Edinburgh International Festival Reveals First Performances and Theme for its 2025 Programme

Edinburgh International Festival has announced the first details of the 2025 Festival, the third from Festival Director Nicola Benedetti, taking place 1–24 August 2025. The 2025 Festival invites audiences to examine their relationship with truth through a curated programme of music, dance, theatre and opera. The pursuit of truth is an essential part of being human, but today this search for meaning is precarious, fractured and abused. Through the lens of this year’s theme The Truth We Seek, the International Festival presents contemporary reflections on the world alongside time-honoured tales, a place where fact meets faith and fiction.  

The first performances announced feature a world premiere, European premiere, and a European debut: a brand new narrative ballet from Scottish Ballet telling the story of Mary, Queen of Scots; a European debut for the US-based National Youth Orchestra 2, inaugurating a new three-year creative partnership with Carnegie Hall; and the European production premiere of Orpheus and Eurydice, a modern reworking of Gluck’s 18th century opera featuring world-class musicians and performers, and acrobatic artistry from Australian contemporary circus company, Circa.

The International Festival remains a champion of Scottish stories, creatives and companies during this uncertain time for Scottish arts, and its 2025 line-up features all five national performing companies. Supporting artists, creating jobs and showcasing homegrown talent on an international stage is now more essential than ever.

A highlight of the 2025 Festival’s opera programme, Opera Queensland’s production of Orpheus and Eurydice breathes new life into the ancient myth, in a ground-breaking work exploring the enduring theme of true love and the depths to which our inner beliefs are challenged. Created in collaboration with renowned Australian contemporary circus company Circa, this reimagined staging of Gluck’s tragédie lyrique opera makes its European premiere at the International Festival with Opera Australia.

Conducted by Laurence Cummings, the production features the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a chorus from Scottish Opera, under the visionary direction of Circa’s Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz. British countertenor and Grammy Award winner Iestyn Davies stars as Orpheus, performing alongside rising Australian soprano Samantha Clarke as Eurydice and Amore. This imaginative production masterfully brings Gluck’s score to life through a vibrant fusion of acrobatics, video projections and captivating visual storytelling.

Scottish Ballet’s Mary, Queen of Scots is the first full-length narrative ballet from Scottish Ballet Resident Choreographer Sophie Laplane. The world premiere production is told through the eyes of Queen Elizabeth I, based on her perceived and imagined relationship with Mary. Blending history with legend, the production delves into the stories – the true and the fictional – that surround Mary’s life and legacy.

Casting will be fluid and intergenerational, with various members of the company playing the part of Elizabeth I, including guest dancer Charlotta Öfverholm who will play her in her later years. The ballet will be performed in a conceptual but spectacular set, with striking, period-inspired costumes designed by Soutra Gilmour, the award-winning designer of recent Broadway and West End productions, including Merrily We Roll Along and & Juliet, with music by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P Atkinson, the team behind the stunning reimagined score for Scottish Ballet’s 2022 International Festival hit Coppélia.

The International Festival also announces a new three-year creative partnership with Carnegie Hall and its national youth ensembles, with the European debut of NYO2 (National Youth Orchestra 2), one of three resident orchestras in 2025. This residency model strengthens the orchestra’s connection with Edinburgh, offering workshops and diverse performance styles to enrich the local cultural landscape. NYO2 is one of three acclaimed national youth ensembles from New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall, a venue renowned for its leadership in music education. Through this orchestra the institution – named after Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie – creates valuable opportunities for young people across the United States, including communities underrepresented in classical music.

The young performers, aged 14–17 and hailing from across the US, are celebrated as exceptionally talented musicians from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate remarkable artistry and represent a promising future for youth orchestral music in the US and beyond. On their first European tour, NYO2 join their Scottish peers on stage for a family concert, forming cross-border connections and sharing the perspectives of the next generation of musicians in both countries.

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival, says: 'To be alive is to know the elusive nature of truth. Within our homes or workplaces, amongst loved ones or colleagues, we all experience trying to piece together indignantly expressed, absolutely believed, yet utterly contradictory truths. How often are we able to rise above our own bubble?'

‘From the weaving of myth and enduring truths in a bold reimagining of  Orpheus and Eurydice, to reconciling rival perspectives in Scottish Ballet’s Mary, Queen of Scots or finding inspiration from the next generation of musicians with Carnegie Hall’s incredible National Youth Orchestra 2, we invite you to join us for our 2025 Festival: The Truth We Seek.'

The full programme for the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival including dates for these shows will be announced with tickets going on sale in March 2025, with priority booking for members. To become a member or sign up to the Edinburgh International Festival newsletter for the latest information, go to www.eif.co.uk.

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