EDINBURGH International Festival director Fergus Linehan has been chosen to receive the prestigious Edinburgh Award this year.
Linehan will be presented with an engraved Loving Cup from the Lord Provost and have his handprints set in stone at the City Chambers later this year, in recognition of his innovative contribution to the arts and Edinburgh’s cultural heritage.
Linehan was appointed festival director of Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 and staged his first programme in August 2015, which he kicked off with Harmonium, a major free, outdoor sound and vision spectacle at the Usher Hall. The 2022 International Festival will be his last following an eight-year tenure.
Since taking on the role, Linehan has presented work by some of the world’s leading theatre, orchestra and dance companies while expanding the festival’s reach and bringing forward performances from artists and countries not previously represented at Edinburgh’s festivals.
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In 2019, a programme featuring the likes of Kate Tempest, Jarvis Cocker and Neneh Cherry attracted more than 13,500 gig-goers to the Leith Theatre alone.
Linehan is also is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and co-chair of IMPACT Scotland, which is responsible for building Edinburgh’s new concert hall.
He will become the 15th person to receive the award, following in the footsteps of last year’s recipient Alexander McCall Smith as well as fellow festivals champions Richard Demarco (2013) and former Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Board chair Timothy O’Shea (2017).
Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “Fergus Linehan’s innovative and ambitious approach has brought the Edinburgh International Festival to a whole new audience, welcoming a new and exciting range of performers to our vibrant city.
“He has also weathered an extremely challenging period for the arts industry staging an ambitious programme this year, despite restrictions.”
Linehan said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award. Working for the Edinburgh International Festival has been the highlight of my professional life but even more important has been the opportunity it has given me and my family to live in this wonderful city. This award is, of course, an acknowledgement of all those who make the Festival what it is.”
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