Festival targets new audience

Scottish Opera will perform Wagner's Ring Cycle

The Edinburgh International Festival is getting under way with an attempt to win over the younger audiences more normally found on the Fringe.

Last year organisers staged a cut-price late night concert season at the city's Usher Hall.

This time round the festival is opening with a Gateway weekend.

The series of full-scale cultural performances is free to people under the age of 26.

The push will continue throughout the three-week festival.

Fifty tickets for each show, priced at £5, will be set aside for those who do not want to plan ahead.

We hope that the programme and these initiatives will enable more people than ever to experience the festival Brian McMaster Festival director

Times of concerts will also be shifted from the traditional 1930 BST slot to encourage more young people and families.

Festival director Brian McMaster said: "Our programme offers an increasingly wide audience an opportunity to experience some of the world's leading artists and most interesting works.

"Attracting new audiences to try out new experiences, as well as seasoned festival-goers, is one of the key objectives of the festival.

"We hope that the programme and these initiatives will enable more people than ever to experience the festival."

The festival line-up features big names from the worlds of theatre, opera, classical music and dance.

Highlights will include Scottish Opera's performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle, which was a sell-out last year.

Celebrated tenor

Fiona Shaw and Iain Glen will star in a production of Chekhov's The Seagull.

The programme includes the San Francisco Ballet, pianists Alfred Brendel and Andras Schiff and a production of Handel's Poro, featuring celebrated tenor Ian Bostridge.

Strictly Dandia, which has been described as an Asian West Side Story, also features in the line-up.

The festival, which was established in 1947, runs until August 30.