Edinburgh International Festival The Opening Concert

USPA NEWS - Sir Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra launched the 2022 Festival with the spectacular Carmina Burana.

Scottish conductor Sir Donald Runnicles and massed choral and instrumental players from Scotland and beyond. Celebrating the joyful launch of the International Festival’s 2022 Usher Hall concerts – with an exuberant return to live, concert hall performances.

As the Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Runnicles is a major figure on international stages. He is also a former member of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the International Festival’s flagship ensemble, which marks a jubilant return to full strength in a live concert for the first time since 2019.

Joined by three exceptional international vocal soloists and the National Girls Youth Choir of Scotland, they explored the hedonistic revelry, kaleidoscopic colours and roof-raising might of Orff’s Carmina Burana. From its spectacular opening ‘O Fortuna’, known to millions from countless TV shows and adverts, it’s was a stirring celebration of the wonders of nature and the pleasures of earthly life.

In his dazzling Pines of Rome, Respighi provided a vivid musical portrait of the Eternal City; from the magical nocturnal song of a nightingale, to the sinister depths of its catacombs and the overwhelming might of Roman legions on the march.

NYCOS National Girls Choir

Ages: 12 - 17

A choir for ambitious singers, chosen from Scotland’s best young singing talent.
NYCOS National Girls Choir has performed as part of BBC Proms in the Park, Edinburgh International Festival and Lammermuir Festival in East Lothian. The Choir has also released two commercial recordings, Britten A Ceremony of Carols and Poston An English Day-Book (2010) and Richard Rodney Bennet Letters to Lindbergh (2012). The choir meets annually around Easter time for a residential course where time is split between high-quality vocal coaching, musicianship training and full choir rehearsals with highly qualified staff who are experts in their fields. Conducted by Christopher Bell, concerts are organised at the end of the course and at other times as appropriate.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO)

The BBC SSO is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional radio orchestra in Scotland. The orchestra is based at City Halls in Glasgow.

The Edinburgh International Festival

The Edinburgh International Festival was the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, then the General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera, Henry Harvey Wood, the Head of the British Council in Scotland, and leaders from the City of Edinburgh. It was established in 1947 as a world class cultural event to bring together audiences and artists from around the world, and over 70 years has gone from strength to strength.
For three weeks in August, Scotland’s capital becomes an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations. The International Festival presents a programme featuring the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre.

The Usher Hall

The Usher Hall is a concert hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,200  people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics. The Hall is flanked by The Royal Lyceum Theatre on the right and The Traverse Theatre on the left. Historic Environment Scotland has registered the Hall with Category A listed building status.


For ticket and information regarding the Edinburgh International Festival, please click on the 'more information' link below.