Talks & lectures

Composer Tod Machover, conductor Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra take us through the creation of a new piece of music celebrating the City of Edinburgh and its Festival and co-created by members of the public.

Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion, proprietors of the Dundee-based art studio Dalziel + Scullion, talk about creativity's role in challenging, reflecting and shaping the future. They focus on the interplay between human activity and nature's complexities and the possibility for a more meaningful kinship with the…

Dr David Hetherington looks at the two feline species native to Scotland: the Scottish wildcat and the Eurasian lynx. The lynx is extinct, but the wildcat hangs on – although only with help from conservationists like Hetherington, who set up the Cairngorms Wildcat Project.

Join up with other folks interested in the mystical art of tarot at this monthly group, and share tips and tricks while you practice doing readings for other members.

Nigel Osborne, composer and former Reid Professor of Music, explores the complexities of music, mind and the application of technology in a therapeutic setting. Chaired by Raymond MacDonald, Professor of Music Psychology and Improvisation, and introduced by Dorothy Miell, Vice Principal and Head of Humanities and Social…

The bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love discusses her first novel for 12 years. The Signature of All Things is a big novel about a big century, soaring across the globe from London, to Peru, to Philadelphia, to Tahiti, to Amsterdam. At its centre is Alma Whittaker, a woman of the Enlightened Age who stands defiantly…

Esther Woolfson's book Corvus established her as one of our leading nature writers, and she currently observes the wildlife of Aberdeen, where she lives. RSPB naturalist Conor Mark Jamieson's Silent Spring Revisited updated Rachel Carson's environmental classic for the 21st century.

The Ab Fab comedy queen talks about her new memoirs.

An evening with former Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane, as she tells the story of her life with wit and wisdom.

Dr Michael Ward's maps of Everest speak to the modern history of exploration of the mighty tall mountain. Curator Paula Williams takes a look at them on the 60th anniversary of the Everest conquest of Hillary and Norgay.

Paul Rissmann leads a study day exploring James MacMillan's Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, the most performed percussion concerto in the world.

Dr Laura Tunbridge of the University of Manchester leads a study day investigating Schumann's four symphonies and their relation to his biography.

A celebration of everything birdy – optic sales, peregrine viewing, talks, workshops, kids activities, falconry, a dusk chorus and much more.

Award-winning traditional African acrobats from Ghana, West Africa. A breathtaking performance, not to be missed. A family friendly event (i.e. suitable for all ages).

details to follow. Suitable for ages 16+.

This diverse and peace-promoting festival joins Edinburgh's cultural line-up in August with a generous programme of over 400 activities ranging from top-quality speakers and conversations to performances, film, food, exhibitions, family activities, workshops and art.

A talk that illuminates women's often overlooked contribution to the beautiful sport, with Richard McBrearty, Curator of Scottish Football Museum.

For the first time, see the Forward Prizes awarded to poets live on stage. The annual Forward Prizes are regarded by poets internationally as the highest of accolades. Past winners include Thom Gunn, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Carol Ann Duffy. As a prelude to National Poetry Day and for the first time in the…

All audience members share in the reading aloud of Ken Smith's Fox Running. This is the second of three intimate shared readings which celebrate the range of poetry in the Poetry Library's collection as part of the library's 60th-birthday celebrations. Saison Poetry Library at Royal Festival Hall

Dr Dominic Paterson, Lecturer in Art History at the University of Glasgow, will give a talk on the exhibition Mostly West: Franz West and Artist Collaborations. Free admission, booking essential: ihevents@rbge.ac.uk or 0131 248 2971.

Lisa Le Feuvre – curator, writer and Head of Sculpture Studies at The Henry Moore Institute, Leeds – will give a talk on the exhibition Mostly West: Franz West and Artist Collaborations. Free admission, booking essential: ihevents@rbge.ac.uk or 0131 248 2971.

Fraser Ross talks about the inspiration behind the work in his current exhibition, Senses.