The days may be getting shorter, but there’s no shortage of incredible performances and exhibitions to explore around Scotland and the UK this month. We’ve pulled together a list of some of our top recommendations for dance, art, music and more this month, featuring historical retellings, fantastical fairy tales and innovative immersive theatre.

At Home in partnership with abrdn

We have to start by recommending our very own At Home programme, which we can’t wait to share with you. During the 2022 Festival we captured a selection of short films, concert recordings and exclusive music sessions, so you can relive the excitement of the Festival and discover new, bespoke performances from Festival artists whilst snuggled up at home.

See Edinburgh through new eyes with Edinburgh is a Story, a series of five short films inspired by a poem by Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery that we commissioned to open the 75th International Festival. The film features performances from 2022 Festival artists in iconic Edinburgh locations, from the Scottish Parliament Building to Portobello Beach. You can also enjoy intimate performances from artists across our classical and contemporary music programme with our acoustic sessions, featuring the Takács Quartet, Arab Strap, Sian and more. For classical music lovers, we have highlights from Handel’s Saul, the sold-out Brandenburg Concertos performance by Richard Egarr’s ensemble of international musicians or Elgar’s epic The Dream of Gerontius from our joyful closing concert.

Our 2022 At Home programme is being released over the course of November and each video is available to watch for free via our YouTube channel. The Edinburgh is a Story short films will be captioned.

The Snow Queen by Scottish Ballet

Celebrate the arrival of the wintry weather with Scottish Ballet’s glittering production of The Snow Queen. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the same name, the sparkling sets, costumes and choreography of this show dazzled audiences in a sell-out tour in 2019.

The story follows a young woman named Gerda who goes to rescue her fiancé Kai after the Snow Queen captures him and holds him hostage in an ice castle. The rescue mission takes us through bustling markets and fairy tale forests, all set to the captivating compositions of Rimsky-Korsakov performed by the full Scottish Ballet Orchestra. The Hans Christian Andersen tale also inspired the film Frozen, so this is the perfect ballet for any Disney fans.

If you’re a ballet superfan, or just keen to discover more, Scottish Ballet is hosting pre-show talks for several performances, so you can dive even deeper into this spectacular snow globe of a show.

The Snow Queen is at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, from 19 November – 10 December, before touring Scotland. There are inclusive performances, audio-described performances and touch tours available.

Ibeyi

These spellbinding sisters enchanted audiences at Leith Theatre this summer with their soulful vocals. Drawing inspiration from both their shared ancestry and family dynamics, these two are a must-see live act for the ‘sublime symbiosis’ that comes to life on stage.

Ibeyi’s music mixes cultures and eras with ease, creating a sound distinct to them. Blending elements of their Afro-Cuban, French and Venezuelan heritage with electronic, hip-hop and neo-soul influences, with references ranging from ancient spirituals to Michelle Obama speeches, their songs are simultaneously personal and political.

After releasing their critically acclaimed albumSpell 31 in May this year, the twins are already working on new music, releasing their single ‘Juice of Mandarins’ in October. The pair only have one UK date scheduled for the rest of their tour, so make sure you don’t miss your chance to see them in action.

Ibeyi are performing at KOKO in London on 14 November as part of an international tour. KOKO offers accessible tickets for disabled audience members.

Ainadamar by Scottish Opera

Scottish Opera have joined forces with co-producers Detroit Opera, The Metropolitan Opera and Welsh National Opera for the UK stage debut of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. Reimagining the life of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, the opera is sung in Spanish with English subtitles, with flamenco influences audible in the score.

Lorca was brutally executed for his politics and sexuality during the Spanish Civil War, but has since become a beloved symbol of Spanish and particularly Andalusian literature and culture. The score captures this intertwining of identity and geography, weaving together opera with traditional Andalusian songs. The creative team is a cross-genre collaboration, with choreographer and director Deborah Colker, best known for her work with Cirque du Soleil, making her opera debut.

Ainadamar is at Theatre Royal, Glasgow from 29 October – 5 November and at Festival Theatre Edinburgh 8–12 November. There are audio-described performances available.

The Modern Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland

Featuring many a familiar face, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery continues its exhibition The Modern Portrait this autumn. This multi-media exhibition, which includes paintings, photography and sculpture, features some of the best-known works from the Gallery’s collection.

The exhibition pulls together portraits of recognisable Scottish faces from multiple different sectors; science, politics, the arts, business and sport. It allows you to follow the development of portraiture from the late 19th century to the present day, with the subjects chosen revealing insights into the pre-occupations of the time in which they were painted.

You’ll spot portraits of many friends of the Festival, including Alan Cumming, Jackie Kay and even our Festival Director Nicola Benedetti.

The Modern Portrait is open daily from 10am–5pm at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Dance Around The World by Capital Theatres

End the school week in style with these lunchtime workshops at the Festival Theatre, aimed at children in years P4 to P7. Each week’s workshop will focus on a different country and explores its dance styles before a quick break for some traditional snacks.

The workshops combine teaching dances with guiding the children to choreograph their own dances, with a chance for children to show their dancing to friends and family in the final workshop.

Dance Around The World workshops run every Friday from 28 October – 2 December at Festival Theatre. Capital Theatres welcomes anyone with access requirements in the workshops.

Sister Radio

Director Sara Shaarawi created Niqabi Ninja for the 2021 Festival, an innovative combination of street art with audio-story that was written in reaction to the 2012–2014 mob sexual assaults in Tahrir Square, Cairo. This year, she has created a similarly timely piece responding to the effects of the pandemic, once again deftly fusing the personal and the political.

Sister Radio is a two-woman play following two sisters who live their lives side-by-side in a flat in Edinburgh, always together but never speaking to each other. Faced with national lockdown, the sisters are forced to reckon with the memories of a betrayal that changed the course of their relationship. Dwelling on the sisters’ shared childhood in Tehran, the play is vibrant yet nostalgic, exploring themes of family and migration.

The production finishes its tour where it is set, in Edinburgh. The play is also part of the Traverse’s £1 Ticket Project, which offers £1 tickets to those who are under-25 or receiving low-income benefits.

Sister Radio is at Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, on 2 November, Derby Theatre on 4 and 5 November and at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 10–12 November. There are BSL interpreted and relaxed performances available at the Traverse Theatre.

Maxim’s Baroque Inspirations by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Whether you're an established fan of Baroque music, or enjoyed dipping your toe in with Richard Egarr and Friends or Handel’s Saul this August, continue your musical immersion with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. You’ll be in safe hands with Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, who is known for his performances of early music and is both conductor and soloist for this performance.

The repertoire contains two of Vivaldi’s most exuberant concertos, both quintessential works from the Baroque era. These are contrasted with works by Grieg, Hindemith and Górecki, bringing influences from Norway, France and Poland to the music.

Maxim’s Baroque Inspirations is performed from 24–26 November in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Enough of Him by National Theatre of Scotland

Following on from last month’s long-awaited fourth instalment of the James Plays, the National Theatre of Scotland has created a powerful and poignant play about the legacy of slavery in Scotland.

Based on a true story, Enough of Him follows Joseph Knight, an African man enslaved by plantation owner Sir John Wedderburn and brought to Scotland to serve in his Perthshire mansion. The play explores the tension between obligation and a yearning for freedom, interlaced with themes of forbidden love and the impacts of trauma.

Directed by Orla O’Loughlin, who brought the ‘pitch-perfect’ Meet Me At Dawn to the Festival in 2017, and written by Edinburgh-born May Sumbwanyambe, this is set to be an insightful glance into an underrepresented part of Scotland’s history.

Enough of Him is touring Scotland from 20 October – 19 November. There are captioned, BSL interpreted and audio-described performances available.

What are you excited to see this November? We’d love to hear about it! Share your cultural explorations with us on social media using #EdIntFest.