Ten-day St Magnus Festival gets under way . . .

The 2016 St Magnus International Festival kicks off this evening, Thursday, and, lasting ten days, is a bumper event.

With this being the 40th annual midsummer festival of the arts, the longer event is designed to pack in many anniversary celebrations.

As usual, there is a wide range of performances spread across Orkney, with performers coming from all over the world.

Anniversaries, birthdays and commemorations feature as a theme this year, with commemorations of the Battle of Jutland and the celebrations of 25 years of two visiting groups, the Hebrides Ensemble and Florilegium.

Of course, another commemoration will be that of the festival’s founder,  Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who died in March this year.

Alasdair Nicolson, the festival’s artistic director, says: “As we celebrate 40 years, we will also be remembering the festival’s founder, and the whole event is a testament to the work he did in the early days to make this such an important and iconic festival.

“You’ll find Max’s music peppered through the programme, but, of course, the whole thing is a celebration and commemoration in many ways.”

“This festival will be a bumper year, and we hope that it’s just the beginning of another 40 years bringing the best work from far and near to the stage,” said festival chairman,  Leslie Burgher.

“ The festival is an important date in the calendar in the UK arts scene and a vital part of Orkney’s wonderful arts offering, as well as an economically significant contribution to the community from which it emerges.

“We are rightly proud of our 40th anniversary, and hope that Orkney folk will come and join us in the celebration.”