St Magnus International Festival

For St Magnus International Festival's 40th Festival in 2016 we will be celebrating with 10 days of events from Friday 17 June to Sunday 26 June inclusive.

St Magnus International Festival is Orkney's annual celebration of the arts. Founded in 1977 by a group including Orkney's distinguished resident composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Festival has grown from small beginnings into one of Britain's most highly regarded and adventurous arts events. The 40th Festival will take place in 2016.

The unique combination of world-class performance, community participation of the highest quality and the magic of Orkney at midsummer attracts audiences from throughout Britain and further afield: many return year after year.

Though musical events are at the heart of the artistic programme, the Festival also encompasses drama, dance, literature and the visual arts.

'The World Re-imagined' drives some of the ideas, literature, repertoire and programming this year with music based on existing repertoire, re-imaginings of 12th century Viking poetry, a reconstruction of a Kirkwall court case from the 19th century and jazz arrangements of Scots songs from the islands.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra returns after a four year gap with exciting programmes, conducted by the young star conductor Antonio Méndez, of music new and old: re-imaginings of Monteverdi by Harper, Pergolesi by Stravinsky and Mendelssohn's musical vision of Italy alongside Maxwell Davies’ evocation of an Orkney spring. Mendelssohn's astonishing Octet brings together two string quartets, the Engegård from Norway and the ÄŒiurlionis from Lithuania in an unmissable event in St Magnus Cathedral. Isobel Buchanan and Jonathan Hyde bring us their critically acclaimed and deeply moving reflections on World War I and the Festival's ensemble in residence, The Assembly Project, brings to life the fictional Orkney village of Greenvoe. Across the Festival we have 30 world premières including the exciting Bach re-imaginings of Fenella Humphreys’ project for solo violin and new works by Maxwell Davies and Beamish.

More information here.