welcoming audiences at an upcoming performance.’

Stuart Stratford, Scottish Opera Music Director, added: ‘This is Scottish Opera’s 62nd year, and in our 2024/25 Season we are presenting music from more than 11 composers in 56 venues the length and breadth of the country, showing our unabated dedication to bringing opera to everyone in Scotland.

“Featuring a wide variety of styles and genres, it truly exemplifies what the Company is all about.

‘There are some more familiar works alongside brand new music, including the relentless forward momentum of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, the bel canto masterpiece of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, as well as world firsts from talented young composers like Toby Hession’s A Matter of Misconduct!. We are particularly delighted to launch Josefine, our very first opera told through animation, which follows on from our internationally acclaimed short film, The Narcissistic Fish.

‘Partnerships are a crucial part of making opera, and we are working with other internationally renowned opera companies to maximise resources and create fantastic shows. This Season sees co-productions with our friends at Welsh National Opera, Opera Holland Park, and D’Oyly Carte Opera.  

‘We are also incredibly proud of the work we have just done in the 2023/24 Season, which included receiving an International Opera Award nomination for Puccini’s Il trittico. Our reach around the world is evident with a number of our productions being performed far and wide including Ainadamar this autumn at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and in spring 2025, Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, which also began life in Scotland, opens at Houston Grand Opera.’  

A balance of international and home grown talent appears throughout the season.

Making their debuts with the Company are Josef Jeongmeen Ahn, Stacey Alleaume, Seumas Begg, Chloe Harris, Edward Jowle, Kira Kaplan, Jonathan Forbes Kennedy, Michael Lafferty, Mykhailo Malafii, Filipe Manu and Callum Thorpe.

There are welcome return visits from Orla Boylan, Mark Le Brocq, Susan Bullock, Brad Cooper, Ross Cumming, Glen Cunningham, Helena Dix, Zoe Drummond, Alasdair Elliott, Catriona Hewitson, Hanna Hipp, Emyr Wyn Jones, Rhian Lois, Jamie MacDougall, Shengzhi Ren, David Stout, Richard Suart, Henry Waddington, Sinéad Campbell Wallace, Kitty Whately, and Roland Wood.

Season 2024/25 Productions

This August 12, 18 and 19, at Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), Scottish Opera presents a promenade performance of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex at the National Museum of Scotland.

Building on the Company’s well-honed model of 5-star community opera, the Museum’s awe-inspiring Grand Gallery is a spectacular setting for a night of classical drama, exceptional vocal performances and moving orchestral music. 

In this co-presentation with EIF, Scottish Opera Music Director Stuart Stratford conducts former Emerging Artist Shengzhi Ren (Daphne 2023)as Oedipus, Kitty Whately (Don Giovanni 2022) as Jocasta, Roland Wood (Marx in London! 2024) as Creon, Callum Thorpe as Tiresias, Seumas Begg as Shepherd and Emyr Wyn Jones (Don Giovanni 2022) as Messenger.

The director is Roxana Haines (Hansel & Gretel 2023)and designs are by Anna Orton (The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken 2021). An impressive community chorus from across the Central Belt of Scotland joins Scottish Opera for this unique performance of a timeless piece made anew for audiences.

In the ancient city of Thebes, Oedipus has been crowned king, but as the Oracle prophesises misfortune, it becomes ever more apparent that the new king cannot outrun his fate. A cathartic exploration of identity, free will, and the human condition, Oedipus Rex celebrates the bravery and resolve with which humans can face their destinies.

Oedipus Rex is supported by The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust.

Award-winning Daisy Evans (The Telephone 2020) is directing a specially created production of Britten’s chamber opera, Albert Herring, for Lammermuir Festival. As well as at Haddington’s Corn Exchange in September, it will be performed at Theatre Royal Glasgow and Festival Theatre Edinburgh this October and November.

Britten’s loose adaptation of a Guy de Maupassant short story has become one of the 20th century’s most beloved operatic comedies, and in this production William Cole conducts a cast of top UK singers alongside up-and-coming talent. This includes former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Glen Cunningham (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2021) as Albert Herring, Susan Bullock (Candide 2022) as Lady Billows and Jamie MacDougall (Marx in London! 2024) as the Mayor, Mr. Upfold.

The market town of Loxford is just as busy with gossip as it is with trade. As Lady Billows organises the annual May Day festival, she is alarmed when her housekeeper Florence Pike informs her that not a single young lady is suitably virtuous to be crowned May Queen. The answer is to crown Albert Herring, a shy mother’s boy, as the May King. Albert has not done anything wrong – indeed, he has hardly done anything at all! Suddenly in the spotlight, Albert finds himself at the crossroads between the time-honoured traditions upheld by Loxford’s old guard and the freewheeling fun of his fellow youngsters, both of whom are quick to judge the odd one out.

Designer Kat Heath brings a colourful eye to this heart-warming coming-of-age story that celebrates finding one’s own path in life despite – or perhaps because of – the misadventures along the way. 

Albert Herring is supported by The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust.

Conducted by Stuart Stratford, a revival of the 2014 production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale opens at Theatre Royal Glasgow in October, and tours to Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Director and Choreographer Renaud Doucet and designer André Barbe (La bohème 2017) bring the quick-witted comedy to life with typically colourful and quirky style. Set in Rome at the cusp of the Swinging Sixties, the eccentric characters are given life in a world that is the perfect setting for a titanic clash of generations. This highly successful production of Don Pasquale, which began life at Scottish Opera, was recently seen in Miami, Genova, Vancouver, and Toronto.

David Stout, who delighted audiences in The Barber of Seville in autumn 2023, returns to Scottish Opera in the title role, with three up-and-coming singers making their Scottish Opera debuts in the main roles. Stacey Alleaume is Norina, Filipe Manu is Pasquale’s son Ernesto and Josef Jeongmeen Ahn is Doctor Malatesta.

Don Pasquale is supported by The Scottish Opera Syndicate.

In February, for the first time since 1993, Scottish Opera is presenting a full staging of The Makropulos Affair by Janáček, in a new co-production with Welsh National Opera.

The Makropulos Affair tells the story of Emilia Marty, Elina Makropulos, E.M.; the stylish, enigmatic diva who has lived many lives, and for over three centuries has been on a quest to become a great opera singer. Captivating minds and hearts along her journey through time and across Europe, her existence throws up questions of science and nature, reality and fantasy, and life and death. When the elixir she was given begins to lose its power, and when secrets of her lives and loves come to light, she can no longer outrun these essential human tensions. 

Martyn Brabbins conducts The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, with Orla Boylan (Marx in London! 2024) leading the cast as Emilia Marty, Brad Cooper (Daphne 2023) as Albert Gregor, Henry Waddington (Greek 2018) as Doctor Kolenatý and Mark Le Brocq (Nixon in China 2020) as Vitek.

Opening at Theatre Royal Glasgow before touring to Festival Theatre Edinburgh, this production directed by Olivia Fuchs with multi-layered, poetic designs by Nicola Turner, was nominated for a Southbank Sky Arts Award when presented by Welsh National Opera in 2022. An English translation makes this psychologically astute story even more immediate.  

The Makropulos Affair is supported by The Alexander Gibson Circle.

Opening in April in Glasgow before touring to Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen is a new co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and Opera Holland Park of The Merry Widow.

Lehár’s charming operetta is directed by John Savournin (who last appeared with Scottish Opera in Ainadamar in 2022), conducted by Stuart Stratford, with celebrated stage designer takis bringing his signature visual dynamism to the romance. A new English translation by John Savournin and David Eaton makes this operetta’s wit sparkle. Details of the cast will be announced later this year.

The Merry Widow is set at a lavish Parisian party, a grand occasion for dancing, drinking, and indiscreet love affairs. Baron Zeta – ambassador from the cash-strapped fictional Balkan state of Pontevedro – has a slightly more serious matter in mind. Among his party is Hanna Glawari, a sprightly Pontevedran widow who has arrived in town to enjoy life and her late husband’s immense fortune. Zeta cannot bear the thought of Pontevedro losing half its national wealth should Hanna marry a Parisian, so he sets his First Secretary Count Danilo to keep tabs on her heart. Little does he know that they have quite the history…

The Merry Widow is supported by Scottish Opera’s ‘Play A Supporting Role’ Appeal.

In May and June 2025, to celebrate 150 years of D’Oyly Carte Opera and Gilbert & Sullivan, a sprightly double bill of justice and its miscarriages comes to life alongside The Merry Widow: a new production of Trial by Jury, and the world premiere of A Matter of Misconduct!, a new operetta by Toby Hession with a libretto by Emma Jenkins.

Trial by Jury is directed by John Savournin, and Laura Attridge directs A Matter of Misconduct!. Conducting The Orchestra of Scottish Opera for both productions is Toby Hession, and designs are by takis.

With a comic cast including Richard Suart and Jamie MacDougall and Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists Ross Cumming, Kira Kaplan, Chloe Harris and Edward Jowle performing contrasting roles in both pieces, it promises an unmissable night of classic G&S comedy and new writing – two pillars of Scottish Opera’s output.

The first major hit from the partnership of WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan satirises the mechanisms of justice through a classic case of broken vows – the defendant having literally left the plaintiff at the altar. The jury’s sympathies are divided in a case that bubbles over with emotion, humour, and downright chaos: how will they decide between the charming, yet rakish, defendant and the utterly captivating plaintiff?

Accompanying it is A Matter of Misconduct!, set in the press room at Number 9 Downing Street. When a scandal threatens to break about the frontrunner in a bloody leadership campaign, a lawyer is needed to prevent information from reaching the press. Enter Sylvia Lawless from the firm Lawless, Lawless, Lawless and Crook who must find the loopholes. This modern take on scurrilous behaviour follows Jenkins and Hession’s crowd-pleasing political satire In Flagrante, premiered on the 2023/24 Opera Highlights tour.

This new double bill is a co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and Opera Holland Park. A Matter of Misconduct! is a new co-commission by Scottish Opera, D’Oyly Carte Opera, and Opera Holland Park.

Supported by Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle.

Opera in Concert ​

Music Director Stuart Stratford curates Scottish Opera’s annual concert programme, introducing audiences to rare and underexplored work. Scottish Opera continues a crowd-pleasing ‘collection’ series in 2024/25 with explorations of two beloved opera composers: Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss. 

To mark the centenary of the composer’s death, The Puccini Collection takes place in November this year at Usher Hall, Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring favourite arias, ensembles and orchestral interludes from Puccini’s timeless operas. Soloists Sinéad Campbell Wallace, (The Puccini Collection 2021), Mykhailo Malafii, and Roland Wood (Marx in London! 2024), are accompanied on stage by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera under the baton of Stuart Stratford. 

Featuring excerpts from well-known and well-loved works including Tosca, Manon Lescaut, and La bohème, as well as rarer gems from Le villi and Edgar, there is plenty for newcomers and aficionados alike in The Puccini Collection.

In March 2025, The Strauss Collection comes to Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Usher Hall, Edinburgh.

Following the success of Daphne in 2023, Scottish Opera is delighted to present a concert spanning some of the finest music Richard Strauss ever wrote. The German composer’s early 20th-century output shows the heights of his harmonic and dramatic daring, exemplified by the three operas in this concert – Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella, and Der Rosenkavalier.

Stuart Stratford leads The Orchestra of Scottish Opera through the German composer’s most lush and captivating scenes and arias, with a cast including sopranos Helena Dix, Rhian Lois (La bohème 2020), mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp (Kátya Kabanová 2019) and baritone Roland Wood (Marx in London! 2024).

The Puccini Collection and The Strauss Collection are supported by Friends of Scottish Opera and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust.

Digital productions

After the success of 2020’s live-action opera short, The Narcissistic Fish, Scottish Opera is excited to present its first ever animated opera short Josefine, produced in partnership with Maestro Broadcasting.

This 14-minute film, inspired by Franz Kafka’s last short story ‘Josefine the Singer’, is directed by Scottish Opera’s resident filmmaker Antonia Bain and composed by former Emerging Artist Composer-in-Residence Samuel Bordoli, with a libretto co-authored by the pair. The Executive Producer is Gemma Dixon, and the Animation Director is Sophie Bird.

The recording features 2022/23 Emerging Artist Zoe Drummond, a chorus including Osian Wyn Bowen, Phil Gault, Jane Monari, Frances Morrison-Allen, Colin Murray, Sarah Power, Christian Schneeberger, Sarah Shorter and The Orchestra of Scottish Opera conducted by Susannah Wapshott, Scottish Opera’s Chorus Director.

By combining the mediums of opera and animation, Josefine promises a new and exciting way to experience and explore both art forms. Taking place in a desert world where a creature’s unearthly voice attracts sprites who are enthralled by it, the piece explores the complicated relationship between the singer and audience and the ever-more-relevant question of art’s place in times of crisis. With confirmed screenings at the Film Festival at Vienna’s Rathausplatz in summer 2024, as well as other dates to be announced, Josefine will soon be coming to a screen near you.

Josefine is supported by Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle.

Opera Highlights

Scottish Opera produces world-class work at every scale. The Company’s extensive touring programme is one of the largest of any European opera company, ensuring performances are within reach of as many of Scotland’s dispersed population as possible.

From 25 January to 22 March2025, Opera Highlights goes on the road again visiting 24 venues around Scotland, in a vibrant new production directed by Rebecca Meltzer.

A troupe of talented singers, including Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists Ross Cumming, Chloe Harris and Kira Kaplin, perform in this one-of-a-kind show, programmed by Fiona MacSherry, Scottish Opera’s Head of Music. They are accompanied on the piano by Music Director Joseph Beesley.

They will travel to Cumbernauld, Kelso, Langholm, Clydebank, Tain, Fochabers, Midmar, Troon, Stranraer, Peebles, Mid Yell, Lerwick, Campbeltown, Craignish, Strontian, Dunoon, Castlebay, Tarbert, Ullapool, Durness, Thurso, Killin, Anstruther, and Dundee.

Scottish Opera is also running 11 schools workshops and four community sessions alongside Opera Highlights, in the following locations: Tain, Fochabers, Troon, Stranraer, Lerwick, Mid Yell, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Castlebay, Tarbert, Ullapool, Thurso, Anstruther, and Dundee.

Opera Highlights is supported by Friends of Scottish Opera.

Scottish Opera Young Company

From 18 to 21 July 2024, Scottish Opera Young Company is presenting the world premiere of RED, a darkly comedic piece drawn from fairy tales by The Brothers Grimm, at the Company’s Production Studios in Glasgow.

An interwoven story of the four stages of women’s lives that often feature in folk tales, RED is by award-winning composer Karen MacIver, with a libretto by Scottish Opera’s Director of Outreach and Education, Jane Davidson MBE. The conductor is Young Company’s Artistic Director Chris Gray, with Flora Emily Thomson (Maud & Down in the Valley 2023 and As The Seasons Turn 2022) returning to direct the 14 young performers aged between 17 to 21. Set and costume designs are by Finlay McLay.

RED is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White and Hansel & Gretel, and features aspects of the ages of unnamed female figures — girl, maiden, mother, crone — that often appear in these famous stories. The 70-minute opera examines the circular, metamorphic nature of these tales as well as experiences shared by generations of women across time through magical realism.

Scottish Opera Young Company offers young singers a unique and practical introduction to the world of opera and the chance to develop their talent through a year-long programme, working with a range of opera professionals.

RED is supported by The Rose Fund and Scottish Opera Education Angels.

Pop-up Opera

The current Pop-up Opera tour is already underway and on the road until 6 July, with performances of A Little Bit of The Merry Widow and A Little Bit of Don Giovanni – one the ultimate rom-com, the other a moody story of one man’s fate – entertaining audiences from Dumfries to Orkney.

The 2024 Pop-up tour also includes the Scottish Opera new commission Sophie & Bear, a piece for Primary 1-4 that explores mental health awareness and self-care. The specially created piece is composed by Graham McCusker, and devised and written by Pop-up regulars Andrew McTaggart and Jessica Leary.

In these shows, audiences can experience opera on a miniature scale with performances brought to life by a storyteller, singers, instrumentalists and colourful illustrations.

Schoolchildren can also look forward to the tour popping up in primary schools for free performances.

Details of the 2024/25 Pop-up Opera tour will be announced early next year.

Pop-up Opera is supported by Friends of Scottish Opera.

Emerging Artists

The Scottish Opera Emerging Artists programme offers young talent a period of full-time work with the Company to help launch their careers. This season they include soprano Kira Kaplan, mezzo-soprano Chloe Harris, baritone Ross Cumming (returning for a second Season), bass-baritone Edward Jowle, and repetiteur José Javier Ucendo Malo (also returning). The Elizabeth Salvesen Costume Trainee will be announced soon.

Emerging Artist singers perform in a number of this season’s productions and tours, and in recitals at the University of Glasgow and University of St Andrews this November.

They are supported by Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artist Benefactors and Elizabeth Salvesen.

National Opera Studio 

As one of the National Opera Studio’s partners, Scottish Opera is delighted to host the 2024/25 NOS cohort – a group comprising some of the brightest rising star singers and repetiteurs from around the world – for a one-week residency of coaching with the Company’s Music department and a guest director. The result is a brand-new showcase performance of operatic scenes and extracts on the set of The Makropulos Affair at Theatre Royal Glasgow on 21 February.

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera regularly performs with other professional musical ensembles across the west of Scotland, supporting their work and the country’s wider ecology of live music and performing arts.

In the 2024/25 Season, The Orchestra performs with companies including Paisley Opera’s production of Gounod’s Faust,  Pops at the Phil – The Golden Age of Radio and Early Television, Dundee Choral Union, City of Glasgow Chorus – A Christmas Cracker and Ayr Arts Guild, with more engagements to be announced.

Special Delivery

From 30 November to 29 December at Cumbernauld Theatre at Lanternhouse, is Special Delivery, presented by Cumbernauld Theatre Company, Visible Fictions, and Scottish Opera.

An enchanting musical journey filled with wonder, created for little ones aged 3-7, this delightful show follows Santa on his busiest night of the year, Christmas Eve. Travelling around the world and squeezing down chimneys to deliver presents is a tough job, but this time it is made even more difficult when he is joined by a tiny mischievous hitchhiker who is looking for a way back home. Composed by Karen MacIver with words by Clive King, the director is Dougie Irvine.

Opera in schools

Scottish Opera’s children’s operas make learning fun and creative. Over the years, the Primary Schools Tour has inspired over 850,000 children across all 32 Local Authority areas.

This year’s show is The Tale O’ Tam, a beloved Scottish Opera original making its return with a new digital version. The Tale O’ Tam, composed by Karen MacIver with words by Ross Stenhouse,can be facilitated with an in-person workshop day led by Scottish Opera Teaching Artists with full rental of props and costumes, or entirely within the classroom by teachers themselves, all supported by materials provided by the Company.

Scottish Opera also offers teaching resources for Secondary School pupils. Having worked alongside Largs Academy to develop the materials suitable for young people, The Elixir of Love: Three Ways to Stage an Opera is a free teaching resource for teachers. Pupils learn about music, drama, and art and design – incorporating elements of history, storytelling, and critical thinking – as they explore Donizetti’s comedy through three interpretations.  

Taking place from 28 October to 22 November 2024, The Giant’s Harp is an interactive educational singing workshop and performance pairing for pupils in Primary 3-4, which has been created by mezzo-soprano Lea Shaw and harpist Sharron Griffiths,to introduce children to the beautiful music and versatility of the harp. Using the legend ofJack and the Beanstalk and its magical singing harp, youngsters learn about the long history of this instrument and the many continents and cultures where it can be found.  

Disney Musicals in Schools collaborates with primary schools with no previous engagement with the arts and often facing a range of social and economic challenges. Teaching Artists guide pupils through rehearsals for special adaptations of Disney musicals and, crucially, provide training for teachers to build their pupils’ skills and confidence through the performance arts, creating a sustainable arts legacy for the future. Scottish Opera is Disney Musical in Schools’ first Scottish partner, and in this fourth successful year of the programme the Company engages with Additional Support Needs Schools for the first time. 

New for 2024, Scottish Opera partners with St. Mary’s Edinburgh and Douglas Academy Glasgow to support, mentor, and increase the numbers of young singers who want to explore opera as a career. A notable focus for 2024/25 and future seasons, based on recently identified gaps in music education and career progression, is on those with Additional Support Needs and those already attending one of Scotland’s Specialist Music Schools.

The Opera in Schools programmes are supported by Harbinson Charitable Trust, David & June Gordon Memorial Trust, Hayward Sanderson Trust, Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and JTH Charitable Trust.

Memory Spinners

Scottish Opera continues to offer its Memory Spinners project for those living with dementia. The free project uses music, storytelling, movement, and visual arts to help Glasgow-based people living with dementia get creative, and form new support networks. Throughout each 8-week term, they share memories that are then incorporated into a relaxed performance for friends and family.  

Supported by The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust, Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust, Bellahouston Bequest Fund, Trades House of Glasgow (Commonwealth Fund), and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels.

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland collaboration

Starting in 2025, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland introduces a one-year Artist Diploma in Opera in collaboration with Scottish Opera to offer a highly specialised combination of vocal, movement and acting training. This new partnership will nurture the next generation of international opera talent, and culminates in students taking leading roles in Glasgow and Edinburgh as part of Scottish Opera’s core season. 

Breath Cycle

The ground-breaking online programme, Breath Cycle, was formed with the Respiratory and Cystic Fibrosis Medicine team at NHS Glasgow. Designed to benefit those living with conditions affecting lung health – particularly Long COVID – free resources introduce participants to vocal exercises and breathing techniques. The response is overwhelmingly positive, with participants citing improvement in breathing, energy levels and mood. More information is available on the Scottish Opera website, where a series of short tutorials and exercises can be accessed, or those interested can sign up for weekly online sessions and song writing workshops.

The Covid Composer’s Songbook, aselection of songs written by Breath Cycleparticipants, has been recorded for anyone to use and enjoy. Visit Scottish Opera’s website to download the full collection.

Breath Cycle has grown from its original work with cystic fibrosis patients to include those recovering from Long COVID, then developing further to offer broader wellbeing support. This year, Scottish Opera partners with leading experts at University of the West of Scotland and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to develop Breath Cycle alongside evolving understandings of lung health and its associated health concerns.

Supported by The Scottish Government, Cruach Trust, The Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust, W M Mann Foundation, Souter Charitable Trust and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels.

Community Choir

Places are available in Scottish Opera’s Community Choir, open to adults of all ages and conducted by Katy Lavinia Cooper, which starts up again in September. Set up in 2012, the Choir gives members an opportunity to sing a wide variety of music – folk, world, classical, opera, popular, and more – in a supportive atmosphere, with sharings each term and opportunities to perform in full operas, including Oedipus Rex at the Edinburgh International Festival. They do not need to be able to read music or have previous experience. The Community Choir most recently performed The Jolly Beggars at Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow.

Supported by Cruach Trust, The Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust, W M Mann Foundation, Souter Charitable Trust, and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels.

Accessible Performances

Scottish Opera is offering a range of accessible performances, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a live opera experience that is inclusive and welcoming. With Access Opera performances and audio-description available this year, the Company aims to make it as easy as possible to attend the opera.

Specially created Access performances of Don Pasquale and The Merry Widow run alongside the mainstage productions in Glasgow and Edinburgh. With Dementia Friendly values at their core, afternoon Access performances are for those who enjoy a more relaxed opera experience. With a shorter running time (under two hours including an interval) and tickets at just £12.50, these performances are open to all, including those who may be living with dementia or Long COVID, more comfortable at a shorter show, struggling to get to evening performances, or would simply benefit from the more relaxed atmosphere.

Those who are visually impaired can also take advantage of audio-described performances where a live commentary is provided by a specialist audio describer during the show, describing the action on stage without compromising the music. As part of the experience, a recorded introduction to the opera is available in advance, as well as a live audio introduction before the start of the performance.

At select performances, audiences can book on to a free Touch Tour to become more familiar with the set, scenery, props and costumes. Pre-show talks are also available. These half-hour sessions delve into the detail of each opera, enhancing the audience enjoyment and extending knowledge of the piece.

Healing Arts Scotland

The world’s first nationwide Healing Arts campaign unites organisations across culture, science, health, education, and government. A week of performances, exhibitions, and workshops begins at the Edinburgh International Festival on 19 August 2024. Scottish Opera performs at their event at Tramway, Glasgow on 21 August. Find out more at healingartsscotland.org

Festival of Politics

On 23 August 2024, the Scottish Parliament hosts its 20th Festival of Politics in partnership with Scotland’s Futures Forum and Healing Arts Scotland. Featuring sessions on political, social, and environmental issues, the festival offers people an opportunity to discuss current affairs. Scottish Opera is thrilled to present In Flagrante by Toby Hession and Emma Jenkins a short operatic political satire premiered on the 2023/24 Opera Highlights tour, in a performance at 3pm as part of the festival. Find out more at festivalofpolitics.scot

The Small Magician

The Small Magician is a trauma-aware, inclusive, accessible vocal education resource, which enables participants to healthily challenge and build their vocal technique and knowledge from the comfort of their own home or chosen space. Created by former Scottish Opera Emerging and Associate Artist Lea Shaw, the project aims to empower participants to embrace their voices and practice, as part of a wider sense of well-being and an awareness of mental/physical health. The guidance draws on classic pedagogy, scientific research, and Yoga and embodiment practices. Workbooks and resources covering breath-work, texture, diction, intonation, pattern, embodiment, and recovery can be accessed through

ko-fi.com/thesmallmagician 

Royal Ballet and Opera | 2024/25 Season announcement

  • World Premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s opera Festen  
  • Eight new opera productions across two stages including: Eugene Onegin, The Tales of Hoffmann, Die Walküre, Semele, The Sound Voice Project and a Bernstein double bill 
  • European Premiere of Wayne McGregor’s MaddAddam  
  • Eight works new to The Royal Ballet by choreographers including Christopher Wheeldon, Joseph Toonga and Pam Tanowitz 
  • 40 years of breaking down barriers with our pioneering learning programmes 
  • 11 productions shown in 1,500 cinemas across the globe 
  • Tickets available from £3 – on sale from Wednesday 10 July 

The Royal Ballet and Opera has announced its 2024/25 Season.

Opening on Monday 2 September 2024 under a new and combined organisational name, the Season features a programme of bold new productions, alongside returning audience favourites, thrilling debuts and bright new voices.  

Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Ballet and Opera, said:  “Today we announce a Season of extraordinary breadth and ambition – to audiences old and new, in schools and cinemas across the UK, and through streaming and digital media, right across the world. 

“Bringing ballet into our name is long overdue – The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera have performed under the same roof since 1946 – and both companies now enjoy the prominence that they rightfully deserve.

“The whole of the Royal Ballet and Opera is far more than the sum of our parts. We may perform at the Royal Opera House, but three quarters of what we do is experienced by people outside this building and, as we mark 40 years of our Learning programme, the impact and influence of the Royal Ballet and Opera can be felt in every corner of the country.”   

The evolution of its name, the Royal Ballet and Opera, celebrates the institution in its entirety, recognising the whole, not just one of its parts. Together, the Royal Ballet and Opera will continue to perform at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House, with performances shown in cinemas around the world, marking an exciting new era for the two companies as they enter a thrilling 2024/25 Season. 

The Royal Opera 2024/25 Season

In an ambitious Season, eight new productions spanning three centuries are spread across the Main Stage and the Linbury Theatre, including the world premiere of Festen. Based on Academy Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg’s 1998 cult film of the same name, Festen is composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage (Greek, Anna Nicole, Coraline) with a libretto by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and will be directed by Richard Jones. Previously a hit West End play, this darkest of comedy-dramas delves into the disturbing subject of abuse and generational trauma, with a cast including Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Natalya Romaniw and more, with Edward Gardner conducting.  

Director of The Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, said: “2024/25 is set to be a thrilling Season for opera here at the Royal Opera House.

“With the world premiere of Festen, a brand-new commission by Mark-Anthony Turnage, we reaffirm our commitment to new opera; some of the greatest singers of our time perform alongside the most exciting voices of the future; and phenomenal creative teams bring unforgettable stories to life with eight new productions across both our stages.

“And as ever, our world-class Orchestra and Chorus will offer exactly the kind of intense, rich experiences that audiences are craving.”   

In a year that has seen Leonard Bernstein celebrated in mainstream cinema with the success of film biopic Maestro, his two major opera works will be staged at Covent Garden for the first time. The Linbury Theatre opera season opens with two of his semi-autobiographical operatic masterpieces, Trouble in Tahiti and A Quiet Place, directed by Oliver Mears and conducted by Nicholas Chalmers. 

In the autumn, Ted Huffman (4.48: Psychosis) will make his Main Stage debut directing a new staging of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Henrik Nánási conducts Gordon Bintner in the title role, with Kristina Mkhitaryan (Tatyana), Liparit Avetisyan (Lensky), and Avery Amereau (Olga).

After the success of Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci and Carmen, Damiano Michieletto returns to Covent Garden to direct Offenbach’s last and greatest work, The Tales of Hoffmann. Conducted by Antonello Manacorda, Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi share the title role and are joined by Alex Esposito, Julie Boulianne and Olga Pudova, Marina Costa-Jackson, and Ermonela Jaho in the three soprano roles. 

Following the glittering triumph of Das Rheingold, Barrie Kosky delves back into Wagner’s mythic universe with the second instalment of the Ring cycle, Die Walküre. With Antonio Pappano leading from the podium, Christopher Maltman reprises the role of Wotan, alongside Elisabet Strid (Brünnhilde), Lise Davidsen (Sieglinde), and Stanislas de Barbeyrac (Siegmund). 

Premiered in 1774, Semeleis the latest in our Handel series of operas and oratorios that were first performed at Covent Garden. Darkly satirical, this new production from Oliver Mears considers class, privilege and degradation. Handel specialist Christian Curnyn conducts as Pretty Yende marks her return to Covent Garden in the title role, with Ben Bliss making his House debut as Jupiter. 

Between Antonio Pappano’s departure as Music Director of The Royal Opera and Jakub Hruša’s arrival in September 2025, this Season hosts them both. Hruša conducts Corinne Winters, Karita Mattila, Thomas Atkins and Nicky Spence in the revival of Claus Guth’s Olivier Award-winning production of Jenůfa. 

Other unmissable returning favourites include the first revivals of Tobias Kratzer’s Fidelio conducted by Alexander Soddy and Adele Thomas’Il trovatore conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti and Carlo Rizzi. Aigul Akhmetshina reprises the role of Carmen alongside Freddie De Tommaso, conducted by Mark Elder. Ariane Matiakh conducts the second cast. 

Commemorating the centenary of Puccini’s death, Speranza Scappucci, Principal Guest Conductor Designate, leads her first Covent Garden stage production, Richard Jones’ La bohème. Also returning is Jonathan Kent’s Tosca starring Sonya Yoncheva, SeokJong Baek and Bryn Terfel, conducted by Eun Sun Kim in her House debut. Andrei Șerban’s Turandot is conducted by Rafael Payare and Francesco Ivan Ciampa with Sondra Radvanovsky and Ewa Płonka in the title role. 

The Season opens with revivals of Richard Eyre’s La traviata and David McVicar’s The Marriage of Figaro which sees Julia Jones conducting rising stars Ying Fang and Huw Montague Rendall alongside Jacquelyn Stucker and Luca Micheletti. Completing the Season are David McVicar’s Faust with Stefan Pop, Erwin Schrottand Lisette Oropesa in the main roles and Robert Carsen’s Aida. For Christmas, Antony McDonald’s story-book production of Hansel and Gretel is conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė who makes her House debut.  

In the autumn, the Linbury Theatre will present The Sound Voice Project. With music by Hannah Conway, this internationally award-winning opera-video installation features a libretto by Hazel Gould and performances by Roderick Williams and Lucy Crowe, raising questions about how we make ourselves heard, how we listen, and which voices are invited to the stage. 

Continuing our Britten odyssey, impassioned opera meets dreamlike dance in a Royal Ballet and Opera double production of Phaedra + Minotaur, a collaboration with award-winning director Deborah Warner and choreographer Kim Brandstrup. Last performed as part of 4/4 (2020), the work sees Christine Rice reprise her Olivier award-nominated role – expertly harnessing Phaedra’s eroticism and despair. 

The Jette Parker Artists programme welcomes seven talented newcomers who will perform on stage throughout the year, as well as bringing their talents to a lively new production of Telemann’s Pimpinone in the Linbury Theatre.  

In the summer, the award-winning, interactive, multi-sensory opera for toddlers and babies Catch a Sea Star, will be staged in the Clore Studio. With music from J.S. Bach, children can step into an enchanting underworld realm of mermaids and sea monsters. 

The Royal Ballet 2024/25 Season

In 2024/25 The Royal Ballet presents a diverse programme of works that celebrate the Company’s rich heritage while featuring groundbreaking creations by some of the world’s leading choreographers and creative teams.  

Following the landmark success of Woolf Works and The Dante Project, Wayne McGregor returns with the European premiere of MaddAddam. Combining forces of contemporary dance, music, fashion and literary worlds, Margaret Atwood’s monumental trilogy of novels (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam) comes alive in this thrilling visceral three-act ballet. With a specially commissioned score by celebrated composer Max Richter and costume design by Gareth Pugh, it promises to be a spectacular experience. 

In October, Encounters: Four Contemporary Ballets features the work of four distinctive choreographers championed by The Royal Ballet on the Main Stage. Experience a spectrum of human emotion beginning with Kyle Abraham’s gentle meditation on love, loss and memory in The Weathering.

Four characters battle for control in Crystal Pite’s gripping boardroom drama The Statement. Expanding Dispatch Duet, which received critical acclaim on its premiere in 2022, Pam Tanowitz employs her trademark style to turn the conventions of dance inside out. Joseph Toonga presents his second Main Stage work for the Company where the idioms of classical ballet and hip-hop converge. 

Masses of dancers move as a mesmerising whole in Crystal Pite’s Light of Passage which receives its first revival in February. Grappling with themes of safe passage, displacement, community and mortality, this award-winning work is set to Gorecki’s affecting Symphony of Sorrowful Songs – a reminder of the power of human connection in our turbulent times. 

Wonderland becomes wondrously real as the ballet Season opens with two Technicolor adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s popular children’s story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – both of which will be part of our Schools’ Matinee roster. On the Main Stage, The Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon’s interpretation partners with magical music by composer Joby Talbot and whimsical designs by Bob Crowley. Powerhouse storytellers ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company return to the Linbury Theatre with The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, transforming Carroll’s Wonderland into a dysfunctional institution in this energetic hip-hop show featuring original music and family-friendly storytelling. 

Christopher Wheeldon’s versatility as a choreographer is showcased in a new mixed programme – Ballet to Broadway – where sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre. Luminescent and shimmering, Fool’s Paradise marked the first of his many collaborations with composer Joby Talbot. Three works follow, new to The Royal Ballet. Recognising Wheeldon’s extraordinary success in musical theatre, the Company performs the ballet from his Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris, set to Gershwin’s jazzy melodies. Its zesty spirit is contrasted with two duets of intimacy and yearning. The wistful songs of Joni Mitchell set the scene for The Two of Us, while the music of Keaton Henson is used in the tender duet from Us that Wheeldon created for BalletBoyz in 2017. 

When George Balanchine arrived on the shores of America, he changed the landscape of 20th-century ballet. Pushing the boundaries of the art form with extreme speed, dynamism and athleticism, he defined the American neoclassical style. With Balanchine: Three Signature Works, The Royal Ballet present a triptych of distinctive pieces in one programme. Serenade was the first ballet he created in America, and its ethereal beauty is contrasted with the avant-garde Prodigal Son, a parable of sin and redemption. Symphony in C with its symmetrical formations and crystalline placements will bring this programme to a majestic and exhilarating close. 

The Royal Ballet brings Shakespeare’s young lovers vividly to life with the return of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, a modern classic that celebrates its 60th anniversary. Prokofiev’s glorious score feeds this epic tragedy, sweeping the ballet towards its inevitable and devastating conclusion. 

Also marking 60 years since its creation, John Cranko’s 1965 take on Pushkin’s novel Oneginreturns to the Main Stage. Set to an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s heartbreaking score, Cranko’s expressive choreography results in a sumptuous period ballet. 

For Christmas, Cinderella continues to cast its spell. This enchanting work by The Royal Ballet’s Founding Choreographer Frederick Ashton, with evocative music by Prokofiev and some spectacular stagecraft, is a rich theatrical experience not to be missed. In the Linbury Theatre, nothing says Christmas like a Greek tragedy: Ben Duke and Lost Dog’s electric and darkly hilarious work of dance theatre set to live music, Ruination, returns, turning the classic Greek myth of Medea on its head. 

In the Linbury Theatre, the Company continues its commitment to honing new and diverse choreographic and performing talent. In October, First Soloist of The Royal Ballet Joseph Sissens is the driving force behind Legacy, a celebration of Black and Brown dancers from all over the world.

In the spring, International Draft Works returns, gathering burgeoning choreographers from all over the world, revealing how the art form is ever changing and evolving. Closing the Season, celebrating both national and international talent, the Next Generation Festivalis a showcase for the diversity and range of global performing talent presented by a selection of junior companies and dance schools. 

Across the Season, the Linbury Theatre welcomes returning guest companies including Northern Ballet, Acosta Danza and Ballet Black. The Ballet Black: Heroes mixed programme will include a new work, If at First, by Choreographer-in-Residence at Scottish Ballet Sophie Laplane, that explores the complexity of humanity, heroism and self-acceptance.  

Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, said: “An electrifying Season lies ahead as we stage thrilling works new to the Company, crafted by creatives at the forefront of choreographic innovation.

“The breadth of the Company’s artistry is highlighted in revivals of rich repertory favourites alongside a Linbury Season that welcomes guest collaborators and bright burgeoning talents. As ever, audiences will have the chance to witness world-class performances by our remarkable dancers. There really is something for everyone.”  

Inspiring creativity across the UK

  • 40 years at the forefront of arts education  
  • Reaching more than 45,000 students across the UK  
  • Seven Schools’ Matinees  

In 2025, the Royal Ballet and Opera celebrates 40 years of pioneering learning programming as it unveils its biggest year of learning initiatives to date. Over the past year the schools programme has grown from 1,575 schools to 2,710, working with more than 46,000 students, 1500 teachers and 700 schools to inspire creativity and open access to the arts across the UK.     

These programmes sit alongside on-going projects in communities up and down the country including regional partnerships with Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture, Rotherham, Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 and a new focused initiatives in the east of England.  

Jillian Barker, Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Ballet and Opera explains: “Our vision is to work towards creativity for every child.  At a time when arts education in schools is squeezed and specialist teachers are in decline, it is more important than ever to strive to reach more children and young people. 

“We are redoubling efforts to offer high quality opportunities to any primary school in the country, inspiring children and building the creative confidence of teachers and opening the opportunity to discover ballet and opera.

“We are working to diversify young dancers and singers.  And we want ROH to be a place of creative adventure, welcoming to all, particularly families.”  

This Season, the Royal Ballet and Opera will continue to offer a range of programmes to enhance arts education, spark creativity, and improve access to the arts for all. These learning and community-based initiatives include: 

  • Extending its flagship programme to reach more schools nationwide, offering free resources to help teachers and students be creatively confident in the classroom. This Season will also introduce new live streamed lessons into schools from the Companies and artists of the Royal Ballet and Opera.  
  • The return of Create Day, a large single national school event, held in partnership with UNICEF RRSA UK (Rights Respecting Schools Alliance), bringing together 30,000 children in person and virtually in a celebration of everything they have learned. 
  • Hosting seven Schools’ Matinees across the Season, giving children from across the UK the chance to experience a live production at the Royal Opera House with heavily discounted tickets and travel grants.  
  • The Creative Exchange programme – partnerships with commonly underrepresented groups in the arts to create a collaborative performance piece representing different life experiences.  
  • Growing the reach of its Chance to Dance programme, where the Royal Ballet and Opera partner with local dance and primary schools in areas with limited artistic provision to introduce young people to ballet. 
  • The Youth Opera Company, where over 100 state school children have the chance to work with Royal Ballet and Opera artists, performing on the Main Stage in productions including Carmen and Hansel and Gretel. 

The Royal Ballet and Opera also continues to invest in future talent and professional development through initiatives such as the specialist apprenticeship programme, which will see the number of participants double this Season.

Remaining one of the largest employers of artistic professionals in the UK, the apprentices join 1,044 full or part time staff, 2,060 contractors who are consistently employed, and freelancers or commissioned staff.   

The fostering of talent and diversity is also seen in our second Overturecohort in partnership with Black Lives in Music, beginning in Autumn 2024. The year-long mentorship by players in the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House is available to young musicians aged 18-25 from the global majority or other underrepresented backgrounds. The scheme provides support tailored to the participants’ individual needs, enhancing skill sets, insight and training in the classical music field. 

The Royal Ballet and Opera also present 11 productions in 1500 cinemas across the globe next Season, including such beloved classics as Cinderella, The Nutcracker and The Marriage of Figaro and exciting new productions of The Tales of Hoffmann and Die Walküre. 

The 2024/2025 Season’s ambitious work contributes to the enduring influence of the Royal Ballet and Opera, with a recent study finding it has one of the largest economic impacts on the ACE’s National Portfolio.

Whether it is welcoming audiences from across the globe to experience magic on its stages or inspiring creativity in classrooms across the UK, the Royal Ballet and Opera celebrates everything that the arts bring to UK society, looking boldly ahead to a new and exciting Season of world-class productions.  

Edinburgh International Festival’s 2024 programme brings audiences and artists closer together than ever before

  • The Edinburgh International Festival unveils an expansive programme of world-leading opera, music, theatre and dance from 2-25 August 2024, when the original festival that defines Edinburgh as the world’s Festival City returns for another year. 
     
  • This is the second year under the helm of Festival Director and Scottish violinist, Nicola Benedetti. ‘Rituals That Unite Us’ is the theme underpinning the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival, responding to an overwhelming desire for togetherness from artists and audiences following on from 2023’s question ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’. 
     
  • From immersive beanbag concerts and virtual reality to drop-in rehearsals and a site-specific promenade opera, the 2024 programme is defined by a deepened commitment to creating a closer union between audiences and artists through innovative and informal experiences. 
     
  • To reach the broadest possible audience, 50% of tickets for the 2024 International Festival will be sold at £30 or under, free tickets are available for young musicians, and £10 Affordable Tickets will be available for every performance in the 2024 programme. 
Classical Music: Yuja Wang, Elim Chan, Marin Alsop, Jakub Józef Orliński, Alison Balsom, Hilary Hahn, Dame Sarah Connolly, Ian Bostridge, Steven Osborne, Nicola Benedetti, Maxim Emelyanychev, Sir Mark Elder, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Sir Donald Runnicles, Gianandrea Noseda, Jennifer Stumm, Thierry Fischer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Ilumina, The Hallé, European Union Youth Orchestra
 
Opera: Malin Byström, Opéra-Comique, Komische Oper Berlin, Scottish Opera, Kirill Serebrennikov, Sir Andrew Davis, James Gaffigan, Saimir Pirgu, Golda Schultz 

 Theatre and Dance: Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Jack Lowden, Crystal Pite, Grupo Corpo, Aakash Odedra, David Ireland, Vicky Featherstone, Stef Smith, 1927, Eline Arbo, Christiane Jatahy, Scott Silven, Teatro La Plaza 
 
Contemporary Music: Cat Power, Bat for Lashes, Chilly Gonzales, Youssou N’Dour, The Magnetic Fields, The Grit Orchestra, Tirzah, Jordan Rakei, Balimaya Project, Endea Owens, Domo Branch  Celtic Music: Breabach, Mànran, Ceilidh Trail, Cätlin and Marko Mägi, Finlay MacDonald and Ali Hutton, Goitse, VRï  

Scottish companies and ensembles: Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Scottish Opera, National Youth Choir of Scotland, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Scottish Ballet 

From 2-25 August 2024, Edinburgh International Festival presents a hand-picked selection of leading international and local local artists in the world’s Festival City, with 24 days of world-class opera, dance, music and theatre.  

The 2024 programme comprises 161 performances from over 2000 artists across 42 nations, all joined under the theme,‘Rituals That Unite Us’.

The theme responds to an overwhelming desire for togetherness from artists and audiences following on from 2023’s question ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’.

Reasserting the value of shared experiences, the 2024 International Festival celebrates the practices, traditions and festivities that give us meaning and connect us – as a festival, a city, and as a society.

The second year under Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, the 2024 programme offers an increased range of innovative and informal audience experiences, designed to create closer union between artists and audiences.  

Audiences can enjoy a virtual reality experience filmed within an orchestra, a site-specific promenade opera and, by popular demand, an expanded programme of beanbag concerts placing the audience among performers to experience music in a unique way.

The programme also features an all-ages family concert, a participatory dance and music work outside The Scottish Parliament, and post-show talks with artists in The Hub, returning with a bigger programme as the International Festival’s home and ‘green room’. This year the venue will be open to the public for informal dining, drop-in rehearsals and Up Late performances.

There is also a deepened commitment to reach the broadest possible audience, with 50% of tickets for the 2024 International Festival to be sold at £30 or under, thousands of free tickets available for young musicians, and £10 Affordable Ticketsavailable for every performance in the 2024 programme.

Year round, the International Festival offers three pathways for people of all ages and backgrounds to make the most of their creative potential and create a growing social impact in Scotland.

Underpinning the 2024 Festival is an ambition to deepen connections with young people, communities and the arts industry, from a youth takeover day and opportunities for emerging talent to a first-time partnership with an Edinburgh community space and pop-up performances in NHS healthcare settings.

Highlights of the programme include:

  • Two world premiere theatre productions from Scottish creatives: The Fifth Step, a thrilling new play written byDavid Ireland,directed by Finn den Hertogand starring BAFTA-nominated Scottish actor Jack Lowden; and the stage adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir,The Outrun, brought to life by Oliver Award-winning playwright Stef Smith, director Vicky Featherstone and Edinburgh’s producing theatre, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company.
  • Five extraordinary operas, of which three are staged and two are performed in concert, including Opéra Comique’s production of Bizet’s Carmen with Gaëlle Arquez in the title role; and Komische Oper Berlin’s production of Mozart’sThe Marriage of Figaro, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. A new production of Stravinsky’sOedipus Rex by Scottish Opera takes over the National Museum of Scotland, performed in promenade with a 100-strong community chorus from across Scotland. 
  • A two-part opening weekend exploring different ways of telling the same great story, with two distinct interpretations of the Passion: Latin American and Afro-Cuban musical styles mix with contemporary classical expressions in the Scottish premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, their Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus take on Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece, the St Matthew Passion, in Mendelssohn’s 1841 version. 
     
  • The return of beanbag concerts, inspired by Budapest Festival Orchestra’s founder Iván Fischer’s shows last year, with the audience seated on beanbags to experience classical music in a unique way. A variety of musical performances include family-friendly presentations from European Union Youth Orchestra with Gianandrea Noseda, and Barokksolistene’s The Alehouse Sessions, transforming the Usher Hall into a 17th-century English tavern, complete with sea shanties and folk-favourites.
  • The Opening Event – a large-scale outdoor opening event for 10,000 people evoking the mythology and history of Scotland’s rich heritage, in collaboration with single malt Scotch Whisky, The Macallan, with creative producer Pinwheel. Further details will be announced closer to the event. 
     
  • The Philharmonia Orchestra in residency, including performances of Verdi’s Requiem (conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali) and the International Festival’s Closing Concert, Strauss’s Capriccio (conducted by Sir Andrew Davis), with Malin Byström. The Philharmonia also present the UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my Mouth, a multimedia performance conducted by Marin Alsop, with the National Youth Choir of Scotland. 
     
  • A stellar dance and theatre offering full of UK, European and World Premieres with leading creatives and companies such as Internaational Theater Amsterdam, Crystal Pite, Kidd Pivot, Grupo Corpo, Aakash Odedra, National Theatre of Scotland, Jack Lowden, 1927, Teatro La Plaza, Émilie Monnet, Waira Nina, Christiane Jatahyand more.
  • The Bamberger Symphonikerin residence with conductor Jakub Hrůša for three performances that include works by Brahms, Dvořák and Hans Rott, and a family-friendly explainer event, Beyond the Score, taking a deep dive into Dvořák’s New World Symphony.
     
  • A final residency with Ilumina, the São Paulo-based artist collective founded by violinist Jennifer Stumm. Known for their model of 21st century creativity and artist-led advancement of diverse talent, their first visit to the International Festival sees them give two concerts with the audience seated on beanbags and two performances in The Hub. 
     
  • Projects which go beyond the performances on stage with an ambition to create a growing social impact in Scotland through the performing arts, include: a first-time Community Connections Hub, inviting audiences to experience the Philharmonia Orchestra in Virtual Reality within their own community space; Culture Clubs bringing together community groups to explore ‘Rituals that Unite Us’ through a shared meal and performance; pop-up performances in NHS healthcare settings; a Youth Takeover Dayfor senior pupils in Edinburgh schools; and schools performances and workshops across music, opera, theatre and dance for secondary school pupils.
  • A contemporary music programme including gifted singer-songwriter Cat Power; indie-pop sensation Bat for Lashes; polymath composer and piano personality Chilly Gonzales;beloved orchestral-pop group The Magnetic Fields; one of the most famous voices in African music, Youssou N’Dour; the mighty 80-piece contemporary Scottish GRIT Orchestra; South London electronic singer-songwriter Tirzah; a blend of West African folkloric music, the sounds of Black London and the London jazz scene with Balimaya Project; and a signature mix of electronic and soul from New Zealand-born Jordan Rakei.
     
  • Leading soloists include Dame Sarah Connolly, Yuja Wang, Golda Schultz, Alison Balsom, Hilary Hahn, Jakub Józef Orliński, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Ian Bostridge, Steven Osborne and more. 
     
  • The Hub, the International Festival’s HQ on the Royal Mile, is once again home to the most intimate performances and discussions from virtuosic musicians sharing their respective culture, traditions and rituals through music and instrumentation. A programme of leading Celtic musicians includes Irish quintet Goitse, an International Festival debut from Welsh folk band VRï and the 25th anniversary of Fèis Rois’ Ceilidh Trail. Further across the globe, innovative musicians from Brazil, China, America, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, West Africa and India come to Edinburgh in a truly international programme. 

As part of the International Festival’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, the 2024 programme includes 25 accessible performances, including ten audio described performances, five BSL interpreted performances, and nine captioned performances.

The concession ticket for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people is increased from 30% to 50% off all full price tickets, with options for a free essential companion ticket still available where required.

The types of accessible seating options held for members of the free Access Pass initiative has also been expanded to include aisle seats and seats with additional leg room, across all Festival venues. 

General booking for the 2024 International Festival opens on Thursday 21 March, with tickets currently on-sale to Members and supporters.

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival said: “As we join forces with the world’s greatest artists and bring them here to Edinburgh, we do so with a deeper dedication to our audience.

“This year the Edinburgh International Festival inaugurates new and reimagined rituals, honouring tradition and innovation, to bind us closer together. We invite you to seek and gather with us this August – there is always something new to discover.” 

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “It’s fantastic to see the 2024 programme for the Edinburgh International Festival. This promises to be a unique and exciting chapter in the Festival’s rich history with over 2000 of the world’s extraordinary artists performing here this August.”

“It’s particularly encouraging to see initiatives such as making free tickets available for young musicians, and £10 Tickets available for all performances.

“Given we are in the midst of a challenging cost of living crisis and our festivals have a key role in providing us all with opportunities to enjoy exceptional and entertaining experiences, these will hopefully contribute towards the goal of choice and access for everyone in our city.

“The International Festival is an integral part of the Capital’s cultural calendar and as a Council we’re proud to support it.” 

Kaukab Stewart, Scottish Government Minister for Culture and International Development, said: “As we raise the curtain on another Edinburgh International Festival, we’re reminded of the power of art to unite and inspire us all. 

“More than 2,000 artists from 42 countries will exhibit their talents, and these extraordinary performances from a diverse range of cultures and traditions reaffirms Scotland’s place as the perfect stage to host major events.
 
“As the new Minister for Culture, I’m proud to welcome the world to Scotland for the International Festival, and I’m looking forward to enjoying an abundance of exceptional entertainment taking place on our doorstep.” 

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson said: “For more than three quarters of a century, the Edinburgh International Festival has provided a platform for the world-class music and performing arts we are so proud to have in this country, as well as for brilliant artists and musicians from across the globe. 

“The millions of people who flock to Edinburgh to enjoy and take part in it each year enrich our lives and fuel our shared economy. That’s why the UK Government is so proud to support it.

“The arts have a unique power to bring us together, and to help us see the world through others’ eyes. I’m delighted that, this year, the International Festival will focus on the rituals that unite us – and look forward to seeing the diverse and dynamic work that theme inspires.” 
 
Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: “Nicola Benedetti continues to drive the Edinburgh International Festival programme forward in her second year as Director with another inspired artistic offering.

“This year’s thematic focus on unity and togetherness provides opportunities to blur the lines between artist and audience, promoting connection and communal experience in our increasingly divided world.

“The International Festival continues to earn its reputation as a shining light in the global cultural calendar by uniting people through great art.” 

Further programme information by genre: 

Classical Music 

Edinburgh International Festival welcomes the world’s top orchestras and musicians for 22 spectacular symphonic concerts at Usher Hall and 19 intimate morning recitals at The Queen’s Hall. The symphonic concert series revolves around residencies from three outstanding orchestras and ensembles. 

Offering unique perspectives on how we experience a contemporary symphony orchestra, these residencies allow for a more profound engagement with Edinburgh communities, from primary school pupils to emerging artists, extending the orchestra’s presence beyond Usher Hall.

This approach also lowers the environmental footprint for each performance by the visiting artists. 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023: 1,596 further Fringe shows revealed

Today, Thursday 11 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that more shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com.

This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, children’s shows, events and more all represented in the programme.

Ahead of the full programme launch in June, more shows than ever before are being released, with 1,596 shows on edfringe.com from 12:00 BST today. The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Today’s announcement reflects the wealth and variety of performance awaiting audiences this August, yet it also highlights the need to support artists and venues more than ever. 

“Thousands of artists are coming to Edinburgh this summer to reach new audiences, and benefit from the many industry opportunities available to them, which is testament to the platform that the Festival Fringe offers them.  

“It continues to be a very challenging time for those working across the cultural sector, and I urge you to browse shows, book tickets, and champion these passionate and resilient performers. 

“As we move at pace towards this year’s festival, it has never been more important than now to support those at the very heart of the Fringe – the artists.’

Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.

Theatre

Disability-led theatre company FlawBored present It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure at Underbelly, ‘a scathing satire on the monetisation of identity politics that spares no one’. Expecting by c21 Theatre Company is at Deaf Action, and ‘explores experiences unique to d/Deaf and hearing couples’.

At Army @ The Fringe, Everything Under the Sun ‘explores complex questions about how lasting peace is achieved, the role of foreign intervention in Mali, and how a state can rebuild after a generation of conflict’ via the story of Ibrihim, ‘a young Malian interpreter attached to the UN.’ Move at Bedlam Theatre follows Mili, who moves ‘from Beijing to NYC to become an artist’ and ‘seeks out people that are the polar opposite of those she grew up with’.

Writer and performer Obehi Janice is in the Casanova-inspired Nova at Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, following ‘a Nigerian-American comedian navigating desire, pussy and power’. Flickering Seasons at St John’s Church presents ‘a woman’s journey as she navigates life through adversity and challenges such as homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse and racism’. And 4/4/4: 4 Real Asians, 4 White Men, 4 Fake Asians is ‘both an autopsy of racial capitalist manifestations in the real world and a wild, virtuosic experiment which completely rips apart Whiteness’ – it’s at theSpaceUK.

An(dre)a Spisto: El Dizzy Beast is an Assembly show about ‘a queer, autistic, latinx caterpillar on the edge’. At the BlundaGardens, Plague Stone Party: Farewell, Tor offers ‘the queerest folktales that Wales and Ireland have to offer, with clowning, puppetry, and 90s trance anthems’. Gate Number 5 at C venues is ‘a half-live, half-virtual interracial lesbian love story between a white European and a black former refugee’. Asexuality! is ‘an autobiographical musical comedy about Rebecca McGlynn‘s pre-transition life’ – it’s at Gilded Balloon. At Greenside, Burnt Lavender takes place within ‘a clandestine cabaret pulsing with physical theatre, lip-synced routines and gut-wrenching confessions’; it aims to amplify ‘LGBTQ+ history through laughter, tears, and a stage full of queers’. And ‘the origin story of the world’s most glamorous Pride parade comes to life’ in ’78 Things I Don’t Want to Tell You About the Love of My Life at Outhouse.

At Palmerston Place Church, Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story tells the story of the famed athlete and his struggle to stay true to his principles at the Olympic Games of 1924. ‘David Hume and Adam Smith, titans of The Scottish Enlightenment and the dearest of friends, grieve – for old age and disease separate them, perhaps for eternity’ in Enquiry Concerning Hereafter at Panmure House.

Set during the French Revolution, The Madwoman at Paradise Green follows Théroigne de Méricourt, who ‘spends her final days crafting her life’s great work, an opera about the revolution she never left behind’. Ludmilla Dabo and David Lescot star in A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone at the French Institute in Scotland.

Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Charlotte Chapel: The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis is an adaptation by Nigel Forde, while Titanic: The Last Hero and The Last Coward follows the journeys of ‘a church minister and an executive of the White Star Line’ on the ill-fated ship. At the Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, Full Show Lane Studio present their take on the famous Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West, combining physical theatre with original music in ‘a rarely seen blend of ancient and modern’. The Brunton with David Ross and Tommie Travers present an amateur production of The Steamie at Loretto School Theatre, as four women in a 1950s Glasgow laundry ‘blether about the past, the future, and being pals’. At Musselburgh Racecourse, Quantum Theatre present an outdoor adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic, Wind in the Willows, while Richard Holloway and friends present Murder in the Cathedral, ‘Eliot’s famous play on the life and murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral,’ in Old Saint Paul’s Church.

The Edinburgh People’s Theatre are staging Whisky Galore! at Mayfield Salisbury Church, in which a community of Scottish islanders ‘rescue’ a shipload of whisky during WW2. Meanwhile, ‘three alcoholics who meet in the night’ discuss fate, destiny and booze in Drink Whole Night at Frankenstein Pub.

House of Oz invites you to meet ‘Maureen: a razor-tongued self-described “working-class glamour queen” with outrageous stories to tell’. Thorns at Laughing Horse is a ‘reimagining’ of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on the voices of the heroine, ‘her daughter and the queen who sought her destruction’.

At Hill Street Theatre and online, Auto-Engrain: A One-Woman Show ‘relays experiences from speed-dating to how a toxic relationship can be engrained’. We Must Do This More at The Royal Scots Club is ‘a one-woman show with original songs and poetry, exploring the life of a burnt-out millennial, struggling to prioritise her best friend’.

Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin ‘hosts an immersive joyride through his Clubland adventures’ in Club Life at Summerhall. The 1990-set Better Days at Just the Tonic follows 19-year-old Danny, who ‘stands at the crossroads of football violence and house music’. Bits ‘N’ Pieces at Leith Arches ‘explores the dangers of drug stigma and misinformation in modern society’. And at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall, Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz follows Nathaniel ‘on his journey of self-discovery as he explores Black masculinity through Beyonce lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship a man has with his barber’.

At Le Monde, Paul Zenon in Monkey Business explores ‘the amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics’. Writer, actor and magician David Alnwick presents The Mystery of Dracula at PBH’s Free Fringe, in which ‘Van Helsing’s great, great grandson performs a séance to conjure Count Dracula’s ghost’.

Horizon Showcase: FORGE at Lyceum Roseburn is ‘a durational installation featuring welding and soundscape,’ inspired by the theft of the ‘welcome’ gate from Dachau concentration camp in 2014. Dark Noon at Pleasance is a ‘brutal reimagining of the history of America… told by seven South African actors,’ presented by Danish director Tue Biering and co-director Nhlanhla Mahlangu.

The site-specific Angry Snatch: A Reclamation Job in 15 Rounds is ‘provocative and captivating piece of physical theatre’ at Port O’Leith Boxing Club. At Central Hall, Family Matters is ‘a powerful look at the myriad meanings of the word “family” and the importance of finding where you fit in’.

Comedy

MADE IN AMERICA is ‘a funny yet shockingly raw autobiography by Japanese-born artist Teruko Nakajima’ (featuring her dog Titi) at Gilded Balloon. The Abu Dhabi Dramatic Society presents ‘an original bunch of jokes and sketches based on real-life scenarios’ in On The Tiles at C venues.

In her debut show, The Mandela Effect, Thenjiwe, ‘the Queen of deadpan, discusses how the world has collectively misremembered facts and events that have led to Africa being in the state that it’s in’ at Just the Tonic. Yoshi Obayashi’s Adult Content at Greenside is ‘a show that presents various life stories in and out of the world of sex work – funny, sad, shocking’. 

Noam Shuster Eliassi presents Coexistence My A** at Laughing Horse, in which she discusses ‘her Palestinian best friends, Iranian family, and viral marriage proposal to the Saudi Prince’. In his first UK gig, Saudi stand-up, actor and musician Ibrahem Al Hajjaj presents From Riyadh to Edinburgh at theSpaceUK. And, ‘like a 1970s cabaret show but with more colour and less racism,’ The 5th Alternative Black Comedy Showcase is at PBH’s Free Fringe.

In Overweight and OVER IT! at Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney ‘will talk everything from dating and exercise to having to buy two seats on a plane but only getting one meal’. Keroseno and Finito: Cock O’Clock is ‘a transgressive tragicomedy based on true events that follows two LGBT+ siblings Keroseno and Finito, in the prevention and visibility of suicide’ following their mother’s death – it’s on at both Laughing Horse and Leith Depot. ‘Comedian. Trans woman. Voice of a generation. Anna Piper Scott makes her UK debut’ in Such an Inspiration at House of Oz.

At Hill Street Theatre, Seattle comedian Andrew Frank delivers Ecstatic Blasphemy, ‘a hilarious set about growing up as a pastor’s kid, finding queer joy beyond fundamentalist Christianity, and performing subversive stand-up throughout the Bible Belt’.

‘She’s been famous, she’s been homeless, she’s been sectioned with two guys who both claimed to be Jesus.’ Now Gail Porter prepares to be Hung, Drawn and Portered at Assembly. Troy Kinne ‘shares too much information about all of the things wrong with him’ in Made Wrong at 4042. And at Paradise Green, Bipolar Badass ‘is a one-woman show by Mari (like calamari) Crawford about the humour behind struggling with the illness’.

‘Poppyscotland are proud to host a refreshing, uplifting showcase of laugh-out-loud comedy created by Armed Forces veterans’ in The Recovery Through Comedy Show at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. ‘Essex-born Gavin Lilley, through his masterful use of sign language, has brought laughter to many deaf and hearing people with his unique perspective on our world today’ – you can catch him as part of Deaf Action Presents: The Gavin Lilley Show.

John Hegley’s The Early Word at Summerhall ‘includes the anxiety of a slug and the four simple rules of Mister Galimore for marking your neighbour’s French vocabulary test’. Jeremy Segway: A Life Out of Balance is a show ‘dedicated to Mr Segway, the man who invented the Segway, all performed entirely on Segways’ – it’s at Bedlam Theatre.

Su Mi: Banana Beard at BlundaGardens ‘invites you on a surreal misadventure of absurdist sketch, untamed thrash metal guitar solos and imaginary costumed personas’. At Central Hall, The Yassification of Jesse James by the Coward Samantha Clementine combines ‘cowboys, karate, a Time Lord, ridiculous slang, and biting social commentary’. And ‘our once hot-bodied men in kilts, now warm-bodied Men in Quilts, navigate the challenges of getting older, not necessarily wiser’ at Boteco do Brasil.

Barry Fern presents his Arthur’s Seat Comedy Extravaganza on the summit of Edinburgh’s favourite dormant volcano this August. The Biscuit Factory hosts a line-up of comedians at Leith Comedy Festival Presents…. And Scottish accordionist Sandy Brechin ‘brings his successful weekly Facebook music and comedy lockdown show, Sandy on Sunday, to the live stage for the first time, with impressions, costume changes, stand-up and some loony tunes’. It’s called Sandy Not Just on Sunday! and it’s at The Saltire Society Headquarters.

There are also plenty of famous and familiar funny faces returning to Fringe 2023. The Duncan and Judy Murray Show is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, promising ‘another unique show featuring special guests, Q&As and a desperate attempt from Duncan to win his mum’s approval’. Lara Ricote, Rose Matafeo, Sofie Hagen, Dane Baptiste, Ed Gamble and Tiff Stevenson are at Monkey Barrel Comedy; Catherine Cohen, Jordan Brookes, Nick Helm, Rosie Jones, Shaparak Khorsandi and All Killa No Filla are at Pleasance; Glenn Wool is at the Scottish Comedy Festival; Mark Watson has two shows at St Peter’s Church; Jerry Sadowitz proudly presents… Last Year’s Show! at The Queen’s Hall; Foil Arms and Hog, Sara Pascoe and Abandoman are at Underbelly; Mark Thomas and Simon Munnery are at The Stand Comedy Club; and First Thing (Work in Progress by Daniel Kitson) is at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall. Bobby Davro, ‘one of the biggest television comedy names of the 1980s and 1990s, makes his Fringe debut’ in My Name Is Bobby Davro at Frankenstein Pub.

Music

‘Led by charismatic Senegalese singer Samba Sene, Diwan is a diverse international collection of musicians, who share a global outlook and love of West African beats’ – catch them at The Jazz Bar. MTO Zendeh Delan‘s Journey of Love at Stockbridge Church is ‘a captivating presentation of the Sufi allegory of Leyla and Majnun depicted through modern Sufi music and the motions of Sama’. Sako Wana at Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC offers a ‘colourful groove for a festive trip to West Africa mixing pulsating rhythms from traditional Mandinka instruments’. 

Alafia Ensemble, comprising six musicians from diverse backgrounds, play two shows this Fringe: Amalgamando at Argyle Cellar Bar and Bridges Between Worlds at artSpace@StMarks. At theSpaceUK, David Rivera and La Båmbula ‘will make you dance with their Caribbean sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba’. Sixty musicians, conducted by composer He Zhanhao, ‘perform one of the most popular works in the modern Chinese classical canon’ in The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Other Works at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.

Fringe audiences can ‘experience the passionate and mesmerising Flamenco Guitar Odyssey by Philip Adie’ at Alba Flamenca. Flamencodanza at C venues is an ‘inspired, powerful and elegant show of Flamenco dance and guitar presented by Aylin Bayaz, Raul Mannola’. And the ‘award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company presents their long-awaited second album and production’ Andalucia at YOTEL Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Fringe Fling at the Old Dr Bells Baths ‘will feature some of the finest acts in Scottish traditional music in: Gleadhraich, Whisky Kiss and The Laurettes’, while guitarist Tony Randle takes you ‘on a journey through different shades and flavours of the acoustic guitar, with a mix of original pieces and classics’ in his Acoustic Guitar Showcase at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.

Dynamic Earth celebrates ‘the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album’ in the immersive Planetarium Lates: Dark Side of the Moon. La Haut (Up There) at the French Institute in Scotland ‘is an audiovisual show that immerses the audience in a unique world through the eyes of bird-like aeroplanes, taking you on a journey exploring emotions of longing and home’.

Tom Robinson is Up Close and Personal at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, offering ‘an hour of classic songs and scurrilous stories spanning five decades of adventures in the music industry’. The Rezillos’ Fay Fife brings ‘an unholy alchemy of country and punk’ to Gilded Balloon with her ‘insurgent alt-country outfit’ The Countess of Fife.

At Bannerman’s, Breakout! is ‘the highly anticipated show from the most beloved up-and-coming indie, pop and rock acts from Edinburgh’. Duane Forrest takes you on ‘a journey through the history of reggae’ in Bob Marley – How Reggae Changed the World at The A Club at the Merchants Hall. And Nothing Ever Happens Here returns to Summerhall with a programme of music gigs throughout August, including Pictish Trail, Kathryn Joseph, Auntie Flo and the London Astrobeat Orchestra performing Talking Heads.

‘Founded in 1947 at the Rose Street Telephone Exchange,’ the Edinburgh Telephone Choir perform Around the World in 80 Minutes at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps, ‘with styles including pop, traditional and show tunes’. The Absolutely Fab Choir present free, uplifting pop songs at Brewhemia and Le Monde this August. And you can expect ‘timeless classics you know and love, inspirational anthems, and exhilarating gospel arrangements guaranteed to revitalise your soul’ in Get Up and Gospel! at Canongate Kirk and Greyfriars Kirk.

Two different shows are encouraging audience members to sing along this Fringe: Pub Choir – This Worked At Home is ‘the low-effort, high-return show of your dreams’ at The Liquid Room, while Choir!Choir!Choir! at Underbelly is ‘a show where the crowd is the star’.

The South London Jazz Orchestra ‘dazzles you with big-band favourites from the whole history of jazz – as well as some more surprising choices – in an afternoon of funk, Latin, swing and much more’. They’re playing at both Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church and St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St. ‘Award-winning international blues star Giles Robson, one of the greatest living blues harmonica virtuosos, showmen and singers,’ is joined by Edinburgh blues guitar player Sandy Tweeddale in Up Close with the Blues at Ryrie’s Bar. And ‘two-time Grammy nominee’ Beth Nielsen Chapman has released 14 solo albums, with ‘songs recorded by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and Elton John’ – catch her at The Queen’s Hall.

As part of the Made in Scotland showcase, the Tinderbox Orchestra take to Edinburgh Central Library this August, ‘bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind and a thundering backline’; Tales of Transatlantic Freedom at Greenside is ‘a glorious exploration of our global musical heritage,’ bringing together ‘the richness of spirituals, jazz, blues, gospel, opera, and the songs of Robert Burns’; and ‘Modern Studies frontwoman Emily Scott performs new melancholy folk-tinged record Leave No Shadow with lush string orchestra and band in a soaring chapel acoustic’ titled Chrysanths, at St Vincent’s, with support on various dates from C Duncan, Faith Elliot and LT Leif.

Mark Spalding performs two Philip Glass recitals at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this August: Piano Etudes, ‘a selection from The Twenty Etudes For Piano composed between 1991 and 2013’ and ‘the piano solo version of the award-winning soundtrack for the 2002 film The Hours’. Meanwhile, Northesk Parish Church plays hosts to three separate programmes of Soloists of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: André Cebrian and Irene Alfageme, Maximiliano Martin and Scott Mitchell, and Su-a Lee and Hamish Napier. London-based cellist Anne-Isabel Meyer plays the Bach Cello Suites and Bach’s Prelude and Gigue at St Cuthbert’s Church; St Giles’ Cathedral hosts performances by the National Youth Choir of Scotland and NYCOS National Girls Choir; and John Bryden delivers ‘two piano recitals on the Cathedral Steinway’ as part of Cathedral Coffee Concerts at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Attila the Stockbroker has ‘taught himself to play crumhorn, cornamuse, rauschpfeife, recorders and written an album about the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters and the English Revolution of 1649’. Find out more at his Early Music Show at St Cecilia’s Hall.

In Rules Schmules – How To Be Jew-ish at Hill Street Theatre, Suzie Depreli delivers ‘one woman’s passive aggressive mission to educate the world about what it means to have an orthodox family that ate sausages, an Asian Catholic husband that uses more Yiddish words than her Nana, and celebrate Passover without believing in God’. Meanwhile, Endless Sunset Oblivion at Just the Tonic ‘tells the story of Reuben – a young songwriter attempting to combat the accelerated problems the world is facing’.

‘Singing in both French and English, Christine Bovill honours Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy and more’ in Paris: From Piaf to Pop at Loretto School Theatre. In Poesie Geht Ohne Schuh (Poetry Walks Without Shoes), ‘poems of Rilke, Eichendorff and more are set to music and performed by Christoph Hilger and Janet de Vigne’ at Old Saint Paul’s Church.

The Octavoce ensemble present ‘a whirlwind a cappella trip through our favourite Disney tunes’ in 100 Years of Disney at Leith Arches. Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Palmerston Place Church: A Spoonful of Songs features ‘some of the most iconic songs from films like Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Prince of Egypt’, while Her Majesty’s Musicals celebrate ‘the rule and reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, featuring songs from musicals that have played Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End – including Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom and West Side Story’. AXIOM – ‘11 incredible singers ready to take your breath away’ – present Fundamentals of A Cappella at Paradise Green.

At PBH’s Free Fringe, Marcus Megastar: Live and Controversial is a ‘free LGBTQIA concert circuit-style party after hours, where everybody’s welcome’. At The Three Sisters, AYEbiza Live: The UV Neon Party Sessions is ‘an exciting new visual club experience taking you back to the 00s and 90s with singers, dancers, saxophonists, percussion, glow paint and good vibes’.

And you can witness ‘mind-blowing sound, energy and vocal dexterity performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions, The Beatbox Collective,’ in What’s Your Sound? at Assembly.

Cabaret and variety

In Nails It! at Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal delivers ‘a sacre-licious energetic hour of song, dance and Jehovah’s Fitness’. ‘Taking to the trial stand, fighting for justice and liberty,’ Karen From Finance Is Doing Time at Underbelly. At BlundaGardens, Joanne Tremarco and Maral: Mother Earth (The Oldest Stripper) is an ‘interdisciplinary BSL-integrated show, blending clown, burlesque, puppetry, live film’. Mr & Mrs Love are at Pleasance, offering ‘a battle of hearts, minds and music… as the two sing for their survival, with a surprising array of musical instruments, outrageous dancing and acidic wit’. And Shakesqueer at Bedlam Theatre is a ‘drag-show parody rewrite of five of Shakespeare’s most famous works’.

Cabaret in the Dark at C venues ‘plunges the audience into darkness, allowing them to step into the shoes of their hosts, VICS, a collective of visually impaired artists from a variety of performing disciplines’. Paradise Palms Late-Night Cabaret is an ‘intoxicated blend of raucous antics, cocktails and rowdiness’ featuring the likes of ‘Fruit Salad, Kweer Kabaret, Shitake Nights’ and more. Meanwhile, audiences can ‘discover the untold stories behind the galaxy’s background characters’ in The Extras Strike Back: A Musical Tribute to the Forgotten Heroes of Star Wars at Greenside.

Australian entertainer, singer and pianist Antony (DrH) Hubmayer presents An Unwasted Evening – The Genius of Tom Lehrer at artSpace@StMarks. Kissing a Fool is ‘a queer clown-cabaret musical tribute to George Michael’ – catch it at Frankenstein Pub. Wela Kapela Productions present two biographical shows at theSpaceUK: A Star Is Born – The Rise and Fall of Judy Garland charts the life of ‘Hollywood’s brightest star’, while Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved is a multimedia cabaret depicting Van Gogh as ‘a complex man with a ruthless drive to create’.

At Assembly, Rutene Spooner’s Thoroughly Modern Maui is a ‘cabaret extravaganza… fusing myth and legend with rhinestones and glitter’. In Child of Sunday at Laughing Horse, ‘Elisa Riddington recounts fables of her childhood as a preacher’s kid, through stories and songs’. And Anna Vanosi’s ‘soulful voice transports you from Billie Holiday to Björk’ in Late Bloomers’ Tales at The Jazz Bar.

Familiar Fringe faces The Lady Boys of Bangkok bring their Party Queens Tour 2023 to the Theatre Big Top. At House of Oz, Leather Lungs: Higher Love ‘reveals all with their heart-stopping four-octave vocal range in a brand new sensual celebration of all things liberation, exploration and vocal sensation’. In GURLBAND: The Show at Brewhemia, ‘Blaze, Angel Beads, Tianah Tucker and Miss Peaches… come together and serve up the most pop-tastic production drag show you’ll see this Fringe’. You can also ‘join two of Scotland’s most fabulous Queens for the ultimate ABBA Drag experience’ in Dancing Queens: The ABBA Drag Party! at The Three Sisters. And Edinburgh-based cabaret group the Little West End Theatre brings ‘a night of sass and show tunes’ to Outhouse as part of The Sassy Belle Cabaret.

Performer Vanity von Glow and wine expert Beth Brickenden are your hosts for Drag Queen Wine Tasting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City Centre, while The Mother Superior hosts Whisky & Witches Presents Mythical Beasts: An Immersive, Mystical, Musical Whisky Tasting, ‘where folklore, five exceptional whiskies and hauntingly beautiful music meet in perfect harmony’.

‘From classic close-up to parlour prestidigitation, Tim Licata brings his brand of delightful deception to the Scottish Arts Club’ in Close-Up and Personal. Meanwhile, at PBH’s Free Fringe, magician and comedian Chris Cook Asked a Robot to Write Him a Five-Star Show and This Is What It Said.

Dance, physical theatre and circus

Kyiv City Ballet, who ‘remain in exile due to the ongoing war’, perform A Tribute to Peace at Assembly. The Unknown Soldier at Army @ The Fringe is a ‘compellingly captivating ode to Black British war veterans, telling hidden stories of men and women of Black British heritage who fought in WWI and WWII, using dance, text, live music and visuals to capture their contribution’.

‘Based on Japanese folktales, Noh, and butoh that reveal the human unconscious,’ Sun and Crystal at C venues is ‘a poetic dramatic telling of a universal contemporary myth that transcends time and borders’. Oriental Youth Culture and Art Week at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge is a ‘children’s art show with the theme of Impressions of the East,’ featuring ‘song and dance, instrumental music, drama, and creative expression of picture books and paintings’.

You can also ‘immerse yourself in the richness of Chinese culture with a showcase of exceptional young dancers from China, featuring traditional and contemporary Chinese dance’ at the Chinese Art Show (Venue150 at EICC). ‘Inspired by classical and contemporary paintings, and supported by a variety of pre-recorded and live music,’ Still Life: A Gallery in Motion at Greenside ‘is an exploration and interpretation of the human condition’.

House of Oz and Na Djinang Circus present Common Dissonance, a show acknowledging that Australia’s ‘understanding of the world came from Dreamtime stories, song lines and oral histories’ and asking how we ‘navigate the complex dialogues of contemporary culture’.

At LifeCare Centre, TaalTales present ‘a contemporary feminist reimagining’ and use Indian classic dance and music to ‘explore characters from the Mahabharata’ in What Draupadi Said to Penelope.

At theSpaceUK, Tandava ‘sees the coalescence of Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker’s startlingly passionate sound-worlds with the infinitely expressive physicality of three gifted dancers from India’s Piah Dance Company’ as part of the Made in Scotland showcase.

From Chicago, ‘a revolving line-up of internationally renowned circus artists combine to showcase their most personal and prized acts, complimented by stunning live music’ in Aloft Presents Sanctuary at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.

‘Told through Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre‘s powerful emotion and movement, the audience will witness an opulent interpretation of Marie Antoinette’s fate’ in Marie at Bedlam Theatre.

Meanwhile, Laura Murphy, Contra and Carré Magique present A Spectacle of Herself at Summerhall, ‘a cinematic, (in)appropriately acrobatic ride through mental health, queerness, rage and 21st century space race’. Meanwhile, Spirit of Ireland is at Pleasance, offering an ‘incredible night of music, comedy, dancing set in greatest pub in Ireland’.

Available to watch online, A Snake in the House Means the Family Will Never Want is ‘an immersive performance of live electronica, dance and sculptural costuming, on intergenerational healing and transformational futures’. Also online, Eat Me is ‘a story of two women who use the dark web to find one another and together commit an act of “consensual” cannibalism’.

Children’s shows

‘With the rare combination of world champion skills, unprecedented showmanship and a truly original style,’ Cartoooon!! at Assembly ‘fuses circus with Manga cartoons to deliver a masterclass in the universal language of laughter’. Nik Coppin brings Comics vs Kids: The Super Showdown to Laughing Horse, ‘full of jokes, silliness, his own drawn cartoons, competitions based around Disney and superheroes, mayhem and special guests’. The Listies Make Some Noise at House of Oz in ‘an insane mixtape of silly songs, stupid sketches and crazy clowning’.

Delving into Edinburgh’s gruesome history, Plague, Poo n’ Punishment at The Lost Close features ‘live music and horrible stories from centuries gone by’. In Taiwan Season: World in a Word at Summerhall, ‘language is the springboard for fun and games in an interactive, family-friendly production’. Bumble’s Big Adventure at C venues is ‘a one-act educational play following Bumble, a honeybee, on an adventure to find a bee balm flower’. Smithy’s Scavenger Hunt at Panmure House promises you’ll ‘have a blast while learning about the Scottish Enlightenment and its leading figures’. And 24 Solar Terms at theSpaceUK is ‘an immersive theatre production’ from QFunTheater Children’s Experimental Troupe, ‘condensing the time of each season into a performance.’

Gilded Balloon and Little Angel Theatre present The Slightly Annoying Elephant, a production ‘based on David Walliams’s hilarious book’, while James and the Giant Peach at Greenside is ‘a fabulous retelling of Roald Dahl’s classic peachy tale’.

‘A little girl is sent to retrieve a needle and thread from the ferocious Baba Yaga’ in A Girl Called Grace at The Royal Scots Club. At Central Hall, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ‘is a wonderful story about love, loss, change and finally, finding your way home’. And the Helena Academy of Drama and Expression presents two productions at Paradise Green: Children of Eden Jr, ‘Stephen Schwartz’s epic and heartfelt musical’, and Journey to the West: In Search of the Way, an interactive show filled with ‘martial art, music and mischief’.

‘Funalicious master magician Alex’ presents Abracadabra With An Apple Magic Show at PBH’s Free Fringe, ‘a children’s magic show filled with excitement, fun, laughs and stories that entangle together in one awe-inspiring performance’. Mario the Maker Magician leads audiences ‘through a romping explosion of contagious energy and belly laughs’ at Underbelly. And ‘one of Scotland’s favourite magicians, Tim Licata astounds audiences with delightful deception’ at Saturday Morning Magic (Scottish Arts Club).

Musicals and opera

‘From the Tony Award-winning producer of Six’ comes Hello Kitty Must Die at the Pleasance, ‘an outrageously irreverent exploration of Asian feminism with a killer score’. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, SCOTS at Ghillie Dhu is ‘the true(ish) story of Scotland, told by a figure who’s seen it all – The Toilet’. 

Are You Worthy? at BlundaGardens is a new musical following Glory, who ‘dreams of singing at the world’s most prestigious festival, the only thing standing her way is a mysterious pyramid’.

At Bedlam Theatre, ‘Death (personified) takes us through the artistry in ensuring that each and every one of us meets our maker’ in Death Suits You. ‘From the stages of London to the shelves of Lidl,’ 2020 The Musical (at Underbelly) ‘celebrates human resilience and everyday heroes’. And Come Die with Me: The Murder Mystery Musical Parody at Just the Tonic is ‘sure to have you giggling, gasping and gagging, and that’s before the choose your own ending’.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland present two shows at Assembly: Big Fish is ‘based on Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s movie’, while Edges is ‘a contemporary song-cycle which explores universal issues in a charming, honest way, asking – who am I and what will I become?’ Over at George Watson’s College there are two musical adaptations: 1920s gangster comedy Bugsy Malone and classic horror spoof Young Frankenstein.

Warriors (Army @ The Fringe) is ‘a new musical, written by serving Scottish soldiers and veterans, about their own experiences as young soldiers waiting to deploy to Helmand Province, Afghanistan for the first time’. Online and at C venues, Dreams of Peace and Freedom: The Streams of Natural Law is a ‘powerful performance exploring the birth of modern human rights, through the eyes of David Maxwell Fyfe, Nuremberg prosecutor and ECHR champion, with musical settings of the poets who inspired him’.

Pai’ea at Central Hall is ‘a glam-rock opera that covers the early life, tests, and battles of Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands’. Blossoming (You Undo Me) at Gilded Balloon is ‘a musical about a young Chinese man growing into his queerness’. 

The Legends of Mountains and Seas (Paradise Green) is ‘adapted from the famous play by Nobel Prize-winning author Gao Xingjian. With Western rock music, it shows the characters and stories from Eastern mythology.’ And Legend of the White Snake (theSpaceUK) is ‘a classic love story portrayed by one of China’s leading companies in traditional Kunqu opera, rarely performed in the West’.

At the French Institute in Scotland, Cyborg Experiment #1 is ‘an audacious performative proposal, an opera of the future where temporalities mix and anachronism plays with history’. At Greenside, the California Musical Theatre Ensemble present Bright Blue Sky: The 9/11 Musical – in ‘a series of heartfelt scenes, each character relives their past, revealing hope inside tragedy’.

Edinburgh Music Theatre bring two shows to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this Fringe. EMT Does Pop promises ‘anthemic songs that you love, performed with EMT’s signature quality and style’, while Anthems – New Generation Musical Hits has ‘a stunning collection of anthemic songs from newer musicals from recent decades, performed with a live band’.

PBH’s Free Fringe welcomes the return of A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves… 14, for one performance only.

Spoken word

In Bards at the Barracks (Army @ The Fringe), ‘Scottish poets will be reading work exploring our collective history and common creative future, including a special evening spotlighting Hamish Henderson’. 

Sebastian Michael, ‘author of The Sonneteer and Sonnetcast podcaster,’ presents Some Sonnets and a Bit of Bach at Greenside, exploring similarities between Shakespeare and Bach. And audiences can ‘join guests from the worlds of comedy, literature, music and faith for a series of live recordings’ of the All-Terrain Podcast Live at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps.

‘Spoken word and performance artist Subira Joy explores their experiences being targeted by the police as a Black, queer and trans person’ in Kill the Cop Inside Your Head at Summerhall. Seventy-Eight Thank Yous at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre ‘joins new conversations arising about suicide and has been appreciated all over the UK’, approaching its chosen subject matter ‘with both depth and lightness’. Performance poet Robert Garnham is at Just the Tonic with his new show, Bouncer, offering ‘an hour of storytelling, poetry and comedy about fame, hope, and dreaming’. And Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale (PBH’s Free Fringe) is ‘a darkly comic tale of one man’s journey through the conspiracy underworld’.

‘Bizarre and hilarious (hidden Neurodiverse/Autistic) Eccentrics demonstrate how to enjoy good mental health, be yourself and free everyone’ in Eccentrics Unite! The Guerilla Autistics and Neurodiverse Show – Year Nine at Laughing Horse, while Drs Munro and Kernick are Getting to Grips with Migraine at The Royal Scots Club, exploring ‘exciting new treatments, problems in children, hormones and why it’s not just headaches’.

‘Veteran street artist’ Dave Southern brings his Pavementology tour back this August, telling ‘the story of street performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’. At The Lost Close, Natalie Nardone’s Witch? Women on Trial explores ‘the brutal truth of the witch hunts in Scotland, told with humour and empathy’. The Cathedral Song School Tours at St Mary’s Cathedral give visitors a chance to see the Cathedral’s murals by Phoebe Traquair, painted between 1888 and 1892. And at Panmure House, The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb is a series of discussions and debates with ‘a well-known group of economics, politics and finance gurus’.

LBC presenter Iain Dale hosts a series of discussion events at Pleasance, with guests including Peter Tatchell, Alex Salmond, Harriet Harman MP, Humza Yousaf MSP, Peter Hitchens, Polly Toynbee and Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn’s also part of the line-up at Fair Pley’s In Conversation… series at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, alongside Ken Loach, Andy Burnham, Mhairi Black, Jack Monroe and more. Broadcaster and journalist Kaye Adams is at Gilded Balloon, explaining How to be 60 Live! ‘with the help of her filter-free friend Karen, some well-known guests and most importantly, you’.

The Royal Opera House announces 2023/24 Season

Public booking opens on Wednesday 2 August

The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023/24 Season, unveiling a bold programme of thrilling new work, UK premieres and much-loved revivals, alongside the biggest national learning programme in our history, exciting new regional partnerships, and a host of daytime events, behind the scenes tours, exhibitions and artistic Insights at our home in the heart of Covent Garden.

The Royal Ballet Season

The Royal Ballet presents a tapestry of works that celebrate the Company’s rich heritage and celebrated house choreographers, and brings creativity into spaces across the Royal Opera House with a Festival of New Choreography. The Season features revivals from Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan alongside contemporary classics by Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon and Cathy Marston.

The Company’s illustrious legacy from Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan is marked in a number of productions. Ashton’s boundless invention is displayed in two mixed programmes, with The Dream and his virtuosic Rhapsody. One of these programmes also features Les Rendezvous while the other includes Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Hamlet and Ophelia, and a guest performance by The Sarasota Ballet of The Walk to the Paradise Garden.

The Sarasota Ballet will also demonstrate the genius of Ashton in the Linbury Theatre with a vibrant array of his creative output. The Royal Ballet and The Sarasota Ballet’s Ashton performances during the Season mark the opening of ASHTON WORLDWIDE, the Frederick Ashton Foundation’s five-year international festival conceived to celebrate the work and legacy of Frederick Ashton. Further information on the festival will be announced by the Foundation in due course.

Kenneth MacMillan’s dramatic flair is celebrated with the romantic tragedy Manon, which this Season celebrates its 50th birthday, and a mixed programme – Requiem, Danses Concertantes and Different Drummer – plus performances and a film premiere by Yorke Dance Project, illustrating the choreographer’s exceptional artistic development across the decades.

In other revivals, Carlos Acosta’s vibrant production of Don Quixote opens the Season for The Royal Ballet. This celebrated production, which premiered in 2013, is the perfect showcase for a Company dancing at its peak. The enduringly popular 19th-century classics The Nutcracker and Swan Lake will also feature in the Season.

Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project returns following its critically-acclaimed world premiere in 2021. Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, the afterlife is brought into blazing life through the poetic vision of McGregor and his creative team, including pioneering composer Thomas Adès and artist Tacita Dean.

Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet Christopher Wheeldon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’s Tale celebrates its 10th anniversary. With striking designs by Bob Crowley and atmospheric music by Joby Talbot, The Winter’s Tale is widely considered a modern ballet classic.

Two award-winning works, Cathy Marston’s The Cellist, which takes its inspiration from the life and music of Jacqueline du Pré, and Valentino Zucchetti’s breezy Anemoi, receive their first revivals in a mixed programme of powerful musical heft.

The Festival of New Choreography champions new and diverse choreographic voices through the many spaces of our iconic Covent Garden home. A collection of new work will be seen on the Main Stage, and also included is an immersive new work for The Royal Ballet by Robert Binet presented in the Linbury Theatre and co-produced by the National Ballet of Canada.

The Royal Ballet presents the world premiere of a new production in the Linbury Theatre adapted from the play Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Sam Steiner. The Limit combines spoken word and dance with choreography by Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Kristen McNally and direction by Ed Madden and features Royal Ballet Principals Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell in one of the casts. The Limit is set to a newly commissioned score by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who composed the score for the BBC series Fleabag as well as film scores for Vita and Virginia (2018) and Emma (2020).

We look to the future with our continued development of emerging creative and performing talent with Draft Works, International Draft Works and the Next Generation Festival. The Royal Ballet continues its long-standing commitment to fostering dance partnerships, with Northern Ballet, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Ballet Black and Sydney Dance Company in the Linbury Theatre.

Fallen Angels Dance Theatre make their Linbury Theatre debut. Led by Artistic Director Paul Bayes Kitcher, former Birmingham Royal Ballet soloist, the award-winning company supports those recovering from addiction and mental health adversity through dance, performance and creativity. This work marks the first collaboration between Fallen Angels and New Note Orchestra, a Brighton-based collective of 18 musicians in recovery.

Northern Ballet return to the Linbury Theatre with a programme of new contemporary ballet, including the premiere of a new work by Royal Ballet Soloist Benjamin Ella and a work by New York City Ballet Principal Tiler Peck.

INTERNATIONAL DRAFT WORKS_LINBURY THEATRE_ROH, Canto De Ossanha_choreography; Joshua Junker, The Royal Ballet,

Ballet Black present a double bill featuring Will Tuckett’s Then or Now and Mthuthuzeli November’s Nina: By Whatever Means, a tribute to Nina Simone. Yorke Dance presents a new programme including work by Robert Cohan, Martha Graham and Kenneth MacMillan, and Sydney Dance Company make their Linbury Theatre debut.

On Wednesday 1 November, World Ballet Day, a much-loved global celebration that brings together over 50 of the world’s leading ballet and dance companies, celebrates its tenth anniversary. Over the course of 24 hours, rehearsals, discussions and classes are streamed for free across six continents, offering unique behind-the-scenes glimpses of ballet’s biggest stars and exciting new performers.

Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, said: “As we approach next Season, we are thrilled to showcase the extraordinary artistry and skill of our brilliant dancers and orchestral performers in a fantastic range of heritage and award-winning contemporary classics.

“We also look forward to the creative energy that the Festival of New Choreography will bring to the whole of the Royal Opera House, and to continuing to spread the love of ballet through our far-reaching global and UK-wide partnerships. We can’t wait to welcome back existing audiences and to connect with those new to the art form.”

The Royal Opera Season

The Royal Opera opens its Season with two landmark works on both of our stages. On the Main Stage, Antonio Pappano partners with Barrie Kosky for the first time to conduct a bold new imagining of Wagner’s first chapter of the Ring cycle, Das Rheingold – a massive undertaking for any opera house with an outstanding cast including Christopher Maltman as Wotan and Christopher Purves as Alberich.

In the Linbury Theatre, George Benjamin and Martin Crimp bring us Picture a day like this – a major new work which receives its UK premiere following the world premiere this summer at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. After the historic success of Lessons in Love and Violence and Written on Skin, Benjamin and Crimp return alongside stage directors Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma.

Antonio Pappano, whose first new production at the Royal Opera House was Christof Loy’s production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos in 2002, conducts his last new production at the Royal Opera House in Loy’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of Strauss’s Elektra – uniting two of today’s leading dramatic sopranos: Nina Stemme in the title role, and Karita Mattila as the haunted queen Klytämnestra.

In May, a Farewell Gala Concert for Antonio Pappano will see a stellar cast of soloists perform alongside the Chorus and Orchestra in celebration of his 23-year tenure. Maestro Pappano will then lead a cast that includes his longtime collaborator Jonas Kaufmann, and Sondra Radvanovsky and Carlos Álvarez in a revival of David McVicar’s lavish production of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier.

In June 2024, The Royal Opera is delighted to be returning to Japan on tour for the first time since 2019 with performances at Bunka Kaikan Theatre and NHK Hall in Tokyo, and Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama. Antonio Pappano will be conducting spectacular casts in Oliver Mears’s darkly elegant production of Verdi’s Rigoletto and Andrei Șerban’s classic staging of Puccini’s Turandot.

The Royal Opera’s exploration into Handel’s Covent Garden operas and oratorios continues with his final masterpiece, Jephtha, which premiered on this site in 1752. This epic new production is staged by Director of The Royal Opera Oliver Mears and is conducted by Handel specialist Laurence Cummings. Extraordinary tenor Allan Clayton performs the title role, joined by an outstanding, largely British cast including Jennifer France, Alice Coote and Brindley Sherratt.

Aigul Akhmetshina and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya share the role of Carmen in Damiano Michieletto’s poetic, contemporary new staging of Bizet’s beloved Carmen. Antonello Manacorda and Emmanuel Villaume conduct two accomplished casts in this sultry new production which evokes the passion and heat of Bizet’s score.

Next Season, the Royal Opera collaborate with Fuel for the first time, presenting the world premiere of Woman & Machine – a ground-breaking binaural opera experience from Mercury-nominated songwriter ESKA, directed by Kirsty Housley. Incorporating the sonic worlds of the neonatal unit and the womb, with influences of contemporary, electronic and Zimbabwean Shona Music, this new work connects themes of life, survival and womanhood.

This Christmas, a range of family favourites return to our stages. Little Bulb’s Oliver award-winning Wolf Witch Giant Fairy will excite children and families in the Linbury Theatre with the original troupe of travelling players returning as the energetic ensemble cast, bringing this endearing folk opera to new audiences, young and old.

On the main stage, music lovers of all ages can enjoy Antony McDonald’s mischievous production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, newly translated into English by Kelley Rourke. Mark Wigglesworth conducts two stellar casts including Anna Stéphany, Hanna Hipp, Anna Devin and Lauren Fagan.

Following the Irish National Opera’s (INO) Olivier award-winning Bajazet and Least Like The Other, INO and The Royal Opera present their third collaboration: a brand-new staging of Vivaldi’s 1734 opera, L’Olimpiade. The production is directed by Daisy Evans, with conductor Peter Wheelan leading the Irish Baroque Orchestra.

In April, the Jette Parker Artists present a thrilling double-bill. Eleanor Burke directs Martinů’s surreal one-act opera Larmes de couteau and Harriet Taylor directs John Harbison’s adaptation of text from W.B. Yeats’ Full Moon in March. Both works are conducted by Edward Reeve, who will lead the Britten Sinfonia.

The 2023/24 Season also features a raft of beloved revivals including Christof Loy’s La Forza del Destino, Laurent Pelly’s L’elisir d’amore, Oliver Mears’s Rigoletto, Damiano Michieletto’s heat-soaked double-bill Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci, Richard Jones’ production of La bohème, Jonathan Kent’s Tosca, Tim Albery’s production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Moshe Leiser’s and Patrice Caurier’s Madama Butterfly, Katie Mitchell’s production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Jan Philipp Gloger’s production of Così fan tutte.

Director of The Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, said: “Despite opera in the UK being under pressure as never before, The Royal Opera is determined to mark Antonio Pappano’s final season as Music Director with ambition and style across our diverse output.

“We embark on the mammoth task of a new Ring cycle directed by Barrie Kosky, produce eight thrilling new productions across both our stages, continue our Covent Garden Handel odyssey, and – as we have for three hundred years – present the very finest singers and conductors working in the world today. This will be a season our audiences will love – and a fitting final bow for one of our most treasured ever colleagues.”

Royal Opera House across the UK

The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet present 13 productions in 1500 cinemas across the globe next Season, including such beloved classics as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker and exciting new productions of Carmen, by Damiano Michieletto and Das Rheingold, by Barrie Kosky.

Message In A Bottle, the acclaimed dance theatre production by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of Grammy Award-winning artist Sting, has also been filmed for cinema release in May 2024, in partnership with Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK. The international refugee crisis is at the centre of this production – an imagined story about one displaced family, and a universal story of loss, fear, survival, hope and love. Songs including ‘Every Breath You Take’, ‘Roxanne’, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ and ‘Fields of Gold’ feature in new arrangements.

This is on top of wider digital innovation as we make available 24 more productions on ROH Stream. These will include work from Wayne McGregor, and Joseph Toonga’s See Us, as well as The Royal Ballet’s new production of Cinderella. These will be supported by a raft of new behind-the-scenes films, interviews and performances, including a celebration of Antonio Pappano’s tenure as Music Director of The Royal Opera; a host of choreographic and vocal masterclasses; and exclusive World Ballet Day content, with rehearsals and insights from across its rich ten-year history.

We also announce our biggest, boldest and most impactful national learning programme to date, inspiring creativity of children and young people across the country. Our flagship Create & Learn programmes drive this national output, which sits alongside industry-leading talent development projects, a new partnership in South Yorkshire, with Rotherham, and a raft of daytime events, family activities and free concerts in our Covent Garden home.

In July, we unveil our first ever national Create Day, connecting more than 2,000 children across four locations around the country: Coventry, Doncaster, Thurrock and Covent Garden. Large scale events, connected via live broadcast, take place in each location and see participants perform pieces inspired by Crystal Pite’s Light of Passage, the culmination of months of work in schools around the UK. This will be expanded still further in 2024, with every school in the country being invited to take part, making it the largest shared cultural schools project ever hosted in the UK.

In Rotherham, we work with local partners to deliver a programme of activity with the aim of reaching every primary school in the region. The programme gives pupils aged 5-11 access to curriculum-linked lesson plans, in school workshops, the chance to see live performances at the Royal Opera House, and to participate in large-scale performance opportunities locally.

It features a collaboration with the Rotherham Music Service on a performance at Magna Science Adventure Centre in June 2024, with more than 1,400 primary school children performing alongside artists of the Royal Opera House in a unique celebration of art, learning and participation. The programme intends to support the creative confidence of teachers and young people in the run up to Rotherham being the first Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025.

Following on from the great legacy of ROH Bridge, we also launch ROH East, a dedicated new programme which works in Levelling Up for Culture schools across the East of England, building confidence of teachers and inspiring creativity of young people across Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North Kent. We also celebrate the tenth anniversary of Thurrock Trailblazer, which has delivered arts initiatives to almost 100,000 children and young people in 57 schools across the region to date.

At home in Covent Garden

Following this Season’s programme of work in support of Ukraine and those displaced by the war, we continue to work with the displaced Ukrainian community inspiring hope through the collective act of singing. This builds on work undertaken across the 2022/23 Season with the Ukrainian community in London. This included the Songs for Ukraine project, as well as dedicated performances from both The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, which helped to raise £450,000 for Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Young ROH goes from strength-to-strength in its third year, with 10,000 tickets made available to 16–25-year-olds for just £30. The scheme has helped attract younger audiences, which now make up the single largest audience group at the Royal Opera House. This programme sits alongside six whole house Schools’ Matinees, offered at a heavily discounted rate to state school children, and the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat, offering a specially-invited audience the chance to see The Nutcracker in our first ever relaxed performance on the Main Stage. We will welcome more than 10,000 young people up and down the country as part of this project.

147 events take place in Covent Garden including 16 free Live at Lunch performances and 40 Insights, offering a unique behind-the scenes look at our resident companies. Many of these are broadcast online for free. We also unveil our biggest programme of guided tours to date, offering 11 unique behind-the-curtain experiences which promise to build on the more than 50,000 tour guests we welcomed last Season. This includes high teas, a look at our second home at the High House Production Park in Thurrock, and curated histories of the Royal Opera House through the lens of Pride and International Women’s Day.

We unveil a host of thought-provoking free exhibitions and displays throughout next Season which bring our spaces to life and invite audiences to delve deeper behind the scenes. These include a celebration of the huge talent that was Maria Callas, celebrating the centennial of her birth, and a dedicated exhibition by photographer Mary McCartney who captured exclusive behind the scenes images of Wayne McGregor’s critically acclaimed ballet The Dante Project. There will also be commemorative displays of beautiful historical costumes including a celebration of the centenary of Nicholas Georgiadis who designed sumptuous costumes for Kenneth MacMillan ballets including Manon and Mayerling.

Nurturing Talent

We continue our efforts to offer new projects that develop future talent and drive diversity across both of our art forms and the industry. Following the success of our Pilot Orchestra Mentorship programme in 2022/23, we launch ‘Overture’ in partnership with Black Lives in Music, continuing to work with young musicians aged 18-25 from the global majority or other underrepresented backgrounds to provide essential mentoring tailored to the participants’ individual needs while enhancing skill sets, insight and training in the classical music field.

Over the Season, we run six more Creative Exchanges with community groups around London, providing a creative space for Royal Opera House artists and external participants to come together, share their experiences and create their own work inspired by ballet and opera stories.

Chance to Dance, our flagship programme aimed at giving primary school children from areas with limited artistic provision their first opportunity to engage creatively with ballet, expands to include five areas, and the Youth Opera Company, our in-house chorus of 50+ state school children, perform in two main stage productions: Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci and Carmen.

The Jette Parker Artists recruit an additional seven international artists to take their first steps on the international stage; and we welcome our biggest ever cohort of apprentices (15) into a range of departments across the organisation- including roles in costume, lighting, technical and production, IT, and marketing.

The Cellist_The Royal Ballet, ROH Covent Garden, Choreography: Cathy Marston , The Cellist; Lauren Cuthbertson, The Conductor; Matthew Ball, The Instrument; Marcelino Sambe Scenario; Cathy Marston and Edward Kemp, Music;Philip Feeney, Designer;Hildegard Bechtler, Costume designer;Bregje van Balen, Lighting designer; Jon Clark,

Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, said: “I am delighted to introduce our extraordinary 2023/24 Season – a Season packed with bold and exciting new work and much-loved revivals, alongside the biggest and most impactful programme of national learning work in our history.

“We make full use of our iconic Covent Garden home with a full schedule of daytime events, tours, exhibitions and artistic insights, and continue to secure the future of ballet and opera with our ongoing programme of talent development and innovative creative partnerships.”

Join us in person, watch in cinemas, via ROH Stream, or experience our work through programmes country wide. Tickets are from £9 across the Season.

Festival Fringe 2023: First tickets made available as 190 shows revealed

More shows to be announced in coming months, as one of the world’s best-loved celebrations of arts and culture returns

Today, Thursday 16 March, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that the first shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com.

This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all represented in the programme.

Tickets for 190 shows will be released at 12:00 GMT today, with more shows set to be announced on Thursday 30 March and Thursday 11 May.

The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.

Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Along with the programme launch and the first Friday in August, the announcement of the first batch of shows is one of those thrilling moments in the Fringe calendar.

“The whole Fringe community has been working behind the scenes to prepare for the festival for months now, but having actual shows to browse and book makes the build up to this year’s Fringe that bit more tangible.

“The Fringe is made possible due to a cast of thousands – artists, audiences, venue staff, industry, media, sponsors, partners and local businesses. It’s never too early to start planning a trip to the Fringe; booking early is also a brilliant way to support artists, to let them know there’s already an audience waiting for their show to come to Edinburgh.

“We’ll be announcing a lot more over the coming months, including details of our much-anticipated new app, so stay tuned!”

Theatre

At theSpaceUK, Call me Elizabeth joins Elizabeth Taylor in ‘an intimate look at the movie star’s early life, career, and loves as she grapples with the culture of celebrity and her place as Hollywood’s brightest star’. In Gilbert and Sullivan’s Nightmare at Greenside, we join Old Adam on awards night, ‘hoping he might just get the recognition he deserves’. Audience participation such as ‘sharing a memory and joining in with songs’ is encouraged at Memories of the Early 1950s (Just the Tonic). Combining drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and a lot of queer joy’, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is at Pleasance.

At C venues, Love is Blue follows Olly, a hard-drinking city trader recovering from the death of his boyfriend, who has ‘a chance encounter with homeless teenager Aaron’. Making History by Stephen Fry (St Ninian’s Hall) is ‘the first-ever stage adaptation of the 1996 novel’ in which a student and a physicist discover ‘they have the power to alter history and eradicate a great evil’. At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Agent November’s Indoor Escape Game – Murder Mr E is a ‘unique blend of immersive escape room and murder mystery’.

Comedy

Chloe Petts is at Pleasance with her new show, If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, and Grace Campbell is offering A Show About More Me(n) at Gilded Balloon. JoJo Pat is Sober and Alive at Just the Tonic, The Sheraton Grand Hotel is offering its Pick of the Fringe and Marjolein Robertson is presenting Marj at The Stand Comedy Club. At theSpaceUK, Escape Velocity presents ‘an anecdotal, confessional, funny story of a rocket scientist’s journey through sex addiction’.

Some famous folk off the telly are coming to the Fringe this year: Frank Skinner and Gyles Brandreth will be at Assembly, Geoff Norcott is at Underbelly, Gary: Tank Commander will be at Gilded Balloon, and the Pleasance will welcome Adam Kay and Paul Merton (the latter alongside his Impro Chums).

Familiar Fringe faces will also be in attendance: Susie McCabe and Jason Byrne are at Assembly, Daniel Sloss plays the Edinburgh Playhouse, Rhod Gilbert performs his latest work in progress at Gilded Balloon and Danny Bhoy, James Nokise and Jo Caulfield are at The Stand Comedy Club.  Ensemble-wise, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical are both at Pleasance this year.  You’ll be able to catch at least two Fringe shows online this year: Agatha Is Missing, ‘fun-filled murder mystery’, while The Woke Box is ‘a parody Gogglebox about two slobby Pakistani brothers getting brainwashed by an evil TV’.

Music

A Certain Edge is a ‘singer-songwriter, turncoat-musician collective’ blending influences ‘from Bacharach to Bach, Steely Dan to Dylan’ – catch them at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC.  At Novotel, Jazz at Lunchtime offers what it says on the tin: a ‘saxophone and piano duo, playing jazz standards and melodic originals in a comfortable, intimate jazz club setting’.  

Singer-songwriter Dean Friedman brings his Words and Music to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, with a back catalogue featuring ‘Ariel’, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, ‘Woman of Mine’, ‘Rocking Chair’ and ‘McDonald’s Girl’ among others.

Craig Herbertson, Edinburgh singer and songwriter, ‘presents a celebration in song and story of Edinburgh’ in Craig on the Cliff at St Cuthbert’s Church, while ‘South Australian musician/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital’, This Old Cello Box, at St Giles’ Cathedral. theSpaceUK is hosting a plethora of different Night Owl productions inspired by music stars of yesteryear, including Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Blondie, Carol King and James Taylor, Whitney Houston and more.

Cabaret and variety

La Clique are back at this year’s Fringe, ‘featuring the best of circus, comedy and cabaret’ at Underbelly, while ‘cabaret legend and variety artiste’ Ada Campe will be Naval Gazing at The Stand’s New Town Theatre. Just the Tonic is offering a Best of Cabaret lineup of ‘an all-star diverse rotating cast of international and regional seasoned artists in the genre’, and Dom Chambers: A Boy and His Deck at Assembly offers ‘exotic acts that connect alternative circus with the dark arts of underground burlesque and cabaret’.

Over at Gilded Balloon, JezO’s Car-Crash Magic Show is an ‘unusual blend of comedy, audience participation and magic’, while theSpaceUK hosts ‘magical legend’ The Great Baldini as he uncovers Illusionati – A Magical Conspiracy.

Dance, physical theatre and circus

Dance teacher and caller Ken Gourlay leads you through some Ceilidhs (Scottish Dancing) at 9 Queen Street.  Returning to the Fringe are The Black Blues Brothers, ‘five unleashed acrobats’ performing their comedy tribute to the cult movie – they’re at Assembly Rooms.

The Centrepiece Global Sacred Circle Dance, Lighting up the World with Dance is at Craigmillar Park Church, offering ‘sacred, circle and traditional dances which bring communities together’.

Children’s shows

Fringe regular Marcel Lucont brings Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow For Awful Children to Assembly, which is also where you’ll find The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show Strikes Back!  Pinocchio! The Panto is at theSpaceUK, as the titular puppet ‘learns some hard lessons about what it takes to be a real boy’. At Underbelly, Trash Test Dummies is an ‘award-winning, side-splitting, slapstick comedy circus routine’ about household bins.

Musicals and opera

Potty the Plant at Gilded Balloon is a ‘new dark-comedy musical starring Potty, a singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant’. Blue Morpho at Greenside tells the story of Juliane Koepcke, a teenager in the 1970s who survived a plane-crash and 11 days in the Amazon. theSpaceUK boasts several musical adaptations including Frozen Jr, Shrek Jr and Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. And Boys in the Buff at C venues explores issues around body confidence, with two ‘clothing optional’ performances on 15 and 22 August.

TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] by Harry Hill and Steve Brown is at the Pleasance.  Another Afternoon at the Opera with Brian Bannatyne-Scott and Friends is at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, offering ‘an enchanting concert of operatic highlights’.

Spoken word

Alice Hawkins – Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre is ‘a stirring and passionate account’ of the early-1900s feminist delivered by her great-grandson Peter. In Loft Clearance at Greenside we join Eileen ‘as she rummages through a hundred years’ worth of possessions’ in her loft.

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