Edinburgh International Festival has unveiled its programme for 2022 with more than 2,300 artists to feature in its biggest staging since 2019.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the festival will see 14 venues host 87 events and over 160 performances of music, opera, dance and theatre performances throughout August.
Highlights of the international programme include MACRO, a spectacular free opening event at BT Murrayfield, and performances from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Internationaal Theater Amsterdam.
The festival will also feature a new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka, featuring Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw in the title role. The contemporary music programme features jazz legend Herbie Hancock in his International Festival debut.
General booking for the 2022 International Festival, which runs from August 5-28, opens on Friday, April 8.
Fergus Linehan, who is to depart his role as festival director after this year’s event, said: “2022 is a special year for the festival. We hope that it will mark a turning point in the pandemic that has changed all our lives over the past two years.
“It is our 75th Anniversary and an opportunity to pay tribute to our first artistic director, Rudolph Bing, a refugee of war in Europe. And it is my final year as festival director as we hand the reigns over to a new generation.
“Edinburgh is more than a collection of performances, it is the great annual meeting point for artists and all those who love music, theatre, dance, and literature.”
The festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, while a reduced programme was staged in 2021 amid capacity restrictions and shorter performances.
Nicola Benedetti is to replace Linehan as festival director in October 2022.