The Edinburgh International Festival has announced the appointment of Nicola Benedetti as its Director Designate.

On October 1, 2022, she will become Festival Director, and will be the first woman and Scottish person to hold the position since the festival began in 1947.

A passionate ambassador for musical education, Benedetti is a Grammy and Brit Award winner, and was named as BBC Music Magazine’s 2021 “Personality of the Year” for her support of artists during the pandemic. Since its founding in 2019, The Benedetti Foundation has reached over 29k participants from 103 countries to provide in-person and online lessons and workshops. In 2017, she became the youngest recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music, and has received nine honorary degrees to date.

“I am deeply honored to contribute to the long and rich history of the Edinburgh International Festival and the cultural landscape of Scotland,” said Benedetti in a press release. “This festival was founded on principles of reconciliation and the ideals of art transcending political and cultural fracture. Following in the footsteps of the wonderful achievements of Fergus Linehan and his predecessors, I will uphold these values and greatly look forward to serving this festival, its mission of cultural exchanges, and the people of Scotland.”