It’s almost time for the St Magnus International Festival, Orkney’s annual midsummer celebration of the arts.
The festival has been at the heart of our summer season for nearly 50 years, bringing the finest theatre, dance, music, literature, and much more to local venues since 1977.
Here are just some of the highlights of this year’s incredible programme. Don’t delay, book your tickets today!
Bach to Babajanian: Nikita Lukinov and Resol String Quartet
The 2025 festival kicks off in style with this performance from pianist and recent Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate, Nikita Lukinov. He’ll be performing a collection of pieces by rarely-heard Armenian composer Babajanian, along with pieces by Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven. He’ll be joined by the Resol String Quartet for an evening of music in Orkney’s stunning St Magnus Cathedral. There’s also a special discount offer for those booking all four Piano Series events at this year’s festival.
Saved: Graeme Leak
Keeping up the festival’s reputation for eclectic and entertaining events, Graeme Leak will bring ‘Saved’ to the Orkney Theatre this year. It’s described as a ‘playful journey through sound’, featuring rescued home organs from the 1970s, cassettes, AM radios, and even a modified whisk. It’s an ingenious performance that blurs the lines between music and noise.
Behind From Where We Came: Grant McQuade Duo
Combining voice, guitar, and double bass, this talented duo has been captivating audiences across the country since their debut in 2023. With a varied repertoire including Britten, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, and John Dowland, they’ll bring you a wonderful mix of words, melodies, and harmonies. This event also features a free cinnamon bun from the team at Eviedale Bakehouse - a special treat for a very special performance.
Vaigan B’The Shore: Johnsmas Foy
This event takes a look into the life and works of Robert Rendall, a much-loved Orcadian author who wrote about Orkney’s culture, heritage, land, and sea. Written by Issy Grieve and Greer Norquoy from Orkney Voices, this multi-media presentation will bring together music, visuals, poetry, and the character of Rendall himself, alongside a live painting from local artist, Ingrid Grieve, during the performance.
Night Train to Odesa – Literary Hour: Jen Stout
Shetland journalist, writer, and radio producer, Jen Stout, was based in Moscow when Russia invaded Ukraine. She left the city and arrived at a border post in southeast Romania and began to cover the human cost of Russian aggression in the region. She reported from the front lines and cities across Ukraine, and her first book, Night Train to Odesa, was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and won the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award. Hear all about her experiences in conversation with Festival Director, Alasdair Nicolson. This is just one of the Literary Series events at the festival with a discount available for anyone attending them all.
Deep Wheel Orcadia: Harry Josephine Giles
A world premiere, Deep Wheel Orcadia is based on the award-winning verse novel of the same name by Orkney writer, Harry Josephine Giles. It will fuse performance, music, and image, telling the story of Astrid, who meets Darling, a Martian, hiding on a space station struggling for survival. Written in Orkney dialect, the production includes music by BAFTA-winning composer, Atzi Muramatsu.
These are just some of the many highlights to be found at this year’s St Magnus International Festival. View the full programme online and book your tickets now. The festival will be held across Orkney between the 20 – 27 June 2025.