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Wed 25 Jul 2007

The annual spectacular finale to the Edinburgh International Festival the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert takes place in Princes Street Gardens on Sunday 2 September at 9.00pm. The event promises to be a fantastic evening of great American music performed live by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a breathtaking choreographed firework display against the backdrop of Edinburgh’s historic castle.

This immensely popular event last year attracted an audience of over 250,000 people viewing from vantage points across the capital and is the biggest annual event of its kind in Europe.

This year international fireworks artists Wilf Scott and Keith Webb from Pyrovision present a display including effects never before seen in the UK. Over 100,000 fireworks, three tonnes of explosives, and hundreds of firing sequences including the famous waterfall cascading from Edinburgh Castle will be used during an unforgettable 45 minutes.

Making his first appearance at the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert acclaimed conductor Clark Rundell leads the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a programme of music opening with the Overture to Bernstein’s Candide, and including the moving Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber and the Overture to George Gershwin’s musical Strike Up The Band.

Forth 1 and 2 will be broadcasting the Concert live on the night, enabling members of the public to tune in and experience the full atmosphere of the event from wherever they choose to view it.

The first allocation of tickets for the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert were snapped up in a postal ballot which closed in May. An allocation of tickets is released for sale online from 11.00am on Monday 23 July at www.eif.co.uk. These are limited to four per customer. The final allocation will go on sale on Sunday 26 August at 10.00am only from the counter at The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE. These are limited to four per customer.

Ends

Notes to Editors

Edinburgh International Festival 2007

BANK OF SCOTLAND FIREWORKS CONCERT

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Clark Rundell Conductor

Bernstein Overture ‘Candide’

Gershwin Overture ‘Strike up the Band’

Barber Adagio for Strings

Ives Three Places in New England

Copland Rodeo ‘Buckaroo Holiday’

Sunday 2 September 9pm

Princes Street Gardens

Tickets £25 (Ross Theatre - seated) £10 (Princes Street Gardens)

Sponsored by Bank of Scotland

For further information on the concert, members of the public should contact Hub Tickets on Tel: 0131 473 2000 or visit www.eif.co.uk

Featuring world class new and classic drama, opera, music, dance and visual arts, the 2007 Edinburgh International Festival runs from Friday 10 August to Sunday 2 September across the city in theatres, concert halls and opera houses attracting audiences from around the world to Scotland’s picturesque capital. Full details are available at www.eif.co.uk.

Bank of Scotland has sponsored the Fireworks Concert since 1995 and their support extends to the Bank of Scotland Family Viewing Area at Inverleith Park provides an ideal viewing area away from the crowds in Princes Street and is particularly suitable for families with younger children. The facilities at Inverleith Park include a large screen with a live link to the orchestra in the Ross Bandstand.

Bank of Scotland invests in an award winning programme of sponsorship which includes Edinburgh International Festival, Scottish Ballet, Aye Write!, Bank of Scotland Book Festival and Bank of Scotland Total Art, a partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is at the heart of the arts in Scotland. Formed in 1974 with a commitment to serve the Scottish community, the Orchestra is internationally recognised as one of the world’s foremost chamber orchestras.

Clark Rundell is Head of Conducting and Director of Contemporary Music at Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. He regularly conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he made his debut in 1987, as well as others including the BBC Philharmonic, the Hallé and the Philharmonia Orchestra, with whom he recently performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Clark is also Artistic Director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s new music group, Ensemble 10/10.

For further media enquires please contact:

Brian Maycock, Sophie Hodges or George Anderson in the Edinburgh International Festival Press Office on Tel: 0131 473 2020 or email press@eif.co.uk

For further information on Bank of Scotland please contact Jenny Mungall on 0141 204 7970