St. Magnus International Festival – celebrating Orkney at midsummer
Have you heard of the St. Magnus International Festival in Orkney? It is a midsummer event which brings extraordinary artists to Orkney, to perform music, theatre, and poetry in these remote and inspiring islands.
The St Magnus Cathedral itself becomes an evocative concert hall. Hearing music soar within the ancient red sandstone building is an experience to treasure.
Various churches and venues throughout the islands host the events, giving audiences the opportunity to travel across these green islands, and take in the natural beauty of Orkney.
The St Magnus Cathedral itself becomes an evocative concert hall. Hearing music soar within the ancient red sandstone building is an experience to treasure.
Orkney is a magical place at midsummer, and this far north, the summer evenings are long and the sky doesn’t really get dark. This twilight around midsummer is known is Orkney as the ‘grimlins’, which comes from the Old Norse word ‘grimla’, which means to twinkle or glimmer.
Visitors to Orkney and the St. Magnus International Festival will enjoy a slower pace of life, delicious food, and a friendly welcome from islanders. Most of all, artists and audiences will savour exploring the beautiful Orkney midsummer landscape. Strolling around the ancient stone circle, the Ring of Brodgar, on the summer solstice is an enchanting experience – accompanied only by bird calls and a soft breeze.
It was almost certainly planned that way. The idea for the St. Magnus International Festival came from composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and the poet George Mackay Brown. Part of their plan must have been to transport artists and audiences to a place unlike any other. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s work has been premiered in previous festivals, and GMB’s work is often celebrated in festival performances.
The main focus of celebration though is the landscape, history, and culture of the isles, and this is certainly true for this year also.
In its 47th year, the 2023 festival is centred around the world premiere of David McNeish’s play Thora. This explores the untold story of St. Magnus’ mother.
Musicians attending this celebration of the arts include Florilegium, Nikola Meeuwsen, Hebrides Ensemble, Aaron Akugbo, Ryan Corbett, Ros-Turowska Duo and more.
A Lowlands to Northlands series brings various Dutch musicians to the isles such as the Ragazze String Quartet. There will be local folk music as well as classical music to enjoy!
Scottish Ballet make their first appearance at the St. Magnus International Festival with their production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Young Highlands-born cellist Findlay Spence will lead a musical excursion around the island of Hoy. He will also host a concert at St. Peter’s Kirk on the shore of South Ronaldsay.
There’s something for everyone and it’s set in the most stunning of backdrops. We hope you’ll visit Orkney in June, to gaze out to sea from clifftops, to leave footprints across beautiful sandy beaches, to fill camera memory cards full of images of birds, seals, and ancient stones, and, of course, to see the St. Magnus International Festival, this year from Friday 16th to Friday 23rd June 2023.
By Magnus DixonOrkney and Shetland enthusiast, family man, loves walks, likes animals, terrible at sports, dire taste in music, adores audiobooks and films, eats a little too much for his own good.
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