Samara Joy on making her BBC Proms debut: "I didn't really realise the size of it"
The Grammy-winning jazz singer brings her soaring vocals to the Royal Albert Hall this weekend.
The song Peace of Mind speaks to an experience that’s probably familiar to anyone who’s ever been on the cusp of fame – that moment when your life speeds up and starts to feel like it’s not quite your own any more. “Where do you find/Your peace of mind/Is it in the places you go/Or the people you meet,” the song begins. For Samara Joy, whose song it is, there’s a need for peace of mind because the prodigiously talented 25-year-old jazz singer from The Bronx in New York has risen to the top at astonishing speed, carving out a glittering career that we can expect to take another leap forward when she makes her BBC Proms debut on Saturday, presenting a show called The Great American Songbook and Beyond, which, as with all the Proms, will air live on Radio 3. “The lyrics came from personal experience,” Samara says, speaking to Radio Times having just flown into London a few days ahead of her Royal Albert Hall performance. “That feeling of being a bit overwhelmed by success – a feeling of entering adulthood and it all being a bit too accelerated.” The three studio albums, the critical acclaim, the five Grammy awards, the worldwide bookings at the most prestigious venues – truly life has come at Samara fast. And yet to see her perform – and to hear her talk – is to be in the presence of naturalness, poise and tremendous self-possession, qualities bestowed on her by an upbringing she describes as “rich in love and family and community”, in which music and singing were all around her. View oEmbed on the source website Samara – born Samara Joy McLendon – is the granddaughter of the founders of a Philadelphia gospel choir. Her father was a professional singer. “I’d sing with my father all the time – in the car driving to school, at Thanksgiving, around the house. Pretty much all I ever wanted to do was music. There was no other career!” Motown, soul and RnB was what she sang along to. “I didn’t discover jazz until I went to college at the age of 17. I didn’t have any formal lessons until then. I just did it all by ear. I want to say that it was constant practice, but I didn’t even realise it was practice.” Could she have gone down the pop route? “I guess I could have, but there are a lot of people in that lane. I feel it’s a bit over-saturated. Also pop requires you to give up so much of yourself in order to fit into some sort of aesthetic that people can hold on to. “What I do is a clear road, and I can be myself. There’s too much traffic in those other lanes! I feel very fortunate to have a lot of leverage. I feel other artists my age might have to make sacrifices in order to do what they really want.” Comparisons with greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan are being made all the time, but Samara says: “I hope that when people hear me, take the time to listen, they’ll realise that this is not an imitation act, it’s not a jukebox. I wasn’t born in that time or climate, so I’m not going to sound exactly like them.” There’s no doubting that Samara brings her own stamp to bear on some beloved material, with a voice that is a technical marvel, has astonishing beauty, and conveys so much feeling, as a sell-out Albert Hall audience is about to discover. The Great American Songbook means, she says, classics like Stardust and Misty, with the “Beyond” taking in Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Betty Carter, Billie Holiday and more. With the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Samara Joy Octet behind her, it promises to be an amazing night, but how much did the Proms mean to Samara when the call came last autumn? “I’d seen so many clips of performances, but I didn’t really realise the importance of it, the size of it, until recently.” London is not new to her – she’s performed at the Barbican and at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club – but the Proms is a different level and it means things like heading off for dress fittings, trying on 20 or 30 in order to narrow the choices down to the two she’ll wear on the night, all of which Samara sounds a bit ambivalent about. “I’m not the most fashionable person, but when there’s the opportunity to dress up, I try and show up! Really I like just being comfortable, and that’s another reason why I wouldn’t call myself a celebrity. I usually entrust the fashion duties to someone else. “I’m not this huge personality off-stage. When I get home I try and get back to normality and routine as soon as possible – grocery shopping, signing up for a fitness class! I’m sociable up to a point, and then I retreat.” The point at which, maybe to put it another way, peace of mind comes calling. Read more: How composer Sam Watts took The Traitors to the Proms – and got his break on The Sarah Jane Adventures Boy George hits out at streaming after Top 40 charts success of vinyl-only album BBC Proms: The Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy airs at 7pm on Saturday 19 July on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How composer Sam Watts took The Traitors to the Proms – and got his break on The Sarah Jane Adventures
As The Traitors brings its masked mischief to the Proms, composer Sam Watts says it’s essential to keep mixing popular and classical.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. There are many first nights at the BBC Proms – whether you’re a debut performer, an audience member visiting the Royal Albert Hall for the first time, or a composer anxiously premiering an untried and untested new work. Sam Watts is one of this season’s newcomers. You may not have heard of him, but if you’re a fan of The Traitors – and we are in our millions – his music will already be instantly recognisable. “I’m very excited,” he says. “Since the success of the first series, I said we should be pushing for a Prom. So at the end of last year when producer Sarah Fay told me it was happening, I was thrilled.” The Traitors Prom is being staged twice on Saturday 26 July and promises to be one of this year’s biggies. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, it aims to capture the intensity of the hit BBC1 reality show, its themes of treachery and murder reflected in a playlist of classical pieces and pop tracks; even a blend of both. It follows in the wake of previous Proms dedicated to major BBC series: Life Story a decade ago, Strictly in 2016, and numerous Doctor Who extravaganzas. The Traitors is riding a crest of popularity, having won Baftas and NTAs and, crucially for the BBC, it’s a ratings success with upwards of ten million glued to series three earlier this year. For the uninitiated, The Traitors is filmed in the spectacular setting of Ardross Castle in the Highlands and unfolds like a grand-scale version of wink murder. “Faithful” competitors must identify and banish the murderous Traitors in their midst, in a quest to bag £120,000. Originating in the Netherlands, The Traitors is produced in the UK and US by Studio Lambert Scotland, while parent company All3Media has licensed the format to almost 30 territories. Watts is working flat out translating his Traitors score for the live performance. “I’m in the middle of remixing all the electronic elements for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to play along with. We’ve completely reworked the music and reorchestrated it. The audience will hear music they’re familiar with but played in a way it never has been before. Quite a project!” Originally from Yorkshire, Watts now lives in Edmonton with his Canadian husband, the writer Mick Schubert (no relation to Franz). But he intends to be at the Albert Hall on the day. “It’s a whirlwind. I land on the Friday and fly back on Sunday, so Saturday will be full on with the technical rehearsal in the morning then the two concerts.” He may even make an appearance on stage, but quite how remains under wraps – as are several surprises in the Traitors tradition. Having studied music at Nottingham University, Watts was blessed with encouraging mentors. “One of my composition professors was the wonderful Mervyn Cooke, who is an expert on film music and very good friends with the composer George Fenton.” Watts wrote his dissertation on Fenton’s music for The Blue Planet (BBC1 2001), and the next thing he knew, Fenton was hiring him as his assistant on the movies Hitch, Bewitched and Mrs Henderson Presents. In 2006, to Watts’s delight, Fenton invited him to compose music for the BBC’s Planet Earth. Now 43, Watts looks back on the “youth and exuberance” that turbocharged his career. The next crucial step was born of his admiration for Russell T Davies and his work on shows such as Queer as Folk (“hugely influential for me”) and of course Doctor Who. “I wrote to Russell in the old-fashioned way with an actual letter and enclosed a CD. And I was very lucky that he didn’t just throw it in the bin. He actually decided to listen.” “Sam was one of the luckiest moments of my career,” Davies tells RT. “In the heights of Doctor Who back in 2006, everyone in the world sent me their CV. I didn’t have time for them all, sorry! But one night, at midnight, I plucked a letter off the pile at random, and there was a CD. I put it on to play... And the next day, I walked into work to tell them we had our composer for The Sarah Jane Adventures!” This was the 2007 Who spin-off starring Elisabeth Sladen that ran for five years. “I love Sam’s work. It’s clever, nimble, witty, full-blooded and, best of all, you can sing along. He’s a lovely man and I’m so delighted by his success.” Watts was invited to send in a demo to The Traitors team in 2021. All he had to go on was the original Dutch version. Not normally a fan of reality shows, he was “completely hooked, which was a good sign”. He composed the theme (blending menace and excitement), cues for key moments such as the missions and Round Table denouement. His music has now been sold as part of the package to other territories. “It’s on about 12 versions – I’ve lost track. As well as the UK and US, it’s used in Australia, Poland, Sweden, and both the Canadian series, because we have English-speaking and French-speaking versions.” This autumn it will be heard on the highly anticipated The Celebrity Traitors. Before emigrating, Watts was a devoted Prommer. “I’ve always loved the BBC Proms and the fact that they’re continually pushing and changing and have started to include film and TV music. I also love that they’ve stuck to the original remit, to get more people listening to classical music. We need to show it’s not some snobby elitist thing. It’s essentially for everyone. Because we put people like Bach and Mozart on pedestals, we can forget that theirs was the popular music of the time.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Catherine Tate reacts to Doctor Who Proms return: "I'm delighted to be hosting"
Catherine Tate has shared her delight at hosting this year's Doctor Who Prom as part of the BBC's celebration of the hit sci-fi series. Taking place on Monday 26th August, the Doctor Who Prom is set to showcase composer Murray Gold's epic music from the series, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In a statement shared exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Tate said: "I'm delighted to be hosting this spectacular BBC Prom celebrating all things Doctor Who at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. "I am so looking forward to immersing myself in the music of the brilliantly enduring, shape-shifting Whoniverse, and celebrating the Doctors' adventures (and maybe a few monsters) with you all." Tate first made an appearance in the Whoniverse during the 2006 Christmas special, and later reprised her role as a full-time companion in season 4. More recently, fans saw her return to the role of Donna Noble for the 60th anniversary specials The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle alongside David Tennant. The news of Tate's hosting duties was previously announced by Gold in an exclusive interview with Radio Times, in which he said: "It's Catherine Tate [hosting]. I'm really happy it's her because she's an icon of the show. She actually dropped me a note after the specials aired, saying nice things about what I'd done. Oh God, she's great!" A filmed version of the Doctor Who Prom is scheduled to broadcast on BBC One Wales, BBC Two and iPlayer at a later date. The Prom is set to feature "spectacular lighting" and "special guests", with those in attendance yet to be revealed. This won't be the first time Doctor Who has graced the Proms, with previous editions taking place in 2008, 2010 and 2013, with appearances from Freema Agyeman, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman. At this year's festival, there will be 90 proms - 73 at the Royal Albert Hall and 17 at other venues across the UK. Stars including Sam Smith and Florence Welch will all grace the stage along with a selection of renowned soloists, conductors and orchestras. BBC Proms takes place between Friday 19th July and Saturday 14th September 2024. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Proms 2024 schedule: Full list of programmes
Your guide to the annual musical extravaganza.
The BBC Proms are here once again, with a full line-up of music events set to take place at the Royal Albert Hall and other locations across the UK. Some of the finest composers and musicians living today will be participating in the annual event, as well as contemporary artists including Sam Smith and Florence + The Machine. As usual, events will be broadcast across BBC radio stations, television channels and iPlayer, for those who were unable to secure tickets or travel for the shows in-person. Read on for a complete guide to the Proms 2024 schedule of performances, where each is being held and which will be broadcast on television (please note that not all broadcasts will be simultaneous with the live event). Friday 19th July 2024 18:30 - First Night of the Proms 2024 (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two) Saturday 20th July 2024 19:30 - Prom 2: Everybody Dance! The Sound of Disco (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two) Sunday 21st July 2024 11:00 - Prom 3: The King's Singers and VOCES8 (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 4: Sir Mark Elder conducts Mahler's Fifth (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Monday 22nd July 2024 19:30 - Prom 5: Zemlinsky's The Mermaid (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 23rd July 2024 19:00 - Prom 6: Verdi's Requiem (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) 22:15 - Prom 7: Late Night Italian with Jakub Józef Orliński (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 24th July 2024 19:30 - Prom 8: Nick Drake – An Orchestral Celebration (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 25th July 2024 19:30 - Prom 9: Mahler, Brahms and Schoenberg (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 26th July 2024 19:30 - The Glasshouse: Tailleferre, Sibelius and Dvořák (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 19:30 - Prom 10: Elgar's Second Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) 23:00 - The Glasshouse 2: Night Tracks (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) Saturday 27th July 2024 11:00 - BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: Gateshead (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 11:00 - Prom 11: CBeebies Prom - Wildlife Jamboree (Royal Albert Hall, CBeebies) 15:00 - Prom 12: CBeebies Prom - Wildlife Jamboree (Royal Albert Hall, CBeebies) 19:30 - The Glasshouse 3: Jordan Rakei with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 22:00 - The Glasshouse 4: BBC Music Introducing – Live at the Proms (The Glasshouse Internatioal Centre for Music) Sunday 28th July 2024 14:30 - The Glasshouse 5: Fantasy, Myths and Legends (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 15:00 - The Glasshouse 6: Flow, My Tears – Elegies and Atonement (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 19:30 - Prom 13: Sarah Vaughan – If You Could See Me Now (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Monday 29th July 2024 19:30 - Prom 14: Beethoven, Bruckner and Tüür (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 30th July 2024 19:30 - Prom 15: Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Wednesday 31st July 2024 19:30 - Prom 16: Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 1st August 2024 19: 30 - Prom 17: Vasily Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 2nd August 20:00 - Prom 18: Sam Smith (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two) Saturday 3rd August 19:30 - Prom 19: Elgar's Cello Concerto (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 4th August 2024 11:00 - Prom 20: Songs and Dances with the Kanneh-Masons (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) 15:00 - Proms Newport: vision string quartet with Mahan Mirarab (The Riverfront) 19:00 - Prom 21: The Sinfonia of London and John Wilson (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Monday 5th August 2024 11:15 - Prom 22: Relaxed Prom (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 23: Grosvenor plays Busoni's Piano Concerto (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 6th August 2024 19:00 - Prom 24: Purcell's The Fairy Queen (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 7th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 25: Storgårds conducts Tchaikovsky's Fourth (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 8th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 26: Beethoven, Brahms and Sarah Gibson (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 9th August 2024 18:00 - Prom 27: Strauss's An Alpine Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) 22:30 - Prom 28: Songs of Wars I Have Seen (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 10th August 2024 11:00 - Prom 29: Jonathan Scott – Organ Recital (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 30: The National Youth Orchestra plays Mahler's First (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Sunday 11th August 2024 15:00 - Proms Belfast: Debussy, Fauré and Holmès (Ulster Hall) 19:30 - Prom 31: Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Brahms (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Monday 12th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 32: Beethoven's Seventh Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 13th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 33: Titans of British Music (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 14th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 34: 21st-Century Soundtracks (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 15th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 35: Ellington, Braxton and Mary Lou Williams (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 16th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 36: Gemma New conducts Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Saturday 17th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 37: Britten's War Requiem (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Sunday 18th August 2024 11:00 - Prom 38: Stravinsky's The Firebird with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 39: Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 19th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 40: Bach's St John Passion (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 20th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 41: Mozart with Ensemble Resonanz (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two) Wednesday 21st August 2024 19:30 - Prom 42: Beethoven's Ninth by Heart (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Thursday 22nd August 2024 19:30 - Prom 43: Pictures at an Exhibition (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 23rd August 2024 19:30 - Prom 44: Lahav Shani plays and directs Prokofiev (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 24th August 2024 18:00 - Bristol Beacon 1: The Virtuous Circle (Bristol Beacon) 19:30 - Prom 45: Dalia Stasevska conducts Sibelius's Fifth Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) 20:30 - Bristol Beacon 2: The Virtuous Circle (Bristol Beacon) Sunday 25th August 2024 15:00 - Bristol Beacon 3: BBC Singers at 100 (Bristol Beacon) 17:00 - Bristol Beacon 4: Evelyn Glennie plays Jennifer Higdon (Bristol Beacon) 19:30 - Prom 46: Holst's The Planets (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Monday 26th August 2024 11:00 - BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: Bristol (Bristol Beacon) 14:00 - Bristol Beacon 5: CBeebies Prom – Ocean Adventure (Bristol Beacon) 14:30 - Prom 47: Doctor Who Prom (Royal Albert Hall) 16:00 - Bristol Beacon 6: CBeebies Prom – Ocean Adventure (Bristol Beacon) 19:00 - Prom 48: Doctor Who Prom (Royal Albert Hall, BBC One Wales/BBC Two) Tuesday 27th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 49: Czech Philharmonic play Dvořák and Suk (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 28th August 2024 18:30 - Prom 50: Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass (Royal Albert Hall) 22:15 - Prom 51: Tinariwen – The Desert Blues (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 29th August 2024 18:30 - Prom 52: Bizet's Carmen from Glyndebourne (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 30th August 2024 19:30 - Prom 53: Stravinsky, Reich, Tippett and Elgar (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 31st August 2024 16:00 - Prom 54: Beethoven for Three (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) 20:00 - Prom 55: Berliner Philharmoniker with Kirill Petrenko (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 1st September 2024 15:00 - Proms Aberdeen: 'I never laid eyes on Aeneas...' Women's Stories from the Ancient World (Cowdray Hall) 19:30 - Prom 56: Bruckner's Fifth Symphony with Berliner Philharmoniker (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 2nd September 2024 19:30 - Prom 57: Ultra Lounge – Henry Mancini and Beyond (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) Tuesday 3rd September 2024 19:30 - Prom 58: Klaus Mäkelä conducts Symphonie fantastique (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 4th September 2024 18:30 - Prom 59: A French Fantasy – Boulanger, Fauré and Ravel (Royal Albert Hall) 22:30 - Prom 60: Late Night with Eric Whitacre (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 5th September 2024 19:30 - Prom 61: Rattle conducts Bruckner's Fourth (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 6th September 2024 20:00 - Prom 62: Rattle conducts Mahler's Sixth (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 7th September 2024 10:30 - Prom 63: Choral Day – The Sixteen (Royal Albert Hall) 11:00 - BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: Nottingham (Nottingham Trent University Music Department) 11:00 - Choral Day: Come & Sing Free Workshop (Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Royal College of Music) 14:00 - Prom 64: Choral Day – Jason Max Ferdinand Singers (Royal Albert Hall) 17:00 - Proms Nottingham: BBC Young Composer (Albert Hall, Nottingham) 19:00 - Prom 65: Choral Day – Handel's Messiah (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 8th September 2024 16:00 - Proms Nottingham: Music of Sherwood Forest (Nottingham Royal Concert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 66: Chineke! play Tchaikovsky's 'Pathétique' (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 9th September 2024 19:30 - Prom 67: BBC SO plays Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 10th September 2024 19:00 - Prom 68: Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 11th September 2024 20:00 - Prom 69: Florence + The Machine – Symphony of Lungs (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two) Thursday 12th September 2024 18:30 - Prom 70: Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (Royal Albert Hall) 22:15 - Prom 71: The Art of Fugue with Sir András Schiff (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 13th September 2024 19:30 - Prom 72: Mozart, Farrenc and Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 14th September 2024 19:00 - Prom 73: Last Night of the Proms 2024 (Royal Albert Hall, BBC One & BBC Two) Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch alternative BBC Proms virtual event - full programme
"Not the Proms as we know them, the Proms as we need them."
Although the coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of many major public events, including music festivals like Reading and Glastonbury, fans will be pleased to hear that BBC Proms is going ahead - albeit, very differently to usual. In a similar vein to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this year's BBC Proms will be a multi-platform virtual event, celebrating 125 years since the first season. Expect to see enchanting live performances broadcast across two months on the BBC, including a special Last Night of the Proms that is hoped to bring the nation together. Here's everything you need to know about BBC Proms 2020. Is BBC Proms 2020 cancelled? Fortunately not. But it will be a very different event to past years, as the BBC's tagline poignantly describes: "Not the Proms as we know them, the Proms as we need them." The original plans that the organisers had laid out for this year's music celebration had to be thrown out or adapted in order to meet our unprecedented current situation, reducing social contact to meet with government guidelines. However, you can rest assured that they are still intent on showcasing "leading artists around the globe, highlighting emerging talent, and featuring work by some of today’s most exciting and innovative composers". In the interest of safety, we will be enjoying the Proms from home this year, as it is broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. When is BBC Proms 2020 on TV? The 2020 season will open on Friday 17th July on BBC Radio 3 and Sunday 19th July on BBC Four. Performances from the 2020 Proms will also be available to catch up on using BBC iPlayer. The season will finish on Saturday 12th September. BBC Proms 2020 programme Starting from Friday 17th July, BBC Radio 3 will broadcast past Proms concerts every evening, as well as a weekly Late Night Prom, and a Monday lunchtime offering. The festival will kick off with a unique First Night commission, performed by a Grand Virtual Orchestra comprised of all the BBC Singers and BBC Orchestras. Starting from Sunday 19th July, BBC Four will broadcast standout Proms every Sunday until the festival ends on Saturday 12th September. Additional highlights will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Friday 28th August will see the focus shift from revisiting past performances to exciting new ones, as organisers plan to have musicians playing live at the Royal Albert Hall for the final two weeks, culminating in an emotional Last Night of the Proms. The range is said to feature solo performances as well as ensemble work, from both established musicians and emerging new talent, all of which will be broadcast across BBC Radio 3, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. There is no exact schedule for these new live shows just yet, as it will depend largely on government advice nearer the time, but we'll update this page with more information as it comes in. BBC Radio 3 is encouraging listeners to send in their favourite Proms moments as these will be used to shape the content of this year's digital event. Full BBC Proms 2020 schedule Friday 17 July 7pm - Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann introduce the First Night of the 2020 BBC Proms season. Saturday 18 July Beethoven: Overture ‘Leonore’ No. 3 7pm - (concerts from 2017, 1995 and 2007) Iain Farrington: Beethoveniana (BBC commission, world premiere) – BBC Grand Virtual Orchestra Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 – Igor Levit (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra/Edward Gardner (First Night of the Proms 2017) Harrison Birtwistle: Panic – BBC Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Davis (Last Night of the Proms 1995) Mahler: Symphony No. 3 – Anna Larsson (mezzo-soprano), Trinity Boys Choir, London Symphony Chorus, Lucerne Festival Orchestra/Claudio Abbado (BBC Proms 2007) Sunday 19 July 7.05pm - 2017 Prom Stravinsky: Violin Concerto Gerald Barry: Canada (BBC commission, world premiere) Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Leila Josefowicz (violin), Allan Clayton (tenor), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla) If you're looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide.
From the royal wedding to the BBC Proms: cello star Sheku Kanneh-Mason looks back on a breakout 2018
British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has played at the grandest of stages and broken into the UK and US top 20 – all at the age of 19
Meghan Markle has impeccable manners. Within a few weeks of marrying Prince Harry, she’d already sent out her thank-you letters – including a heartfelt one to young British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. With his stunning, emotional performance at the royal wedding, playing three pieces as the newlyweds signed the register at St George’s Chapel, this unassuming Nottingham teenager seemed to encapsulate the spirit of the day and its nation-bonding mood of optimism and love. “It’s a really nice letter,” he reveals, with characteristic humility. “Really personal. It was an amazing experience to play at the wedding and nice to know how much the music meant to them.” In providing a perfect soundtrack to the nuptials for more than 12 million viewers in Britain and many more worldwide, he may also have helped change more than just the perception of classical music in the UK and beyond. Because not only did he put the cello at the heart of a wedding in which the likes of Elton John and George Clooney played walk-on roles as guests, but he was also part of a royal celebration that had black faces to the fore, from the Rev Michael Curry, the African-American bishop who preached the sermon, to the Kingdom Choir, who sang the R&B classic, Stand by Me. “I was bowled over when Meghan Markle called me”: meet the 19-year-old cellist playing at the Royal Wedding Brilliant Bad Lip Reading video reveals what was really said at the royal wedding When is First Night of the Proms on TV? “It was really great to have such a range of music and so many different types of performances, which could be inspiring to more people,” he says. “It wasn’t just the fact that it was diverse, but the level of performances was so high – the gospel choir, for example. It was great to be part of, and of course it was a pretty inspiring crowd to play for!” View oEmbed on the source website Sales of his debut album Inspiration, which came out earlier this year, have not only smashed the UK charts since the wedding (he was the youngest classical cellist ever to enter the UK Top 20), but have been breaking records around the world and online, hitting number one on iTunes and Amazon. In the USA, he charted in the Billboard album top 20 (the first classical cellist to do so) and became the first classical artist to top their Emerging Artist chart – a huge accolade for any classical musician, let alone one who’s yet to celebrate his 20th birthday. It’s hard to believe it’s only two years since Kanneh-Mason, now 19, won the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition with a performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1. Since then his rise has been stratospheric. He’s performed at 10 Downing Street as part of Black History Month. He’s been spotted at Paris Fashion Week, playing at fellow Nottingham boy Paul Smith’s show. (Smith is a big fan and regularly dresses the cellist, including providing the colourfully spotty socks that were on display in St George’s.) And he’s played at the Baftas in 2017 and 2018, and made his Carnegie Hall debut last November alongside the likes of Jessica Chastain and Susan Sarandon at a gala in aid of the charity Dramatic Need, directed by Danny Boyle. All this while continuing his studies at London’s Royal Academy of Music, where he learns the cello under a previous finalist from BBC Young Musician, Hannah Roberts, and has just completed his first year as an undergraduate, living in student halls in central London. What was it like, I wonder, to go from the fanfare of the wedding straight into exams the following week? “A lovely contrast,” he admits. “I had a few academic papers to sit a few days later as well as my end-of-year recital, in which I was playing the Debussy sonata. It was good just to be able to focus on that.” Meanwhile, social media was going Sheku-mad – he has gained almost 350,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since 19 May, with many swooning over #CelloBae – and his agent’s phone was ringing off the hook. His jam-packed concert schedule now includes engagements in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York as well as high-profile gigs here in the UK, including his Edinburgh Festival debut and a televised Prom celebrating 40 years of BBC Young Musician (Prom 3, Sunday 15 July). Not that Kanneh-Mason, who is currently single, is letting any of this go to his head. In performance, cello in hands, he exudes energy and charisma, but off-stage he remains modest. For such an extraordinary talent, he’s had an “ordinary” upbringing. The third of seven gifted musical siblings, he attended a state school and is crazy about football (a devoted Arsenal fan) and movies (a favourite film is The Godfather). <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/07/GettyImages-973814426-5300b5f.jpg" width="3337" height="5000" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Winner of the CriticsÕ Choice Award, Sheku Kanneh-Mason speaks on stage during the 2018 Classic BRIT Awards held at Royal Albert Hall on June 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)" title="Classic BRIT Awards 2018 - Show" /> The Kanneh-Mason household may have been filled with music, but it was far from the hothouse stereotype of most prodigies. Although he enjoyed the classical pieces his mum and dad used to play in the car, he listened to all sorts of music, including Bob Marley. Young Sheku first fell in love with the cello aged six, after hearing his dad Stuart, a business manager and amateur cellist, playing it. He was captivated by Jacqueline du Pré’s timeless recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, telling me that her playing is what inspired him to practise so hard. (Du Pré’s siblings Piers and Hilary have said of Sheku: “He’s the first cellist since Jackie who has that natural and vibrant abandonment when playing. A sheer delight. Jackie would have loved to meet him.”) By nine he’d won a scholarship to the Junior Department of the Royal Academy, which required weekly trips to the capital each Saturday. “We had to catch a 6.30am train to London,” he recalls with a wince. These days, his pianist sister Isata (21) and violinist brother Braimah (20) also attend the Academy and they often perform as a trio, while some of his younger siblings attend the Junior Department, so he still gets to see his mum and dad most weekends. “We’re very close,” he tells me. Occasionally, all the siblings play as a professional ensemble. “I love performing with my brothers and sisters. Any time I can, I will prioritise that. We know each other so well, which is helpful when you’re playing chamber music. Of course, we all come with our own ideas, but it’s always interesting to hear what the others have to say. Sometimes there are a few arguments, but usually we all get on.” When I ask if there’s ever any professional competitiveness or sibling rivalry, he seems almost baffled by the question, answering with a definitive “no”. The Kanneh-Masons aside, classical music as an industry is regrettably far from diverse. Since becoming the first black winner of BBC Young Musician, Sheku has, inevitably, become a role model and is committed to ensuring that children from all sorts of backgrounds have the opportunity to make music. He donated £3,000 to his former school, Trinity Catholic in Aspley, after hearing that budget cuts might end cello teaching. He’s the first youth ambassador for the charity, London Music Masters, which provides music education to over 1,500 children from underserved communities each week. He and his family have become closely associated with Chineke!, an ensemble founded in 2015 to support and inspire classical musicians from ethnic-minority backgrounds. It’s a responsibility that Sheku takes very seriously. Yet he is also quick to point out that his main focus will always be “on developing as a musician. Hopefully, by becoming the best cellist I can, I’ll also inspire other people to enjoy classical music and maybe even do what I do.” Given the reaction to his playing at the royal wedding, it seems he’s succeeding, and he tells me he’s since been recognised a few times on the Tube when carrying his cello. “People say very nice things,” he says, modestly. “Often it’s along the lines of: they’d never listened to the cello before and now they love it. Just knowing that I’ve maybe brought a few people into the world of classical music means everything to me.” Sheku Kanneh-Mason is one of many past winners celebrating 40 years of BBC Young Musician at a special Prom on Sunday 15 July
How to buy tickets for Proms in the Park 2018
Gladys Knight, Joseph Calleja and Michael Ball will be at this year's musical extravaganza in Hyde Park
Tickets for the BBC's Proms in the Park, the al fresco finale to Proms season go on sale today. Buy tickets Here's everything you need to know about this year's event, from the line-up to picnics. It always sells out so book early to avoid disappointment. When is it? Saturday 8 September Where is it? Hyde Park, London Who's performing? Soul grande dame Gladys Knight, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Josh Groban, tenor Joseph Calleja, Vegas favourite Matt Goss, Lisa Stansfield, 100 members of the Rock Choir, and of course the BBC Concert who will be leading a sing-along conducted by Richard Balcombe. Michael Ball returns as host. How much are tickets? £48.20 (£45 plus a £3.20 booking free) You can also buy VIP tickets for £449 which gets you access to an exclusive terrace with views of the stage, a three-course meal served with fine wines and a complimentary bar. Tickets are available now from ticketmaster.co.uk Book tickets What time does it start? The gates open at 3pm and the music starts at 5pm. The concert will finish at around 10.30pm. Can I take a picnic? You can but there's a limit to how much wine you can bring in and certain items are prohibited. There will also be street food vendors, bars and drinking water dispensers. You can pre-order a gourmet picnic when you buy your ticket.
Are the BBC Proms licence fee money well spent?
The annual festival of classical music and more costs the BBC £5 million. Is what we get back in return worth it? asks David Crawford
By David Crawford In the furore over the level of pay awarded to some of the BBC’s top stars, a few other figures that might interest licence payers were overlooked. Take the BBC Proms, for example. Finding exact numbers in the Corporation’s annual report is a bit tricky, but RadioTimes.com can reveal that annually the Proms season costs £10 million to stage. Around half that is recouped through ticket sales, leaving a £5 million net cost to the licence fee payer. It was ever thus. When the BBC took over the running of the Proms in 1927, it was because the previous sponsor Chappell & Co felt it could no longer bear the cost at a time when profits were down (which, ironically, was blamed on the new culture of broadcasting inhibiting concert-going). The BBC agreed to take on that first season with a projected loss of £3,100 (around £175,000 in today’s money). Yet, despite the long relationship between the BBC and the Proms, it could be argued that putting on an eight-week concert season is not a primary concern of the British Broadcasting Corporation. So should part of the licence fee be subsidising Proms ticket prices, as it has been for 90 years now? Let’s break down just how much that subsidy works for the licence fee payer, with some rough calculations worked out on the back of an envelope. For the financial year 2016/17, the BBC received £3.7 billion in licence fee revenue, with £5 million (or 0.132%) going to cover the cost of the Proms. So each person paying £147 for a colour TV licence contributed 19p to subsidise the season. That means the 300,000+ people who attended the Proms in 2016 were each able to save around £20 if you compare the price of a ticket in the stalls with what you’d pay at a regular concert at the Albert Hall. Three hundred thousand is a small percentage of the roughly 25 million people who buy licence fees each year though – so is the majority propping up a niche service for a niche audience? “The BBC’s mission is to educate, inform and entertain; the Proms does all three of these things and reaches audiences through live performance, radio, TV and online," argues Proms director David Pickard. "The founders of the Proms wanted to offer the best classical music to the widest possible audience and that remains our vision today[…] It is hugely important to us that Proms are accessible to all audiences and ticket prices [subsidised by the licence fee] are a key part of that.” The figures bear him out. In 2016 over 35,500 bought tickets for the first time, more than 10,000 under 18s attended concerts, and a record 57,000 tickets were sold in the first hour of booking. Meanwhile, all Proms concerts are broadcast live on Radio 3, with a large proportion being shown on TV. In fact, the UK total TV reach for the 2016 season was around 16.1 million. So, the numbers stack up but what are we actually paying for? There was an astonishing breadth of music and performances this year and it’s hard to pick out a concise list of highlights. But to contrast Simon Rattle leading the London Symphony Orchestra through Schoenberg’s mighty Gurrelieder with Booker T playing his famous hit Green Onions to a grooving Albert Hall audience gives some idea of the Proms’ broad appeal. Throw in concerts at a Peckham multi-storey car park and Handel’s Water Music performed at the dock in Hull and it’s easy to argue that the Proms today is continuing the noble ambition of its famous co-founder Sir Henry Wood to make the festival accessible to all. And now, beyond that, there’s the annual initiative Ten Pieces that encourages children to engage with classical music, as well as a whole series of talks and workshops relating to individual concerts. The Proms really do educate, inform and educate — and at incredibly good value for money. It’s all rather inspirational, as Pickard can attest: “I remember very clearly coming to a Prom when I was in my teens; it was Clifford Curzon playing Mozart’s last piano concerto and I was Promming in the arena. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful his playing was, the atmosphere in the hall, and sharing the experience with 6,000 other people.” That’s the value of the Proms in a nutshell, and if even a fraction of the 35,500 newcomers in 2016 had a similar experience, then that’s one part of the licence fee well spent.
Confused by classical? Musician and comedian Vikki Stone is here to help
Perhaps the first thing to be said about the BBC’s Proms Podcast is it SO isn’t Radio 3. Now Radio 3 has changed a lot in recent years; anyone who associates it with stuffiness just hasn’t been listening. But the network’s new-found accessibility can’t — and wouldn’t want — to hold a candle to the Proms Podcast, which is aimed at a completely different type of listener and doesn't resist a laugh. If you’re in any way a purist, or pride yourself on your classical music knowledge, you should probably stay away. I think it might annoy the hell out of you. As presenter Vikki Stone says, tonally speaking there’s nothing else like it in the world of classical music. The podcast is a product of the BBC Music department rather any particular network, and it’s being given a slot on the Mary Anne Hobbs show on 6 Music on Sunday mornings, which is when each new edition will be released. The podcast’s "Prom Date" feature gives you an idea where it’s coming from. Each week Stone invites along a date to the Proms — someone for whom the Proms are pretty much a closed book. In the first podcast in the 2017 series, her guest was the comedian Nick Helm. He was baffled that a piece of music might last as short as six minutes. Stone's future Prom dates include Richard Osman of Pointless fame, and the singers Imogen Heap and Sophie Ellis-Bexter. View oEmbed on the source website Stone was the natural presenter for the podcast when it launched at the start of the 2016 Proms season. A classically trained musician and composer, she is also a comedy performer, and while there’s frivolity in almost her every utterance you can also tell that she knows her stuff and really cares. Perhaps crucially, she doesn’t alienate the professionals she speaks to. “I remember last year waiting behind another interviewer to interview the conductor Thomas Søndergård and he’d had to be all serous,” she recalls, "and then you could see him starting to smile the moment I started talking to him.” She is particularly proud of the “Idiot’s Guide to Pierre Boulez” that she got Simon Rattle to come up with last year. Podcast of the Week – previous picks Everyone Else The Cycling Podcast Backlisted Something about the Beatles Strong and Stable/Talking Politics Soundtracking with Edith Bowman The National Theatre podcast A Gay and a NonGay Short Cuts with Josie Long The idea of the podcast, says producer Alex Mansfield, is to reach the Proms agnostic — “people who love music and know the Proms exist but probably feel it isn’t for them”. Social media feedback suggests they are succeeding, and I for one find it funny and interesting and that it opens up the Proms in a new and refreshing way. If I want more “serious” coverage, I’ve got Radio 3. Stone attended 45 of of the 70-plus Proms that took place in 2016 and it’ll be the same this year. She reckons she has the nicest job of anyone at the Proms: "I am left to my own devices. There is no agenda. It’s just me and Alex and my laptop and we get to hang around talking to brilliant people, and putting the podcast together in a way that we want to.” The joy of that really comes through. If you want to see Stone in person, she’ll be performing her “Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra” at the Edinburgh Festival, accompanied by the Scottish National Youth Orchestra. Subscribe and download The Proms Podcast via the BBC website
Meet the German singing Rule, Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms!
Jonas Kaufmann, the world’s No 1 tenor, will shake things up at the Albert Hall
Even in 2015, seven whole decades after the war ended, the fact that a German tenor is to lead the Union Jack-waving faithful through Rule, Britannia! at the Last Night of the Proms invokes a frisson of intrigue and surprise. “C’mon, it’s an old song but a great one and if they don’t have a problem hiring a German to sing it, why should I have a problem myself?” Bavarian superstar Jonas Kaufmann responds cheerfully. “I’ve never performed it before. I’ll have to study hard in advance, of course; everyone watching will know the words so much better than I do.” And back in his homeland, what have they made of the news that their famous son will sing this nationalistic British anthem? “Disappointingly, no one seems to have noticed so far,” he chuckles. “But transmission of the Proms extends far beyond the Channel so I guess they’ll hear it when it happens. Let’s see then what they have to say.” In demand throughout the world and with a schedule planned as far as six years ahead, Kaufmann now frequently attracts the label “the world’s greatest tenor”. “It’s flattering, but I was frightened the first time I was described that way,” he admits. “What seems an honour can also quickly become a burden. For decades people have been prophesying the end of opera so the arrival of any new star means fresh hope. But it’s too much for one person to carry that flag on their own. And anyway opera will never die. If we treat it carefully and don’t try at any cost to drag it into the modern world, it’ll be just fine.” It was as a teenager on holiday in Norway that Kaufmann got his first taste of the Last Night experience. “We switched the TV on and there was this cheering, swaying crowd. I assumed it was a pop concert. But no, Pomp and Circumstance was being played. How lovely to remove the crust of formality and tradition and to see classical music being enjoyed for what it can be, just fantastic entertainment. I’m extremely thrilled to finally be a part of it.” View oEmbed on the source website Praised not just for the beauty and versatility of his singing voice but also the strength of his acting, the 46-year-old father of three has been hailed as the best tenor since Plácido Domingo — and his natural successor. The two men are close and recently Kaufmann was asked to present his friend with a lifetime achievement award. “I wrote the speech myself. Afterwards he said to me with tears in his eyes, ‘Everything you just said about me, I could so easily say about you too.’ So wrong. I have yet to earn that reputation, that respect. But I think my voice is getting stronger, richer. And I’m of an age where I’m growing towards some of the big male operatic roles. In two years’ time and at the Royal Opera House I will do my first Othello. Then in the years ahead I hope there’ll be some other tricky parts to come, my first Tannhäuser and my first Tristan. In six years I’ll be 52 and I think by then I’ll be about ready for them.” Rule, Britannia! aside, Kaufmann’s Proms programme has yet to be finalised. But released this month is his new album of Puccini arias, so yes, he’ll be performing Nessun dorma from Turandot. Could anything be more guaranteed to bring the house down? “Well, let’s hope they’ll like it,” he smiles. “Even in a totally silent hall, you know if the audience is with you. There’s a certain energy in the air that is palpable and inspires you. And the Last Night crowds are anything but silent so it should be quite an experience.” Last Night at the Proms is on BBC1 tonight (Saturday 12th September) at 7.15pm
Ten Pieces Prom review: "What the BBC does best"
The culmination of a year-long initiative to get young children interested in classical music was an inspirational spectacular
This is a Prom like no other. A troll stalks through the audience throughout the concert, cackling witches wheel and whirl their way across the stage, a phoenix soars around the Royal Albert Hall auditorium and Dick and Dom crash spacecrafts into the Hall. There's also the utterance of the unforgettable line — surely never before heard at a Prom — "Shall we show Dick how to blow a raspberry?" It's a head-spinning multi-media spectacular that acts as a climax to the BBC's worthy year-long Ten Pieces initiative to get primary school children enthused about classical music by introducing them to ten easily accessible pieces of music (more on them later). The pieces are played here by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under conductor Thomas Sondergard, which was also the orchestra that featured in the BBC's Ten Pieces film that launched the initiative. The music may be the focus, but to keep young minds from wandering each piece is introduced by a team of boundlessly energetic CBBC stars: Barney Harwood, Dick and Dom, Dan Starkey (Wizards v Aliens) and Molly Rainford (from Friday Download) — oh, and that troll. Their energy helps build the enthusiastic response to the music: imagine a concert hall reverberating to the sound of a packed audience singing the first eight notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. But the real stars of the show are the children who were inspired by Ten Pieces to produce their own music, some of whom get the rare privilege of being invited on to the Royal Albert Hall stage to perform. First up is 11-year-old Evelyn and her school friends Emma and Sophie from St Mary's Primary School in Maguiresbridge, Fermanagh, whose composition Equinox is a violin-led piece that wears its inspiration from Beethoven's Fifth lightly. Just as inspiring as the music is to hear Evelyn talk about how she picked out Beethoven's motifs and pizzicatos for her own piece. The next contribution from schoolchildren really sends a shiver up the spine, as hundreds of kids from Hampshire and Wandsworth combine to form the Ten Pieces Children's Choir and sing the heck out of Handel's Zadok the Priest (you know, the one ITV used as their Champions League theme and the one George II had played at his coronation). It may not be their own work, but they still deserve special recognition for making such a joyous chorus. Then the pupils of Chase Bridge Primary School, Twickenham, file on stage with glockenspiel, bongo and big bass drum (plus strings and woodwind) to play their composition, Volcano, which is inspired by the story of Peer Gynt being chased in the Hall of the Mountain King — though in their piece, it's villagers fleeing an erupting volcano. That big bass drum gets a good workout as the volcano rumbles. In a non-musical performance 12 pupils from St Joseph's College, Ipswich, take to the stage in front of the orchestra to perform an entrancing interpretative dance to Benjamin Britten's Storm Interlude from his opera Peter Grimes. Dressed all in blue, the boys made it seem as if the sea had washed into the Royal Albert Hall. The finale of the children's performances is left to the pupils of Wythcombe Raleigh CE Primary School, Exmouth, who drag on stage water butts, broomsticks, bicycle wheels and other bits of junk salvaged from a local dump to play their composition, Wythcombe Stomp, a percussive piece that wowed the audience. Talking of percussive pieces, special mention has to go to the innovative staging of Anna Meredith's Connect It, in which dancers from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire swooped among the prommers on the floor for a kinetic performance of a piece that uses no musical instruments, just the dancers' breaths, body slaps and movements to create a hypnotic sound. When Meredith stepped on stage herself and encouraged the whole audience to get involved, it certainly proved entertaining though some concert-goers of, ahem, a certain age may have found it hard to keep up. Throughout the concert, as the prommers delighted at the music — which also included Holst's Mars from the Planets Suite, John Adam's Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Mussorgsky's Night on a Bare Mountain, Mozart's Horn Concert no 4, and Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt — we were also held rapt by the screens showing school children's art, animations and dances inspired by the pieces. If there are any gripes, it's at times the multi-media show was too busy; you wanted to watch the St Joseph boys dancing to Peter Grimes but also felt you should be watching the screen at the same time to see others' interpretations, and my seven-year-old son felt In the Hall of the Mountain King was almost inaudible for the noise of children shouting, "TROLL!!" But when the soaring music of the final piece, Stravinsky's Firebird, is accompanied by its own beautiful puppet of a phoenix that swooped and soared over the heads of the audience then all can be forgiven. The Prom was a great mixture of the ideals espoused by both Henry Wood and Lord Reith — it brought classical music to a new audience in an entertaining, educational and informative way — and is a shining example of what the BBC does best. It's heartening to know the Ten Pieces initiative is being extended to secondary school children for the following year — I can't wait for next year's Prom! Highlights from this year's Ten Pieces Prom are broadcast on CBBC at 9.30am on Sunday 2nd August and the Radio 3 broadcast of the full Prom is available on BBC iPlayer until 18th August.
Kylie Minogue to headline 2012 BBC Proms in the Park
The pop superstar will join Alfie Boe, Il Divo and the London Community Gospel Choir for the London event in September
Kylie Minogue will headline the BBC Proms in the Park event in London this autumn, the BBC has announced. The pop superstar will perform in Hyde Park on Saturday 8 September at the top of a bill that includes tenor Alfie Boe, classical quartet Il Divo and The London Community Gospel Choir. Proms in the Park, which features a mixture of popular and classical performances at the end of the Proms season, will be hosted by Sir Terry Wogan and feature music from the BBC Concert Orchestra. Earlier in the evening, Tony Blackburn will introduce a range of performers including Björn Again, Gypsy Queens, the cast of Let It Be and the BBC Big Band. Simultaneous events will take place in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, all of which will culminate in a Royal Albert Hall sing-along as the Last Night of the Proms reaches its climax. Tickets can be obtained from the official BBC Proms website.