The board of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) has announced the appointment of Jonathan Mills as the next festival director.

Mills will take up the position in October 2006, and will be responsible for planning the 2007 festival onwards. He succeeds Sir Brian McMaster, who will stand down in September after 15 years as festival director.

Mills said: “The Edinburgh International Festival is a great festival in a gracious city. From the moment it was founded, EIF has been a source of inspiration for similar celebrations of the performing arts throughout the world. I am both excited and humbled to be offered the opportunity to build on the twin traditions of excellence and innovation established by this wonderful event over the last 60 years.”

The appointment follows the festival’s recent revelation that it is £1m in debt after running up losses of £850,000 making six new productions last year.

Mills is currently the director of the Alfred Deakin Lectures and an artistic advisor to the new Melbourne Recital Centre & Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, in Australia, which is scheduled to open in 2009.

Previous posts have included artistic director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Melbourne Federation Festival, the Melbourne Millennium Eve celebrations and the Brisbane Biennial International Music Festival.

Mills graduated in music from the University of Sydney where he specialised in composition with Peter Sculthorpe. In addition to his work as a composer, Mills holds a degree in architecture, specialising in acoustic design.

The annual three-week Edinburgh International Festival celebrates opera, theatre, dance and classical music from worldwide artists. The 2006 EIF will run from 13 August to 3 September. Details: wwww.eif.co.uk