The St Magnus Festival is Orkney's annual celebration of the arts. Founded in 1977 by Orkney's distinguished resident composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Festival has grown from small beginnings into one of Britain's most highly regarded and adventurous arts events.

The unique combination of world-class performance, community participation of the highest quality and the magic of Orkney at midsummer attracts audiences from throughout Britain and further afield; many return year after year.

Though musical events are at the heart of the artistic programme, the Festival also encompasses drama, dance, literature and the visual arts.

Over the years, numerous distinguished artists have appeared at the Festival - including Vladimir Ashkenazy, André Previn, Julian Bream, Imogen Cooper, Georgy Pauk, Evelyn Glennie, John Harle, Joanna MacGregor, Steven Isserlis, John Lill and Angela Hewitt.

Visiting orchestras and ensembles have included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Nash Ensemble, the Scottish Ensemble and Psappha.

The Festival has recognised the talent of and commissioned works from young composers who have gone on to become established figures - James MacMillan, Judith Weir and Simon Holt are examples.

Other commissioned composers have included Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Thea Musgrave, Sally Beamish, Alasdair Nicolson, Edward McGuire, William Sweeney and Gordon McPherson and David Horne. Many important premieres have been given of new works by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

New, specially-commissioned work has also been created for visual arts, drama and dance projects.

Through education and community projects the Festival has built up active participation by adults and children from all parts of Orkney. Over the years, numerous children's operas, music-theatre pieces and song cycles by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies have been premiered by Orkney children. Education projects are often devised in collaboration with visiting orchestras, ensembles and artists

The Festival Chorus attracts around 100 singers from all parts of Orkney. Works performed in recent years include: Kodaly's Psalmus Hungaricus (with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra), HMS Pinafore (concert performance with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra), Dvorak's Te Deum and Haydn's Te Deum (both with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra). In 2006 the Festival Chorus performed Mozart's Requiem with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins.

Large-scale community drama productions feature frequently: in 2002 Alan Plater's play, Barriers, with music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, was premiered at the Festival and subsequently performed with great success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2003 an Orkney production of As You Like It toured to Gotland, Sweden, after its Festival performances in Orkney.

Since 2000, the Festival on Tour project has seen visiting artists and ensembles tour to Orkney's remote outer islands, giving workshops and performances for the island schools and communities. Performers visiting the outer isles have included members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Ensemble and Walk the Plank ship-based theatre.

Launched in 2003 and directed by Martyn Brabbins, the Orkney Conducting Course (OCC) runs before and during the St Magnus Festival. This 10-day course enables approximately eight emerging professional conductors to gain hands-on experience through working with the orchestras, ensembles and soloists present in Orkney for the Festival.

St Magnus Festival welcomes approaches from overseas artists and art groups, but it should be borne in mind that the Festival lasts only for six days and has quite a small budget. Before presenting programme ideas, overseas artists or managements should try to find out about the Festival's themes and realise that pre-digested or even pre-packaged proposals are less likely to attract interest than a thoughtful, pro-active approach.

St Magnus Festival is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland as a charity, which is run by a board of nine directors, a committee of 30 voluntary workers with a full-time Festival Director and part-time Administrator. Funding is received from Scottish Arts Council, Orkney Enterprise, various trusts, foundations and business sponsors and public box office.