Festival farewell
Outgoing Festival director Fergus Linehan honoured guest at civic reception
ROBERT ALDRIDGE, the Rt Hon Lord Provost, welcomed the tenth Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, along with his family, to a civic reception at the City Chambers before his tenure came to an end last month. The Lord Provost mentioned that “throughout his term Fergus has steered the mighty ship that is the International Festival and represented our cultural capital with passion, dedication and always with a great deal of humility”.
The Lord Provost referred to his own predecessor, John Falconer who, as Lord Provost in 1947, wished that the festival should be a “platform for the flowering of the human spirit with underpinning principles to promote international understanding and tolerance through an annual celebration of artistic excellence from around the world”. His statement marked the beginning of the Edinburgh Festival as we now know it in all its forms.
Mr Linehan addressed the invited audience at The City Chambers saying: “The role of John Falconer as Lord Provost should never be underestimated. The continued centrality within our governance system of the Lord Provost and the city is absolutely key to the success and endurance of the festival.”
He thanked many of the people in the room, council officers who he had worked with and also gave special mention to Steve Cardownie a former council leader and Culture Convener and Amy McNeese-Mechan, who was Vice Convener of Culture in the last administration, saying they were “great champions of the festival”.
He referred to his own predecessor Jonathan Mills and the generous way Mills had welcomed him to the role eight years ago, but said that it took him a few years to shake off the term “new” when people talked about him. He admitted there was a little window between being the new, and now the outgoing, director. Linehan finishes his term at the end of this Festival.
Linehan continued: “The truth is that this job has a habit of defining us. It becomes the high point of our career and leaves an indelible mark on us for the rest of our professional lives.”
Linehan and his young family are moving to Australia in a few weeks, and he admitted leaving would be tough. He said: “Like all cities Edinburgh has its problems, but we have felt a sense of community and support which will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It has certainly defined our children, Billy and Bella, and leaving Edinburgh is very hard.”
He mused that the festival is “incredibly ephemeral” and when it is taken away we realise we can’t do without it. He said: “There is a moment on the day after the festival when it just all seems to dissolve miraculously, to change into smoke. The city just returns to a different kind of beat for another year.”
Nicola Benedetti has been chosen to succeed Mr Linehan as Director of the Edinburgh