COMPLETE BBC PROMS LISTINGS
Let the BBC Proms begin! As we present full details of the wonderful season ahead, presenter Katie Derham welcomes you to this most unique of music festivals
IT IS ALWAYS A THRILL when the world’s biggest celebration of music begins once again in July, and we’ve got a brilliant line-up of artists from across the globe taking to the stage this summer. Across eight weeks, over 90 concerts will fill the Royal Albert Hall stage, a venue that continues to draw audiences to the festival year in, year out to catch a piece of the BBC Proms magic. This year, the Proms will also be spreading its wings to Lincoln’s Drill
Hall, Camden’s Roundhouse and Alexandra Palace’s Victorian Theatre, and it will be intriguing to hear how these three concerts have been tailored to these unique settings. Back at home base, there are debuts for top orchestras, music from Cuba, Senegal and Argentina, folk music from across the British Isles, birthday celebrations for Leonard Bernstein and new music in over 42 premieres. Meanwhile, over 1,500 young people will participate across learning and outreach projects. As always, every Prom will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and many on BBC Four, and I’ll be back for my sixth year presenting Proms Extra on Saturday nights on BBC Two, where I’ll be chatting to artists from across the season. I can’t wait, too, for the programme’s new series of chamber performances featuring hidden gems by some extraordinary and neglected female composers of the Classical and Romantic periods. The BBC Proms is a place for all, so sit back and enjoy BBC Music Magazine’s essential guide to the season.