Edinburgh Fest Celebrates America's 250th

The Edinburgh International Festival's "All Rise" theme marks the 250th anniversary of American independence with its largest representation of American artists to date. The festival, running from August 7-30, 2026, will feature 147 performances across opera, theatre, music, and dance. Director Nicola Benedetti aims to "remythologize through art a truer, possibly messier American story," exploring themes of freedom, ingenuity, hypocrisy, and prejudice. Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis, will have the festival's first-ever jazz ensemble residency. Marsalis's symphony "All Rise," featuring 200 performers, will open the festival. The orchestra will also perform Duke Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" and collaborate with pianist Yuja Wang. San Francisco Ballet returns to the Edinburgh International Festival after over 20 years, presenting the European premiere of Aszure Barton's "Mere Mortals". The ballet reimagines the myth of Pandora's Box with a 21st-century AI lens. Sam Shepherd (Floating Points) will perform his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's opera, "The Galloping Cure," will have its world premiere, co-commissioned with several international opera companies. The opera, directed by Tom Morris, is an allegory about the opioid crisis, drawing inspiration from Kafka and Karen Russell. Scottish Opera will perform the opera, conducted by Stuart Stratford. The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), led by Karina Canellakis with soloist Kirill Gerstein, will perform works by Gershwin and Bartók. NYO-USA's European tour includes performances at the Britten Pears Arts' "Summer at Snape," Berlin's Young Euro Classic, and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. The Colin Currie Group will celebrate Steve Reich's work, including the world premiere of "In All Your Ways," a festival co-commission.