To celebrate Opera Australia's premiere of Bliss coming to the Edinburgh International Festival, a number of inflatable kangaroos are taking up home in unusual locations across the city from Monday 30 August. All you have to do is find them in order to win two free tickets.

Tickets for all Festival performances can be purchased from The Edinburgh Playhouse during normal box office hours.

Sir Charles Mackerras had a 60 year relationship with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, beginning his professional career as its oboist. The orchestra's first concert at the Festival in 35 years on Wednesday 1 September forms the Festival's tribute to its late Honorary President.

Opera Australia's Bliss has been nominated for nine Helpmann Awards, Australia's biggest performing arts awards, including Best Opera, Best Direction of an Opera, Best Male & Female Performer in an Opera, Best Male and Female Performers in Supporting Roles, Best Scenic Design, Best New Australian Work, Best Original Score, Best Lighting Design, Best Lighting Design. The European premiere of Bliss is at the Edinburgh International Festival 2010 on Thursday 2 September and Saturday 4 September.

The penultimate chance to buy tickets for the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert 2010 - the spectacular finale to the Edinburgh International Festival - is today (Monday 26 July) when an allocation of tickets goes on sale online at www.eif.co.uk/fireworks from 11.00am.

This year the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert features the grand music of glamorous Hollywood with music from composers Korngold, Bernstein, Herrmann and Waxman performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The Festival is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Sir Charles Mackerras, our Honorary President.

Sir Charles Mackerras gifted Edinburgh audiences some of the most acclaimed Festival performances in its 64 year history.

Birds with Skymirrors receives its world premiere today at the Festival Theater der Welt in Essen.

The Edinburgh International Festival and the Filmhouse, Edinburgh have joined forces in a new audience development initiative, On Screen, On Stage, which opens later this month.

 

The Cleveland Orchestra opened the recent Independence Day holiday weekend with a spectacular open-air concert in its home town in front of an audience of 70,000 people.

The Orchestra, which is performing two concerts at Edinburgh International Festival 2010, staged its annual Star Spangled Spectacular in Public Square, Cleveland. The holiday crowds enjoyed a programme including Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, The Star-Spangled Banner and Copland's Hoe Down.