Free tickets are now available and the public is encouraged to apply quickly before all the seats in the show are taken.

The Scottish capital is twinned with Ukrainian capital Kyiv, so it’s only fitting that the world’s biggest arts festival hosts the only performance in Scotland during the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour in Europe and the USA.

The concert is a special collaboration between the International Festival and the Scottish Government and aims to support the Ukrainian community in the city and those directly affected by the war.

The members of the orchestra include leading Ukrainian musicians and performers brought together by the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Polish National Opera and members of other European orchestras. Special exemptions for male band members of military age have been granted to allow them to perform internationally.

The orchestra is led by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, with its repertoire including the Seventh Symphony by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov; Chopin’s second piano concerto with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova; and the great Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska who will perform an aria from Verdi’s Aïda.

Funds raised from the concert will support the Scottish Refugee Council, which continues to play a leading role in welcoming displaced Ukrainians to Scotland and providing them with vital assistance as they settle. Apply for tickets via the Edinburgh International Festival website, www.eif.co.uk.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Central Edinburgh and the Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture