Mills to stay centre stage for Festival

THE director of the Edinburgh International Festival is to remain in the role until 2014.

Jonathan Mills was appointed in February 2006 and presented his first Festival the following year.

Before coming to Scotland, the award-winning Australian composer and university fellow had success as artistic director of Melbourne's International Arts Festival and the city's millennium eve celebrations.

The 47-year-old said the forthcoming Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games presented "exciting" opportunities for future Festivals in Edinburgh.

Under his direction, recent Festivals have centred on themes including the Scottish Enlightenment and the New Worlds. Asian cultures will be at the heart of this year's programme, with artists from China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam invited to take part in the three-week arts extravaganza.

Mr Mills said: "The opportunities that major sporting events - the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games - offer the Festival, Edinburgh and Scotland in 2012 and 2014 make my role as Festival director particularly exciting.

"I will bring all my experience as director of the Melbourne Festival during the Sydney Olympics to making the most of these."