Nicola Benedetti today announced the programme for her third season as Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. This year’s festival sees performances from 22 Askonas Holt artists and touring partners as part of a programme that explores the well-timed theme of ‘The Truth We Seek’.

Nicola herself takes the stage for a number of performances, including to launch the First Night at the Hub, as well as alongside friend and former classmate Alexander Sitkovetsky as part of a tribute to former mentor Yehudi Menuhin. They join forces with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra and the Rising Stars of Strings for a special concert in which Nicola performs as soloist for Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra and Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra before teaming up with Sitkovetsky for Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins.

The Askonas Holt Tours and Projects team brings two orchestras to the festival this year; Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 – one of three resident orchestras at the festival this year - make their festival debut led by conductor Rafael Payare. They are joined by Alisa Weilerstein for Shostakovich's Cello Concerto, as well as performing alongside their Scottish peers as part of a new three-year creative partnership with Carnegie Hall and its national youth ensembles.

We are also proud to be bringing the China National Centre for Performing Arts Orchestra with conductor Myung-Whun Chung to the Festival this year performing a programme of Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3, Chen’s Wu Xing and Ravel’s Piano Concerto with soloist Bruce Liu.

Edward Gardner returns to the festival conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra there for the first time. On the programme is Judith Weir’s Forest alongside Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Holst’s The Planets. They are joined by soloist Beatrice Rana and the National Youth Choir of Scotland.

Thomas Søndergård returns this year with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to close the festival with Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He is joined by a host of soloists including tenor Ben Bliss in his festival debut, and mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill.

Karina Canellakis also makes a return conducting the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a programme of Messiaen's Les Offrandes oubliées, Stravinsky's Petrushka and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. She is joined by counter-tenor Hugh Cutting who makes his festival debut this summer. Hugh also gives a recital with pianist George Ireland of everything from Baroque arias to specially commissioned contemporary works.

Also making her first appearance at the festival is violinist Vilde Frang. Vilde joins Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra for Korngold’s Violin Concerto, which she performed for her return to the Berliner Philharmoniker earlier this season in Berlin and at Carnegie Hall. Members of the LSO also join Ian Bostridge for Britten’s Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo and Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge. Sarah Dufresne also teams up with the LSO for her festival debut singing Sister Genovieffa in Suor Angelica.

Samantha Clarke and Iestyn Davies join forces as the titlular characters in the European premiere of Opera Queensland’s production of Orpheus and Eurydice. The production is a modern reworking of Gluck’s 18th century tragédielyrique opera, and features acrobatic artistry from Australian contemporary circus company Circa. It also marks Samantha’s festival debut.

Tenor Giovanni Sala sings the title role in a concert performance of La clemenza di Tito for his festival debut with Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Maxim Emelyanychev. Giovanni last sang the role at Opera Monte Carlo this past January.

Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy also give their first performance together at the festival. They treat the audience to a recital of Messiaen’s Visios de l'Amen alongside arrangements by Kurtág and Busoni of Bach’s Chorales.

Piano enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to hear Piotr Anderszewski who returns this year with a recital that contrasts a selection of Brahms' Intermezzi with Bartók's Bagatelles. Malcolm Martineau too returns to the festival with baritone Florian Boesch for a classic programme of German Lieder.

The Edinburgh International Festival runs from 1–24 August. See their full line-up here.

Image courtesy of EIF © Laurence Winram