Virgin Money sponsors Festival Fireworks!

Virgin Money is announced today as title sponsor of the pyrotechnic finale of the Edinburgh International Festival, performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, freshly named the ‘Virgin Money Fireworks Concert’.

Over 100,000 fireworks, tonnes of explosives and hundreds of firing sequences launched from Edinburgh’s iconic castle and intricately choreographed to music performed live by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra make this the biggest fireworks concert in the world.

The Festival’s Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brings together families and communities across the city and beyond to enjoy one of the country’s most popular events. An audience estimated to be 250,000 is drawn to vantage points across the Scottish capital and beyond to hear and see the final atmospheric celebration of Edinburgh’s summer festival season.

Virgin Money, the financial services division of the Virgin Group, continues to build its investment in its Edinburgh headquarters, the city and its residents by supporting this iconic event.

The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, the spectacular finale to the Edinburgh International Festival 2011 will be performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Sunday 4 September 2011 at 9pm.

For the first time people will be able to buy Princes Street Gardens tickets for the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert when tickets for the Edinburgh International Festival go on sale on Saturday 2 April. These tickets will be on sale until 30 April. This replaces a postal ballot.

A second allocation will be released on 18 July and the final opportunity will be a limited number of tickets held until 10.00am the day before the event, Saturday 3 September.

This year the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert will be choreographed to fiery music, full of passion and energy and inspired by Asia, Arabia and the east. The evocative Chinese, Russian and Arab Dances from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Gliere’s rollicking Rebellion from The Red Poppy and Borodin’s Prince Igor are among the popular works to be played live by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The Edinburgh International Festival is one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, running for three weeks in Scotland’s stunning capital city. Festival 2011 runs from Friday 12 August to Sunday 4 September.

Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Virgin Money’s Chief Executive said: ‘Virgin Money is committed to supporting events which bring communities together and make everyone better off and that is undoubtedly the case with the Edinburgh International Festival Fireworks Concert.

‘We are focused on doing all we can supporting the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in ensuring the concert builds on its 28-year history of delighting audiences in Edinburgh. We have already agreed sponsorship of the Fringe on the High Street and look forward to contributing to the success of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival adding to our support for the Virgin London Marathon.’

Roy McEwan, Managing Director of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra said:
‘We’re delighted to welcome on board a dynamic new sponsor for this great event. Virgin Money is a major new presence in Edinburgh’s financial sector and it is wonderful that they are investing so strongly in the city’s cultural activity and in this very special event. They will be enabling people from all over Edinburgh and beyond, and an enormous number of visitors, to experience live music and amazing fireworks in a fabulous location. Virgin Money becomes Principal Sponsor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as part of this agreement and we look forward to developing our three way partnership with them and the Edinburgh International Festival.’

Jonathan Mills, Edinburgh International Festival Director said: ‘Virgin is one of the world’s most innovative commercial brands, and we are delighted that Virgin Money has chosen to partner with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Edinburgh International Festival, a great global cultural brand. The company has already indicated it will be a strong player in Scottish corporate life, and we are encouraged that through this partnership and its sponsorship of the Fringe, it is also engaging with enthusiasm in Edinburgh and Scotland’s cultural life.

‘With the Virgin London Marathon, Virgin Money has shown itself to be ambitious and creative in its sponsorship of major events, and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra we will work together to build on 28 years of successful Fireworks concerts to continue to offer the people of Edinburgh and beyond a fittingly spectacular finale to the summer Festival season.’