The Edinburgh International Festival has unveiled its 2023 season.

For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances.

It all kicks off with a performance of Tan Dun’s “Buddha Passion,” conducted by the composer himself. Soloists include Louise Kwong, Samantha Chong, Chen Chen, Sun Li, Batubagen, Tan Weiwei, and Chen Yining.

Performance Dates: August 5, 2023

Ryan Wigglesworth will lead the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a performance featuring soprano Jennifer France. The showcase spotlights Hans Abrahmsen’s orchestral song cycle “Let me tell you.”

Performance Dates: August 6, 2023

Iestyn Davies performs music by Händel alongside the Jupiter Ensemble under Thomas Dunford.

Performance Dates: August 7, 2023

Iván Fischer will conduct the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the NYCOS National Girls Choir in music by Bartók. The concert also features pianist Sir András Schiff.

Performance Dates: August 9, 2023

Günther Groissböck and Malcolm Martineau perform music by Schumann, Rott, Bruckner, Wolf, Strauss, and Mahler.

Performance Dates: August 9, 2023

Maxim Emelyanychev will lead the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a concert performance of “The Magic Flute.” The cast stars Ilker Arcayürek, Gyula Orendt, Rachel Redmond, Julia Bullock, Kathryn Lewek, and Brindley Sherratt.

Performance Dates: August 12, 2023

The National Youth Choir of Scotland joins forces with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for music by Britten and Duruflé. Soloists include Catriona Morison and Paul Grant.

Performance Dates: August 13, 2023

Julia Bullock and Bretton Brown perform music by Wolf, Schubert, Rossini, Weill, and Cage.

Performance Dates: August 16, 2023

Sir Simon Rattle leads performances of Szymanowski’s “Stabat Mater” and Brahms’ German Requiem with such soloists as Iwona Sobotka, Hanna Hipp, and Florian Boesch.

Performance Dates: August 16, 2023

The festival will present Britten’s final vocal work “Phaedra” and a new dance piece, “Minotaur,” in a double bill.

Performance Dates: August 18-20, 2023

Sir Andrew Davis leads the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a performance of Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time.” Soloists include Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Dame Sarah Connolly, Russell Thomas, and Michel Mofidian.

Performance Dates: August 20, 2023

Soprano Johanna Wallroth will be the soloist in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony under Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic. The program also features music by Sibelius and Rolf Gupta.

Performance Dates: August 21, 2023

Mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison and pianist Malcolm Martineau will perform music by Mahler, Vellonnes, and Montsalvatge.

Performance Dates: August 21, 2023

Tenor Nick Pritchard and pianist Ian Tindale perform music by Fauré, Poulenc, and Britten.

Performance Dates: August 23, 2023

Theatre of Sound will present “Bluebeard’s Castle” with two casts. Susan Bullock and Lester Lynch will take on the lead roles in the first series of performances with Charlotte Hellekant and Michael Mayes alternating as the second cast. Daisy Evans directs with Stephen Higgins presenting his own orchestration.

Performance Dates: August 23 – 27, 2023

Rafael Payare leads the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Soloists include Natalya Romaniw, Karen Cargill, Andrew Staples, and Christopher Maltman.

Performance Dates: August 24, 2023

Sir Donald Runnicles will lead the Deutsche Oper Berlin in a concert performance of “Tannhäuser” with Clay Hilley, Emma Bell, Thomas Lehman, Irene Roberts, and Albert Pesendorfer, among others.

Performance Dates: August 25, 2023

Karina Canellakis will lead the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in music by Wagner, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. The showcase features soprano Olga Kulchynska, tenor David Butt Philip, and bass Alexander Vinogradov.

Performance Dates: August 27, 2023