Edinburgh International Festival opened at the weekend with an array of live events, attracting large crowds to venues in the city.
Free to access Opening Fanfare: Scotland Makes Music on Saturday and Sunday featured more than 500 amateur and professional musicians coming together in a mass celebration of music making in Princes Street Gardens. There was a special moment with more than 300 people on the stage performing together, making it the biggest opening event the International Festival has ever delivered in terms of artists involved.
GRIT Orchestra was the highlight of the Sunday programme, presenting new music as well as the late Martyn Bennett’s timeless compositions. Sadly the rain began just as the orchestra was beginning to play the last part of the concert, but it did not stifle the enthusiasm of either the musicians or the audience.
Critically acclaimed Buddha Passion on Saturday at Usher Hall received a standing ovation for the inspiring range of musicians on the stage, including conductor and composer Tan Dun, indigenous singer Tan Weiwei and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The event opened with a Yellow Carpet featuring Festival Director Nicola Benedetti and His Royal Highness Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward.
The weekend celebrations closed with First Night at The Hub on Sunday, the first in the series of intimate events taking place in the Festival’s headquarters, The Hub.
The venue was transformed into a Festival green room for the month and Festival Director Nicola Benedetti was joined on stage by some of the artists performing during the first week of the Festival, including Geza & The 5 DeViLs and Stefan Jakiw and the performance closed with a burst of yellow confetti.
There are some £10 on the day tickets for a variety of performances.
More details of what is on at the Edinburgh International Festival here.
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