The St Magnus International Festival, an Orkney-set celebration of art and music, will hit its 50th anniversary this summer, and is celebrating the occasion with a programme which reflects on breath, sound, wind, flight and freedom. 

Spearheaded by the composer Alasdair Nicolson, this year’s central theme is ‘air’, which will be explored through music, theatre, spectacle and arts and crafts. While the full programme is yet to be released, a few notable announcements so far include a festival debut from Voces Thules, the renowned Icelandic male vocal ensemble; Rory McCleery’s acclaimed Marian Consort; the emotionally impactful Fibonacci Quartet; the deeply attuned Intesa Duo; and The Hebrides Ensemble, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. 

One final eccentric programming selection is a new composition centred around Jasper The Kirkwall Cat, a feline who used to stalk Kirkwall’s high street and enjoyed a sizeable social media following on Facebook. The large-scale composition is written for children and comes from Nicolson himself. 

First established in 1977 by composer Peter Maxwell Davies and poet George Mackay Brown, the Magnus International Festival has carved a unique space for the wealth of grassroots and international talent it brings to the Orkney community.

Nicolson said: ‘The St Magnus Festival has always been about connection, between people, place, and art in these very special islands. It feels like a major milestone for an arts festival located so far north in Scotland to be celebrating its 50th festival.

'We are busy confirming a programme which takes air as its inspiration in a cycle of festivals about earth, air, fire and water. Orkney is no stranger to fresh air and wind! As ever we aim to bring audiences from Orkney and those that join us from further afield together to experience the rich culture and landscape of these northern isles meshed with performers from across the globe, this year ranging from Iceland to New Zealand.’

St Magnus International Festival, various venues, Orkney, Friday 19–Sunday 28 June 2026.