Top conductor leads festival

Festival director Jonathan Mills has announced that Valery Gergiev will be the new honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival.

By The Newsroom

Published 2nd Sep 2011, 15:29 BST

Gergiev’s association with the festival began 20 years ago when he brought the Kirov Opera, now known as the Mariinsky Opera, to the Edinburgh Playhouse.

He is only the third person to be invited to become honorary president, his predecessors being Yehudi Menuhin and Charles Mackerras.

Mr Mills said: “Not only is he a superb talent, he is a truly international figure and a great humanitarian.”