Scotland's best classical music festivals

The festival Mostly takes place around Kirkwall, on Orkney's "mainland", including St Magnus Cathedral and the Auction Mart. St Magnus has been the stage for many newly commissioned works, most notably by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, master of the Queen's music. He will be leading sessions at a composers' course, and there are also courses for conductors and writers.
The setting It's quite a hike, but worth the trip: sweeping beaches, rich history with Neolithic remains, rolling greenery and shifting light, refracting the swift weather changes. The Orkney Islands – there are 70 of them – are a low-lying cluster just off the north-east tip of Caithness, accessible by ferry from Thurso or Aberdeen, or by air from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Highlights Celebrity recitals, including Catherine Wyn-Roberts, mezzo-soprano, 23 June (£9/£17); Aronovitz Ensemble, 24 June (£9/£17); Gwyneth-Ann Jeffers, soprano, sings Wagner, Ravel and Verdi, 26 June (£7/£11).
• 01856 871445, stmagnusfestival.com, visitorkney.com

East Neuk, Fife, 27 June-1 July

The festival Most of the concerts staged here are held in village churches. But there have been some unusual venues: Scotland's secret nuclear bunker in Anstruther, built in 1951, a potato barn, a scout hut in darkness and a cave. East Neuk is a firm favourite with Radio 3, and a venue to which performers like to return. There's also a programme of "ideas and writing" featuring authors, such as Sara Maitland, and Richard Holloway.
The setting East Neuk pokes out into the North Sea and comprises an unspoiled cluster of charming fishing villages near St Andrews – Pittenweem, Elie, Crail, Kilconquhar, Anstruther and St Monans. Merchants' houses and quaint old cottages huddle around harbours boasting good restaurants and pubs. This is a playground for Scotland's moneyed classes, surprisingly little known south of the border.
Highlights Hagen Quartet plays Beethoven, 27 June (£12-£25); Leipzig Quartet performs Shostakovich, 29 June (£12/£17); Scottish Chamber Orchestra Winds performs Haydn, Stravinsky and Mozart, 1 July (£7/£12/£15).
• 0131-473 2000, eastneukfestival.com, visitscotland.com

Mendelssohn, Mull, 1-7 July

The festival It's different in a couple of respects. It's free and is performed by talented youngsters handpicked by Levon Chilingirian, founder of the eponymous quartet and artistic director. It's a bit of a chamber fest, with chosen stars of the future performing alongside him and his quartet colleagues at Glengorm Castle, Dervaig village hall, Tobermory church and other landmarks scattered around the island. Iona Abbey, a short ferry-hop away, is also playing a part. This is a great opportunity to hear musical performances curated by one of the greatest exponents of the age.
The setting Mull has a dramatic 300-mile coastline of ash blond sand dominated by black basalt cliffs. Little wonder that Mendelssohn himself, on a trip to Mull, Iona and Staffa, was inspired to write the Hebrides Overture. Mull is accessible by ferry from Oban, Lochaline and Kilchoan (calmac.co.uk). Tobermory is an increasingly lively tourist attraction and has several decent restaurants and pubs.
Highlights It's all free. It culminates in a performance of Mendelssohn's String Symphony, when all groups come together on the Friday and Saturday.
• mullfest.org.uk, holidaymull.co.uk

Paxton House, near Berwick upon Tweed, 13–22 July

The festival The programme includes well-known works by Schubert, Beethoven, Haydn and Bartok, but there's also a world premiere by young Scottish composer Alasdair Spratt.
The setting The house and grounds were built by the Adams brothers in the mid-18th century and the rolling landscape of the Borders provides a scenic backdrop.
Highlights Scottish Ensemble and pianist Alasdair Beatson premiere Alasdair Spratt's Bite alongside Schubert's Trout Quintet 13 July, (£20); the Carducci Quartet plays Haydn, Debussy and Mendelssohn, 14 July (£20); harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, BBC New Generation Artist, plays Bach and Couperin, 19 July, (£20); Ibragimova and Tiberghien play an all-Schubert programme on the final night, 22 July, (£22).
• 0131-473 2000, musicatpaxton.co.uk, scot-borders.co.uk

Edinburgh International Festival, 9 August–2 September

The festival No guide would be complete without a passing mention of the biggest festival of them all, which of course also features theatre: 3,000 artists from 47 nations will gather. The Usher Hall plays host to Valery Gergiev with the London Symphony Orchestra, performing the complete Szymanowski and Brahms symphonies. Visiting international orchestras include the Cleveland, Les Arts Florissants, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugend orchestra contribute to a festival focus on celebrating the world-class emerging artistic elites.
The setting The heart of Auld Reekie pulsates as the city's 500,000 population doubles in size. Dominated by the festival fringe, the EIF offers a traditional and tasteful counterpoint to the goings on in Edinburgh's Underbelly and other outré venues around the old town.
Highlights There is the premiere of a new production of Janácˇek's The Makropulos Case by Opera North (£16-£66) and a concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with Welsh National Opera and Ben Heppner (15 Aug, £12-£46). Two epic choral works bookend the festival: it opens with Delius's A Mass of Life, with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus joined by Sir Andrew Davis and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (£12-£46), and closes with Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, with Welsh baritone Neal Davies (£12-£42).
• 0131-473 2000, eif.co.uk, edinburgh.org

Lammermuir Festival, East Lothian, 16-23 September

The festival Now in its third year, the Lammermuir offers an eclectic selection of ancient and modern, from Bach and Albinoni to contemporary composers William Sweeney and David Fennessy. Walks, talks and gardens will punctuate concerts, with the magnificent church of St Mary's Haddington playing a central role.
The setting It spans East Lothian, the sweeping coastal plains and rolling hills east of Edinburgh, where neat villages are connected by quiet country lanes. There's an imaginative use of the spaces for venues: in addition to the churches, Tantallon Castle looms large this year, as did the Concorde hangar at East Fortune for last year's memorable performance of Philip Glass's 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof. Good use is made of the area's many stately homes. Look out for Yester House, Gian Carlo Menotti's former home at Gifford.
Highlights The spectacular world premiere of Tantallon! These Lands, This Wall, a sound and light show by William Sweeney, in the grounds of the castle. The artist in residence is young Scottish guitar virtuoso Sean Shibe, who plays Bach, Britten and Fennessy at Lennoxlove on 18 September. And much more …
• 0131-473 2000, lammermuirfestival.co.uk, visiteastlothian.org