Edinburgh International Festival Appoints New Director

Nicola Benedetti will immediately take on the role of Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival and will become Festival Director on October 1, 2022.

She succeeds Fergus Linehan, who held the role for eight years was last year awarded the Edinburgh Award for his contribution to the arts and the city's cultural heritage.

“I am deeply honoured to contribute to the long and rich history of the Edinburgh International Festival and the cultural landscape of Scotland," Benedetti said. "This festival was founded on principles of reconciliation and the ideals of art transcending political and cultural fracture. Following in the footsteps of the wonderful achievements of Fergus Linehan and his predecessors, I will uphold these values and greatly look forward to serving this festival, its mission of cultural exchanges, and the people of Scotland."

A graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Lord Menuhin and Natasha Boyarskaya, Benedetti won the BBC Young Musician of the Year award when she was just 16 years old.

Benedetti regularly champions the commissioning of new works, including the recent violin concertos by Mark Simpson and Wynton Marsalis — the latter of which won a GRAMMY in 2020.  She was given the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, as the youngest ever recipient, and has received nine honorary degrees to date.

Her educational organization, the Benedetti Foundation, provides a multitude of online resources, live events, and educational materials to promote classical music.

“It is such a pleasure to welcome Nicola Benedetti as both the first woman and the first Scottish director of the Edinburgh International Festival,"  said Keith Skeoch, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Edinburgh International Festival. "In many ways she reflects the spirit of this festival; internationally recognised and respected but Scottish to her core, she's dedicated to advocating world-class music making and innovating new ways to bring it to audiences."

Established in 1947 as a cultural event to bring together audiences and artists, the Edinburgh International Festival transforms Scotland's capital for three weeks into a celebration of the performing arts.