Christopher BarrettEdinburgh International Festival has appointed Nicolas Zekulin as the new head of music programme and Paul Sharp as the new head of artistic management.
Creative producer and former artistic director of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Zekulin replaces former head of music Andrew Moore, while the former director of licensing at Directors UK, Paul Sharp, has taken over from Jill Jones.
Since moving to the UK from Canada, Zekulin has worked across the Scottish arts landscape with organisations including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Most recently, he was GM of award-winning chamber music collective Hebrides Ensemble.
At Directors UK, Sharp represented the creative, economic and contractual interests of UK screen directors. Prior to this, he worked with the Royal Opera House for a decade, most recently overseeing the delivery of over 150 performances each year with The Royal Opera as their contracts manager.
The Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 2 – 25 August and is set to see over 2085 artists from more than 42 countries take to stages across the city,
Zekulin said, “I have always been hugely inspired by the artistic excellence and city-wide cultural curiosity that the International Festival brings to Edinburgh every year. I’m really excited to work with festival director Nicola Benedetti and the festival’s outstanding team going forward through August and onwards to many more festivals to come.”
Sharp said, “I am delighted to be joining the Edinburgh International Festival and to work alongside the team in delivering and celebrating some of the world’s most exciting talent and artistic programming. I’m already so impressed by the festival’s ability to look inwards as well as outwards, putting its audience at the core of what it does, seeking deeper connections and remaining committed to an international outlook.”