Over 40 Countries Represented At Edinburgh International Culture Summit

The fourth Edinburgh International Culture Summit kicks off next week in Scotland's capital city, during the peak of the festival season. The Summit, this year titled Culture: Connecting Peoples and Places will address three areas of cultural debate - Culture in a Networked World, Culture and Investment and Culture and Wellbeing.

The Summit is a collaboration between the Scottish Government, UK Government, the British Council, Edinburgh International Festival and Scottish Parliament, delivered on behalf of the partners by the Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation.

Headline speakers include:

The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister, Scottish Government, Scotland

The Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, UK Government, UK

His Excellency The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae GNZM, QSO, KStJ, High Commissioner, New Zealand High Commission, UK

Dr Catarina Vaz Pinto, Councillor of Culture, The City of Lisbon, Portugal

Joshua Ramo, Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Executive, Kissinger Associates, USA

Pu Cunxin, President, The China Theatre Association, China

Wesley Enoch, Festival Director, Sydney Festival, Australia

Fairouz Nishanova, Director, Aga Khan Music Initiative, Switzerland

Ong Keng Sen, Artistic Director, TheatreWorks, Singapore

Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, India

Constantin Chiriac, President, Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania

Dr Maria Balshaw CBE, Director, Tate Art Museums, UK

Eng Ahmad Al-Maziad, Chief Executive Officer, General Culture Authority, Saudi Arabia

Prof Richard Sennett OBE, Founder and Chair of the Advisory Committee, Theatrum Mundi, UK

Elizabeth Diller, Founder, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, USA

David Leventhal, Programme Director and Founding Teacher, Mark Morris Dance Group's Dance for PD Programme, USA

Prince Totto Théogène Niwenshuti, Multidisciplinary Artist, Dancer and Scholar, South Africa

Dr Assal Habibi, Assistant Research Professor, Brain and Creativity Institute, The University of Southern California, USA

Prof Bas Bloem, Medical Director and Consultant Neurologist, Radboud University Medical Centre, The Netherlands

Julian Herman, Violinist & Former Concert Master, The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, The Netherlands

Faisal Abu Alhayjaa, Fellow, Georgetown University Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, USA

In addition The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom contributes a video message to the Summit in the opening session.

Full programme available: https://www.culturesummit.com/programme/

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit is a gathering with a difference, to share ideas and forge collaborations across cultural co-operation. Summit 2018 is as international as the Edinburgh Festivals.

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit has established itself in the global political and cultural calendar as an influential platform where artists, thinkers and arts leaders from around the world can come together with culture ministers to inspire tangible positive change in arts and cultural policy.

The Summit is a collaboration between the Scottish Government, UK Government, the British Council, Edinburgh International Festival and Scottish Parliament, delivered on behalf of the partners by the Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation.

Now in its 4th edition this year the theme of Summit 2018 is Culture: Connecting Peoples and Places. Building on the succinct and successful format of previous editions, Summit 2018 will address three key themes; Culture in a Networked World, Culture and Investment and Culture and Wellbeing. Each theme will be the focus of a plenary session in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament, supported both by private policy discussions and workshops. The Youth Forum, which was introduced in Summit 2016, has been developed and further integrated into the Summit programme with greater international participation, marking the 2018 Year of Young People in Scotland.

In addition to its partners, the Edinburgh International Culture Summit acknowledges the significant support of its public, corporate, philanthropic and individual supporters: Aberdeen Asset Management, Baillie Gifford Investment Managers, Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities. Dundas Global, Edinburgh Partners, Sir Ewan and Lady Brown, Sir Angus and Lady Grossart, The Morton Charitable Trust, Dunard Fund, Northwood Charitable Trust and James & Morag Anderson.

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